Noob At Work, don't bother me with the facts

Mark Rice

Member
Messages
99
Location
Red Feather Lakes, CO
It all started when the wife wanted to replace our front door with a solid door. The guy that built this place bought and scrounged anything he could to build it. One of the problems is the doors. The front door was an old hollow core door with a mahogany veneer. We wanted a solid door but I couldn't install an exterior door. If I installed an exterior door I would have to totally re-frame the opening. I will do that later in the remodel but for now we settled for a solid interior door made of knotty alder. It was just an unfinished slab with no jamb.
We found a stain color we liked. We wanted something in medium stain. I decided to use the Minwax spar urethane for a final finish.
I have painted rotor blades for helicopters for years. They are very sensitive if you don't get the paint just at the right thickness all over the blade. It throws the blade out of balance. I have also done a couple of cars and a few custom motorcycle jobs. They turned out pretty good.
I stained the door and we were very pleased with the results. The color was going to be just what we wanted. Then it was time to apply the urethane. This is where the problem started.
With all that spraying and finishing experience I should be set, right? Nope, not even close. I totally shut my brain off and grabbed a brush. I slapped the urethane on as think as I could without any runs. I sanded and painted three coats. My thickness was still the same as when I did the second coat and I realized that the thickness wasn't uniform. I could see the brush marks if I looked at it from an angle. I took a break for a couple of days and thought about it. One of those days I was sorting some stuff and unpacking some of the boxes from the move and ran across my paint gun. I thought, "why not, can't get any worse and I have lots of sanding paper." I shot and sanded three more coats. I thinned the urethane out and shot heavy, so it would level out better. Then I sanded with 220 and started over.
It is what I expected it to be in the first place. I will never use a paint brush again.
When I do the cabinets I will do 3 coats of clear with sanding and then do the last coat with satin. The clear is easier to see irregularities and the satin is because I shiny doesn't really go with what we are planning.
Lessons learned:
1. Always spray unless it is going to be a rubbed finish.
2. Remember what I already know. Slow down and think about it.
3. I am not as smart as the law allows sometimes.
4. Don't shortcut things.
5. I am not as smart as the law allows sometimes.
 
Mark them Brain farts can be troublesome. :rofl:

I painted with a brush for years. I could paint window sash with a 4"

There are some things will a lot of things you just have to have patience with and hand rub.
 
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