Good water base coatings have become the norm for many finishers. In the old days it was easy to get a beautiful finish with nitrocellulose lacquer. The coating was very forgiving and offered a wide latitude regarding viscosity – even thinned to 50% or more you still got a terrific finish. Thin viscosities also gave the finisher the ability to use much less compressed or turbine air.
Then, as environmental laws all over the country became stricter, more companies had to get busy and manufacture coatings that looked and performed as well as lacquer. We are in a new generation of water base coatings. The resins in these new coatings are harder to breakup, the viscosities are higher, and both HVLP Turbines and compressors require more power to generate more air pressure. The results are every bit as good as with nitrocellulose, but the air is safe to breath and you meet the strictest air control standards.
When using water base finishes, you’ll find these guidelines helpful:
1- Keep oily residues off the wood. Tack cloths, for example, have oil in them
2- Tack with a damp cloth or a microfiber cloth, or blow dust away with turbine or compressor air
3- Make sure your hands are clean. Microfiber gloves help
4- We recommend sanding to at least a 320 grit
5- Each coat should be between 1 and 1 ½ mils
6- The finisher can decide whether to go beyond with finer grits, wet sanding and micro-mesh products
