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Thread: SW's Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel

  1. #1
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    SW's Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel

    I like the durability of BM's Advance but hate how long it takes to dry and cure. Last week I got a job to refinish some kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. I was thinking of using SW's ProClassic but as I was discussing it with the sales tech at SW's he recommended Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel as a more durable product. I actually knew nothing about it; only about Emerald house paint which is nice stuff but a completely different product. ProClassic isn't the easiest thing for me to spray well so I decided to try the Emerald Urethane. For primer, he recommended their Extreme Grip Primer on the factory finished Masonite type doors/drawer fronts which were still in great shape and original to the 1950 house. I spent a good bit of time cleaning the doors with TSP in water, followed by a light hand sanding with 220 grit, and then filling the dings and holes that didn't below.

    The Extreme Grip Primer sprayed just OK after I thinned it with 6% water; should have thinned it more. But it dried to a thin, flat film and looked better than I expected. It easily sands to powder w/o clogging the sandpaper, too, and the bond seemed very good. Overall, I think it's a winner, but it needs to be thinned quite a lot even with my pressure assisted HVLP gun.

    Today I sprayed the first coat of the Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. I went straight to 10% thinning after stirring it in the can. It sprayed beautifully through a 1.5 mm N/N with 6 psi on the 3M PPS cup and 30 psi gun pressure. Great atomization, beautiful coverage and very nice flow out; much easier for me to spray than ProClassic. It dried to the touch in about 90 minutes and can be handled in less than 4 hours, which is the stated recoat time. Not as fast as ProClassic but much better than Advance.

    BM Advance uses an oil modified alkyd resin; SW Emerald Urethane has a urethane modified alkyd resin. Both are waterborne products and smell pretty much the same. I can't yet speak to the durability of the Emerald Urethane but I can report that it sprays beautifully, after thinning, and dries more quickly than Advance with faster recoat times.

    John

  2. #2
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    John, this is very timely for me. I'm using the Emerald Urethane for the trim in my office remodel. So far I've been brushing it on the window frames and window and door casing, but I am thinking about spraying the two 15 pane french doors. I hate cleaning my airless rig and would much prefer using my HVLP, and your results sound great, so I'm going to give it a try.

    As to durability, when I did my basement remodel a while back, I did 6 doors and all the trim with the Emerald Urethane. It seemed like it took a long time to fully cure, but it has held up really well. The two double doors to the shop side of my basement take a fair beating when I'm moving stuff in and out and they still look great.

    Thanks for the post!
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  3. #3
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    I'm not familiar with the Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, but I'm really liking the Emerald paint a whole bunch. My current room renovation project only required one coat for full coverage which exceeded the results I've previously attained with BM Aura. So if the enamel exudes the same level of quality...I'm happy to hear it's working out for you!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
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    Hope it helps, Paul. Being an oil modified product, I'm sure you are right that Emerald will take several weeks to fully cure, much longer than ProClassic at about 7 days, but likely better than Advance which is several months. What was immediately noticeable to me was how much faster Emerald dries and can be recoated compared to Advance, 4 hours to recoat vs. 16. That's a big deal for me in getting parts through the process efficiently.

    John

  5. #5
    John did you happen to measure the viscosity with a ford or zahn cup? Have two homes I'm doing trim/interior doors on coming up and debating what finish to use, this sounds like a good compromise between what I've used.

    GF white pigmented poly on built in cabinets and mantles, faster dry time is greatly appreciated, to finish in a day. It puts the homeowner in a dilemma for touch ups. Buying a whole gallon of their brushable version is pretty darn expensive just to touch up a couple knicks.

    Have used advance, like the way it ends up when all is said and done and it's great for touch ups. Coming back a second day for the second coat is a deal breaker on one of the homes though.

  6. #6
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    Nick, I didn't measure the viscosity of the Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, but I'd guess it's close to 500 seconds #4 Ford cup, before I thinned it, the same as Advance and ProClassic. GF's White Poly is in the 100 second range.

    You can brush GF's White Poly if you add some Extender to it. 3 - 4% would be a good place to start.

    John

  7. #7
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    I just finished spraying my second batch of Plantation Shutters with SW Emerald Urethane.

    I started with an Apollo Turbine 5 HVLP, but switched to using my Graco Magnum X5 airless sprayer straight from the can, no thinning. I used a FFLP208 tip.

    Very satisfied with the results.

  8. #8
    Thanks for the info. I will definitely give this product a try.

    If speed is of the essence for you, I have had good luck with Target Coatings pigmented lacquer. Both the high build primer and pigment lacquer spray with my 2stage using a 1.5mm tip and dry in minutes.

    The lacquer can be modified with a cross linker or topcoated with a water based top coat of you want extra durability. Jeff is able to tint it to any of the major paint brand specs. Just finished a set of bathroom cabinets with it. Was happy.

    I brushed the face frames and it leveled fine for me.
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 09-06-2020 at 7:34 AM.

