Spray, Brush or Wipe?

[JackLeg]

I'm seeking advice on what finishes to use on the Laptop desks I'm building. They're just a simple piece cut from 1/2" plywood, g1s. I also need to step on on the quality of the plywood, so I'm open to suggestions on this also.

What would you suggest to use for staining, and also for finishing? :dontknow: I went with what I had this time on the first 4 and used some MinWax Golden Oak and wiped it on.

For a top coat, I brushed on 3 coats of poly.
I dislike finishing, mainly because I'm not good at it. :thumbs_do I've heard good things about Target coatings water based products? :icon_scraYour opinions?

If there are better choices, please let me know. I plan to make several of these between now and Christmas. I realize this ain't "fine furniture" but I'm a complete rookie when it comes to finishes.

Will post a pic when I'm completely done with a couple.

Thanx.
:wsmile:

 

[Travis Porter]

I am finishing up 3 simple lap desks (been doing it for about 3 months).

I brushed oil based poly and hate it. Too many runs, not smooth, etc. Once I finish this I swear I am not brushing oil anymore if I can help it.

I have sprayed a fair amount of Target USL and love it. It is not hard enough for a table top or writing desk. Their Emtech 6000 is supposed to do well for this, but I have not tried it, but I think I will order a gallon to have on hand.

Personally, I will either spray or use a wiping finish going forward. Brushing is a pain. You have to have a hand light to look at the thing at an angle and all to find errors. Plus, doing something that needs to be finished on all sides is tough.

You don't have to have a high end set up to spray. If you have a compressor a decent quality conversion HVLP gun is sweet.

 

[Ken Massingale]

For a finish for those I recommend Formbys Tung Oil Finish. I apply it with a Viva plain paper towel, rub it in per the directions, like waxing a car. Then do light long sweeping strokes from end to end to smooth it. Very light coats, it says 12 hours between coats (rubbing with 0000 steel wool between coats) but I find 5-6 hours is usually enough.
Also, I recommend Liberon steel wool, it is much better for finishing than the slightly cheaper stuff at Ace and Walmart.

 

[DavidF]

If you are not spraying then I would highly recommend General finishes "Seal-a-Cell" for the first coat and "Arm-r-Cell" for the two top coats. For spraying, Target coatings is great stuff. I am about to use their new EM2000 for a dining table, but have used the Oxford USL in the past with great results. This has now been replaced by the Em6000.

 

[Glennbear]

I cannot offer any suggestions beyond what has already been offered but if the future users are going to be using a laptop keep in mind that they put out a prodigious amount of heat. My temporary desk is a hollow core door and despite my laptop being insulated by a desk calendar blotter the heat can be felt on the underside of the door. I am certain you do not want to end up with a melted/bubbled finish. :wsmile:

 

[JackLeg]

I cannot offer any suggestions beyond what has already been offered but if the future users are going to be using a laptop keep in mind that they put out a prodigious amount of heat. My temporary desk is a hollow core door and despite my laptop being insulated by a desk calendar blotter the heat can be felt on the underside of the door. I am certain you do not want to end up with a melted/bubbled finish. :wsmile:

Good advice, Glenn! What will hold up best under heat? :icon_scra

 

[Glennbear]

Good advice, Glenn! What will hold up best under heat? :icon_scra

Unfortunately Reggie, I have never finished a project where heat resistance was a factor but I am sure with our vast pool of knowledge here someone will chime in with a suitable suggestion. :wsmile:

 

[Travis Porter]

Oil based poly has good resistance.

 

[JackLeg]

OK, that's where I'm at. :icon_thum

Oil based poly has good resistance.

 

[Mike Davis]

And you can thin that with MS or Acetone and rub it on with a cloth. In colder weather I use acetone to speed drying.

 

[CrealBilly]

Spray, Brush or Wipe? All three :slap:

 

[JackLeg]

Spray, Brush or Wipe? All three :slap:

ONLY you, MIlls, only you!!
:rotflm:

 

[JackLeg]

Sprayed 4 today. NO more brushing! ccasion1

 

[CrealBilly]

Sprayed 4 today. NO more brushing! ccasion1

You telling me you didn't do all three? Be honest now.

