Increase Profits by Spraying

Do you know the definition of “bottleneck”?  In the unfinished furniture dictionary it says “see finishing room”.  If you are still wiping on stains and brushing on top coats, you are creating your own bottleneck!  Hand finishing narrows your margins of profit.  Many of our storeowners finish furniture as a convenience to their customers, yet lose money through inefficiency.  They can only sell as much furniture as they have time to finish, and time is very finite!  Increase your profit margin by changing your finishing techniques.  To do this, you must spray your stains and finishes.

The key to a productive finish operation is having the proper equipment.  Today, a small scale finish operation uses the same equipment big outfits use: HVLP (High-volume, low-pressure) units. HVLP units are available for under $800, are extremely easy to use, and will pay for themselves in less a short period of time.  Here’s the math.  If you pay your finisher $7 per hour, he or she will cost over $800 in 3 weeks.  In the same 3 weeks, the same finisher could double his or her output by spraying.  Your costs stay the same and production increases!  We recommend the Fuji Q3 HVLP turbine system.  For more information, visit www.fujisprayp.com or call or 800-650-0930.

Surface Preparation:

All surfaces should be clean and free from dirt and oil.  Sand surface using fine grit sandpaper such as #180-#220.  Water base finishes need a smoother surface than oil base finishes. Do not use steel wool.  Steel wool can leave behind tiny particles in the wood that can rust after the finish has been applied.  Do not use tack cloths when using water based finishes!  Tack cloths contain oil and will contaminate the surface. 

Soft woods such as Pine and Aspen absorb stain at an uneven rate and may respond better to staining if the wood bas been presealed.  EF Natural stain can be applied to raw wood to condition the surface for uniform penetration of the stain.  Presealing will cause the final stain to be lighter.  Always test your color on a hidden part of the furniture!  Allow the EF Natural stain to dry 1 hour before applying your final stain color.

Note: With hardwoods such as oak and ash, begin by pre-wetting the wood with a damp cloth to raise the grain.  Allow the dampened wood to dry 30 minutes before the final sanding.  This will provide a smoother final finish.

Spraying EF PolyAcrylic

EF PolyAcrylic waterbase topcoat is ready to spray from the container. Thinning is not necessary. However, in hot climates, EF Extender can be used with the EF PolyAcrylic to extend the open time.

EF PolyAcrylic can be sprayed with HVLP systems or conventional sprayers. If you are using a sprayer that has been used for oil base or lacquers, clean the unit thoroughly and rinse with warm water before using. Apply a thin coat first that will dry and harden faster.  Sand this first coat down to a smooth base on which to build your finish coats.  With water base finishes it is better to spray 2 thin coats rather than 1 heavy coat.

Practice makes perfect! If you have never sprayed finishes before, take a large piece of cardboard and practice your technique first. Spray water on the cardboard to learn how the gun works. Check your fluid settings and adjust the controls to get comfortable with the spray angles and to develop your technique.

 Keep your gun at a 90* angle, 6-8” from the surface.  On large flat areas, use wet, even patterns 6 to 8’ wide. Over lap each pass 25% to conceal lines. For narrow surfaces, reduce the fan pattern to 2-3” to reduce overspray. Break your work into sections such as dresser top or drawer fronts. Spraying too large of an area can result in a textured grainy surface. A correctly sprayed finish should appear even and glossy. It is important to spray enough material to allow proper flow and leveling of the finish. If you have not obtained a good finish check one of the following factors:

Trouble Shooting Guide for Spraying

1. Rough, dry surface. This is called dry spray. You may have sprayed too lightly. Resand the finish with #320 paper and apply a heavier coat. Keep your gun at 6-8” from the surface.

2. Dimples in the finish. This is called orange peel, caused by spraying in temperatures that are too cool.  Cooler temperatures will adversely affect how the finish will level and harden. Water base finishes must be applied at temperatures above 65 F.  If it is cold enough to wear a sweater it is too cold to apply a water base finish.  The surface of the wood must also be warm.  If you turn the heat on when you enter your shop in the morning, the air heats up quickly but your furniture will still be cold for some time.  Check the surface to see if it is warm.  Also, check the temperature of the finish.  Warming cold finish by setting the can next to a heater or setting the container in some hot water for 5 minutes will improve the ease of application.   Note: Larger dimples are called “fish-eyes” or “craters”.  Cool temperatures can cause these, but the more likely source is contamination of the finish with either wax or silicone. 

3. Blush.  Blush is the term for a cloudy, milky appearance in the finish, has two causes. The most common reason is incompatible stain. For example, using a water base top coat over a heavy oil base stain.  When the top coat is applied, the oil in the stain seeps up through the finish and reacts with the acrylic causing a chemical blush. To prevent this, use a quick drying water based stain. If you choose to use oil base stain, seal the stain with a coat of shellac or lacquer sealer. This will provide a barrier between the oil and the acrylic. Proper drying time between the oil stain and finish coats is essential!

The other cause for blushing is high humidity. Spraying water base finish in humidities of over 75% may cause blushing because moisture becomes trapped beneath the finish and cannot evaporate.  You can prevent this condition by increasing air movement in the finishing area with a fan.  All water needs to evaporate is sufficient air movement. You can also improve drying conditions by increasing the temperature in the drying area.

4. Surface is not leveling out. In hot temperatures (85F – 100F) the finish may dry too fast.  Use an Extender to open (increase) the dry time.  Finishes that dry too fast may not completely level out before all the water evaporates from the finish.   

Note: High humidity can cause the finishes to take longer to dry but will not harm the final finish.