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Orange Peel while Spraying

One of the causes of orange peel is the application of too much fluid and not enough atomization to break the product up into smaller droplets. It's similar to putting your finger over the end of a garden hose. Increase the atomization by using smaller fluid tips or a larger spray unit. See General Finishes comparison chart for generally recommended spray tips. Contact your spray equipment manufacturer's recommendations as well.

All bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, even without topcoat. You have probably tried to touch up white woodwork in your home after several years and noticed that the new paint is brighter.

But white and light paints can react if clear coated with a waterbased finish; water-based topcoats are reactive and may draw out substances in the wood such as tannins, dyes or unknown substances in existing finishes causing the topcoat to yellow. This is an industry-wide issue and can happen right away, years later or never.

ROUGH, DRY SURFACE 
This is called dry spray. You may have sprayed too lightly.

Re-sand the finish with 320-grit sandpaper and apply a heavier coat. Keep your gun at 6-8" from the surface.

Winner of Fine Woodworking's "Best Overall Choice Award," High Performance Topcoat was voted as the hardest, most durable consumer polyurethane topcoat. It is so versatile, it can be brushed or sprayed.

There are several techniques by Jeff Jewitt of Homestead Finishing Products:

DRY BUFF WITH MIRKA ROYAL MICRO PAPER

Using Mirka Royal Micro sandpaper, always start with 1500-grit sandpaper. Begin with a small area, make 2-3 passes, then evaluate results. Go to a heavier grit if surface irregularities are not fully removed. Finish with 1500-grit paper.

Our recommendation to fix white cabinets that have yellowed is to do a thorough sanding and precleaning and recoat with the following products:

Contributed by Jeff Jewitt of Homestead Finishing Supplies

Day 1:

  • Prep sand the wood with 220-grit sandpaper.
  • Spray a wet coat of General Finishes Enduro-Var Gloss and dry for 2 hours.
  • Level sand with 320-grit sandpaper.
  • Spray a second wet coat and dry for 2 hours.
  • Lightly sand with 320-grit sandpaper.
  • Spray a third wet coat and allow to dry overnight.

Day 2:

Although we spray product all the time in our workshop, with several sprayers ranging from airless to HVLP, we do not consider ourselves to be spray gun experts for all brands.

To get the latest information, we recommend you contact Jeff Jewitt of Homestead Finishing Products and/or Paint Sprayers Plus for the best advice.

Exterior 450 Topcoat a clear-drying low VOC finish suitable for vertical exterior surfaces, such as fences, patio furniture, garage doors and entrance doors. It is not recommended as a deck finish.

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