 

[DonnellyJT]

How did you get started spraying? What product did you use? I was going to suggest you drive into Charlotte and talk to the guys at Hunter Paints. The are on Monroe Rd. They carry MLC and Fuhr. And Baltic Burch Ply is great. You can get that at the old Charlotte Hardwoods - now Wurth Wood Group.

 

[JackLeg]

How did you get started spraying? What product did you use? I was going to suggest you drive into Charlotte and talk to the guys at Hunter Paints. The are on Monroe Rd. They carry MLC and Fuhr. And Baltic Burch Ply is great. You can get that at the old Charlotte Hardwoods - now Wurth Wood Group.

John: For this project, which is simple two sided cut outs, I decided to take the "easy" route and purchased some MinWax Spray Poly in aerosol cans. Only takes a few passes on each side and I'm done. Seems to be working OK for what I'm doing right now. Granted, this isn't a big project, (I've got 10 ready to spray) and it's not "furniture" per se. Works for me! :icon_thum

 

[Travis Porter]

How did you get started spraying? What product did you use? I was going to suggest you drive into Charlotte and talk to the guys at Hunter Paints. The are on Monroe Rd. They carry MLC and Fuhr. And Baltic Burch Ply is great. You can get that at the old Charlotte Hardwoods - now Wurth Wood Group.

I got started with a conventional gun off of a compressor. I spent $200 on it, sprayed some corner cabinets with paint, and hated it. It was SO MUCH MESS.

A few years ago, I bought a Porter Cable HVLP gravity feed conversion gun. It is an ok gun, and did a very good job. The key point though was using waterbased finishes like the WB Lacquers from Target Coatings or others. They are VERY forgiving, and the HVLP gun makes NOWHERE NEAR THE MESS.:confused_

The key to HVLP in my opinion is to use the minimum amount of air with the maximum fluid to get a quality spray. You have to learn to time your passes and keep your arm/wrist movements consistent, but once you can, it is a wonderful thing. Personally, when I am spraying the WB finishes I find that once I start to see white, I am getting too heavy.

The Target finishes are excellent, but I would expect almost all of the waterbased finishes share similar characteristics. I have wanted to try PreCat lacquers and the other heavy VOC lacquers, but have been chicken because of all the press that they will explode, etc, but I am thinking I will try it on my next small project based on comments from MSHEL and FredP being very positive. Heck, I may just beg Fred to come over to help me spray it! :eusa_pray

My suggestion is if you have a compressor to buy a cheap HVLP gravity feed gun from say Northern Handyman or somewhere and buy some WB finish and try it. I would recommend staying away from the Harbor Freight HVLP gun with a pressure pot. I bought one of those, and the pot is not stainless steel and has been rusting and makes a MESS.:embarrassed:

Then, as you start, ask questions, get feedback, heck even ask if someone will stop by or you can stop by to get a little "hands on".

 

[CrealBilly]

I got started with a conventional gun off of a compressor. I spent $200 on it, sprayed some corner cabinets with paint, and hated it. It was SO MUCH MESS.

A few years ago, I bought a Porter Cable HVLP gravity feed conversion gun. It is an ok gun, and did a very good job. The key point though was using waterbased finishes like the WB Lacquers from Target Coatings or others. They are VERY forgiving, and the HVLP gun makes NOWHERE NEAR THE MESS.:confused_

The key to HVLP in my opinion is to use the minimum amount of air with the maximum fluid to get a quality spray. You have to learn to time your passes and keep your arm/wrist movements consistent, but once you can, it is a wonderful thing. Personally, when I am spraying the WB finishes I find that once I start to see white, I am getting too heavy.

The Target finishes are excellent, but I would expect almost all of the waterbased finishes share similar characteristics. I have wanted to try PreCat lacquers and the other heavy VOC lacquers, but have been chicken because of all the press that they will explode, etc, but I am thinking I will try it on my next small project based on comments from MSHEL and FredP being very positive. Heck, I may just beg Fred to come over to help me spray it! :eusa_pray

My suggestion is if you have a compressor to buy a cheap HVLP gravity feed gun from say Northern Handyman or somewhere and buy some WB finish and try it. I would recommend staying away from the Harbor Freight HVLP gun with a pressure pot. I bought one of those, and the pot is not stainless steel and has been rusting and makes a MESS.:embarrassed:

Then, as you start, ask questions, get feedback, heck even ask if someone will stop by or you can stop by to get a little "hands on".

Great advise Travis - well done :thumbs_up