A change in season doesn't need to affect your finish Portland OR

Q: We have a small cabinet shop in the Northeastern part of the United States. Every fall my finisher has problems with our precatalyzed lacquer. It will not "flow" out smooth before it dries. It feels rough to the touch, and customers have been complaining about our finish. What has he been doing wrong?

P.S. He has been making the finish "run" and "sag" a lot lately.

A: Generally, this problem relates to cold material temperatures. It is possible that you may be experiencing night time temperatures between 40 to 50 F this time of year, since you are located in the far Northeast. Many shops do not leave the heat turned up at nighttime or store their coating material in a location where the coating material temperatures can easily drop to 60 F or less. A 10-degree drop from 72 F will increase your coating's viscosity up to as much as 30 percent.

High viscosity "coatings" act like cold honey; therefore, the lacquer will not "atomize" into small particles and flow out to a level smooth surface before it dries. Other problems can cause this defect; however, this roughness or "orange peel" effect — plus experiencing problems with runs and sags — indicate that this issue is related to cold material temperatures.

You could try bringing the coating material temperature up by placing the pails of coating in a safe heated area the night before use. This should solve your problem. It is always important to ensure finishing materials are above 72 F before using.

Ed. note: Phil Stevenson is the founder of the American Wood Finishing Institute (AWFI) in Vineland, N.J.