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? 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. I've heard good things about Target coatings water based products? Your 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.

[JackLeg]

Originally Posted by 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.

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!

[Travis Porter]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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!

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.

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".

[Jeff Mills]

Originally Posted by Travis Porter

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.

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!

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.

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