  9. #9
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    Hey guys! So I know this is a 9 month old dead thread that I'm breathing new life into here, but the question fits well. I have a reface job coming up that has way more onsite finishing than what I typically like. In my shop I spray Chemcraft Ora Verde 2k poly using an HVLP cup gun. Its great stuff but there's no way I would spray it in a customer's home. I'm considering using Emerald trim enamel form the onsite portion, as I've brushed it in the past and it's great stuff. What type of setup would you recommend for spraying it onsite for the finest finish possible?
    ---Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny---

  10. #10
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    I know that John T has done some in-situ spraying in his own kitchen. It can be a challenge for sure...masking for overspray takes probably many times the amount of time required for the actual finish spraying. But at least with a waterborne product there are no dangerous fumes and you can vent suspended particulates out a big window or open doors. Honestly, I'd probably brush the product out, personally.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
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    Brian, I'd be more inclined to use ProClassic if I had to spray onsite just because it dries and cures a lot faster. Whatever you spray you'll need to mask off everything nearby. The setup details I described for Emerald Urethane in the OP gave great atomization and a beautiful finish. Something close to that should work well for you should you decide to use it.

    John

  12. #12
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    Any update on the durability of Emerald Trim Enamel John? I'm refacing my kitchen cabinets and will be spraying them white. Would a Fuji MM5 be able to spray thinned Emerald Trim Enamel?


    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    I like the durability of BM's Advance but hate how long it takes to dry and cure. Last week I got a job to refinish some kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. I was thinking of using SW's ProClassic but as I was discussing it with the sales tech at SW's he recommended Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel as a more durable product. I actually knew nothing about it; only about Emerald house paint which is nice stuff but a completely different product. ProClassic isn't the easiest thing for me to spray well so I decided to try the Emerald Urethane. For primer, he recommended their Extreme Grip Primer on the factory finished Masonite type doors/drawer fronts which were still in great shape and original to the 1950 house. I spent a good bit of time cleaning the doors with TSP in water, followed by a light hand sanding with 220 grit, and then filling the dings and holes that didn't below.

    The Extreme Grip Primer sprayed just OK after I thinned it with 6% water; should have thinned it more. But it dried to a thin, flat film and looked better than I expected. It easily sands to powder w/o clogging the sandpaper, too, and the bond seemed very good. Overall, I think it's a winner, but it needs to be thinned quite a lot even with my pressure assisted HVLP gun.

    Today I sprayed the first coat of the Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. I went straight to 10% thinning after stirring it in the can. It sprayed beautifully through a 1.5 mm N/N with 6 psi on the 3M PPS cup and 30 psi gun pressure. Great atomization, beautiful coverage and very nice flow out; much easier for me to spray than ProClassic. It dried to the touch in about 90 minutes and can be handled in less than 4 hours, which is the stated recoat time. Not as fast as ProClassic but much better than Advance.

    BM Advance uses an oil modified alkyd resin; SW Emerald Urethane has a urethane modified alkyd resin. Both are waterborne products and smell pretty much the same. I can't yet speak to the durability of the Emerald Urethane but I can report that it sprays beautifully, after thinning, and dries more quickly than Advance with faster recoat times.

    John
    History recalls how great the fall can be
    Supertramp, Fools Overture

  13. #13
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    It's very durable. The door to my 105 year old Mother's bedroom has marks on it from her wheelchair, but none go through the paint. I haven't tried cleaning any of the tire marks off, because she'll just get it again tomorrow, but I've been very impressed with that.

    I recently painted a ceiling with Pro Classic, just because they only had gloss in stock of the Urethane. Pro Classic looks a lot like Ikea furniture finish, and the Urethane looks a little more like old, oil based paint.

    Sorry, no experience with thinning either to spray. I use airless.

  14. #14
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    Vince, I saw the kitchen cabinet doors a month or so ago and they looked just like after I sprayed them; just beautiful. But the lady I did them for is a neat freak and I doubt she's splashing food and water on them like my wife does on ours. When I first sprayed them she asked me if she could wash them and I told her yes, after at least 30 days of cure time, but I don't know if she ever has. In any case, they looked great.

    Your Fuji spray gun has a pressurized cup, right? If so, I think it will spray EUTE just fine if you thin it and have a 1.5 mm or larger N/N set. I'd start at maybe 5% water and work your way up until it sprays a good pattern with the fan wide open. Good luck.

    John

  15. #15
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    Thanks John and Tom for the info. And yes the Fuji does have a pressurized tank.


    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    Vince, I saw the kitchen cabinet doors a month or so ago and they looked just like after I sprayed them; just beautiful. But the lady I did them for is a neat freak and I doubt she's splashing food and water on them like my wife does on ours. When I first sprayed them she asked me if she could wash them and I told her yes, after at least 30 days of cure time, but I don't know if she ever has. In any case, they looked great.

    Your Fuji spray gun has a pressurized cup, right? If so, I think it will spray EUTE just fine if you thin it and have a 1.5 mm or larger N/N set. I'd start at maybe 5% water and work your way up until it sprays a good pattern with the fan wide open. Good luck.

    John
    History recalls how great the fall can be
    Supertramp, Fools Overture

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