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Thread: How do you deal with off-gassing from finishes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    How do you deal with off-gassing from finishes

    My shop is in the garage, next to the kitchen. I just built a new shop cabinet and decided to try General Finishes Arm-R-Seal which worked great but the odor from the off-gassing filled both the garage and kitchen, making my wife and kids very unhappy with me. How do you deal with this? BTW, I'm in Chicago-area and the temperature is in the single digits, so opening the door for any length of time isn't an option until spring. Thanks for the advice.

  2. #2
    There's no getting around it. You have to vent. If I have to use an oil based finish in the winter, I will just keep the window open long enough for most of the fumes to dissipate.

    I use mostly waterbased finishes now. You still have to vent these, but it's a little easier because they dry quicker.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    Lake Forest, IL
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    Thanks for the quick response. Curious as to which waterbased finishes that you are currently using. I may need to try one of those

  4. #4
    A few of us here @ SMC have been talking a lot recently about Target Coatings to the point of looking like Fan Boys. It's getting to the point where I can see the eyes rolling.

    I have used General Finishes (Endurovar, Clear Poly) and Target Coatings (lacquer and conversion varnish). All are fine. They all spray well. Brushing is possible but I don't get good results on my test pieces; some dry cloudy if thick. None really wipe well.

  5. #5
    It's not just the smell. Some of these off-gasses are quite toxic.
    I am north of you so I totally get the winter finishing problem. Single digits above zero is an improvement this week LOL.
    Safety and odor are why I have switched entirely to water based finishes with the occasional use of shellac. The oil based finishes look great but the WB ones today are really good too. They dry quickly without having to worry about long term chronic health issues and short term ones like getting kicked out of the house. If using sprays you don't need to worry about causing an explosion as pass through your fan. Your family will probably appreciate your house not blowing up just to get a slightly better looking finish that no one will even notice unless held side by side.
    Last edited by Alan Kalker; 02-16-2021 at 12:17 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    NE OH
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    I will second (third...) the recommendation to switch to water borne. I use Enduro-var, high-performance, and have tried Target's products; happy with results from all of them. I tend to tint the first coat or two when using on cherry, but Enduro-var already has a slight amber tone to it to get it closer to oil based tones.

    One other consideration is temperature. Waterborne finishes do not tolerate cold temps as well as oil based finishes. The air, the pieces to be finished, and the finishes themselves need to be pretty warm for application and drying, so if you can't heat your garage you may be out of luck unless you can do the finishing indoors. I do shellac and any solvent based finishes in my garage, but do waterborne stuff inside.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  7. #7
    Note that while water borne finishes are usually less toxic, that doesn't mean they are non-toxic.

    I'm more sensitive to some of the components of water borne than oil solvent based. I am probably atypical, having spent several years getting sensitized from machining acrylic, but again, water borne does not automatically mean non-toxic.

    I'm in MN, so I definitely get the too cold to open a window thing (-28 Sunday night), but even opening a window a little bit does help.
    Last edited by Andrew Seemann; 02-16-2021 at 12:43 PM.

  8. #8
    Just make a big burrito dinner or something the night before you are planning to finish so the ode'-de'-flatulence that pervades the interior of the home for the subsequent 24 hours will offset that of the finish your using.

    Or, if you have a bunch that carry on due to any odd smells you will have to ventilate. We run alot of water borne, Target, Sherwin, Sayerlack, and it all smells like heaven compared to what Ive been use to over the years but Im use to smelling spray contact and solvent. If any waterborne coating is found objectionable by your people your probably sunk. Dryer sheets, heavy deodorant laundry soap, febreeze, are more caustic nauseating smells to me than any water borne finish and likely more unhealty.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    Note that while water borne finishes are usually less toxic, that doesn't mean they are non-toxic.
    Febreeze, bounce dryer sheets, and tide pods, are likely far more toxic to humans than most any waterborne finish.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Columbus, Ohio, USA
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    I really like Waterlox for certain projects, but I only use it when it is not Winter so that I can leave windows (and similar) open.

    In the winter, General Finishes (water based) or Shellac (Alcohol based). I did use BLO and Tung oil recently, but I was not that worried about the off gassing like the Waterlox; or another epoxy based thing that I sometimes use.

    If I were forced to use something in the winter, not sure how I would deal with that.

  11. #11
    I like waterlox for furniture. Here in Southeast PA, I can finish in my garage. It is attached, but it is a brick house and the garage does not share the hvac system and if I leave the garage door partially open for an hour or two I don't get any odor in the house.

    I pick my days, avoiding rainy damp days for any finish.

    I have been using more water base stuff for the inside of cabinets and drawers, mainly for the
    quick dry time, but also to have less fumes and exposure.

    For northern climates I think I would be leaning towards the water based stuff.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    Everybody says water borne finishes are low odor. But if I finish the interior of a cabinet with waterborne, six months later I still get a big smell when I open the door. To me, shellac is a better choice for odor. Maybe it is that I find the odor of alcohol pleasant.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
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    Cincinnati, Ohio
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    I use my dust collector to vent to the outside. Not as bad as opening a window, and I've got a flexible 4" duct I can clamp right next to the piece that's drying.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Everybody says water borne finishes are low odor. But if I finish the interior of a cabinet with waterborne, six months later I still get a big smell when I open the door. To me, shellac is a better choice for odor. Maybe it is that I find the odor of alcohol pleasant.
    What water based finish are you using that holds any smell for 6 months? We've bagged finished test parts in a ziploc for several days after cure time and holding your face right over the bag when un-zipping I can smell nothing with a half a dozen finish manufacturers? I did this because several who were pulling from a shop spraying Duravar complained about long term smell.

  15. #15
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    Something to consider; if applying finishes in the garage are smelling up the house, then you have some work to do on sealing & weather stripping to keep that from happening. A garage is not supposed to communicate any finish smells, or carbon monoxide, into the house. I frequently apply solvent based finishes & rattle can paint in my garage/shop & can never smell it in the house. It can certainly be done.

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