Cabinet Doors Finished with HF HVLP/Resisthane

[mschrank]

The wood is $7.50 per board foot. I still have approximately 50 doors and panels left to make. We have $4,000 tied up in materials for the kitchen which may sound like a lot but the estimate we got from the Borg to do the kitchen in maple was $16,800 so we are way ahead of the game even with the expense of the goncalo alves.



PS: The wife likes BIG kitchens. Jeesh! But, she bought me a lot of nice tools.

I'm happy for you that your wife saw the fiscal payoff. I wanted to make the cabs for our new kitchen, but the LOML didn't want to wait another year while I made them. For the $16,000 we paid for the horrid Kraftmaid cabinetry, I could have bought a shops worth of high end tools and some really nice wood. Side note: I recently visited a kitchen remodel where they were using IKEA cabinets. I can say without qualification that they were every bit as good if not better than the overpriced Krapmaids we bought, and they were a lot easier to install.

[ragswl4]

I'm happy for you that your wife saw the fiscal payoff. I wanted to make the cabs for our new kitchen, but the LOML didn't want to wait another year while I made them. For the $16,000 we paid for the horrid Kraftmaid cabinetry, I could have bought a shops worth of high end tools and some really nice wood. Side note: I recently visited a kitchen remodel where they were using IKEA cabinets. I can say without qualification that they were every bit as good if not better than the overpriced Krapmaids we bought, and they were a lot easier to install.

Even though this is my first time making cabinets I believe that they are better than what the BORG was offering and as you pointed out I will end up with a shop full of great machines. The down side is that I don't think my wife has accepted that I'll be at this for a year and at the same time she wants me to oversea the building of our new home as well as working on that.

Who said retirement would be the golden years. At least I'm the boss and there is little stress associated with this and it will get done when it's done. I must say this is one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done and gives me a feeling of accomplishment that I have seldom enjoyed. Woodworking is FUN!

BTW thanks for the tip on adjusting the sprayer. I went through that and got it dialed in and the doors are looking even better. The wife can't believe I'm actually doing them, they look so good.

[ironhat]

Where are my ice skates? Those are as smooth as glass!! Is this HF HVLP sprayer the one with the fan or the one (misnamed) which is fed by a compressor?

[tekton]

Those look great. I know a finish that looks that good doesnt come without a lot of skillful work before hand.

[GPA61]

Excellent work, Bill. Those look great.

[Pappy]

Beautiful doors and finish, Rags! I am going to check out the finish you used.

[Ken Massingale]

Beautiful Rags, you should be very proud.
k

[goslin23]

Very nice work! The jointery looks perfect! The finish is something defintely to be proud of as that's an area which I am still early in the learning process.

When you're all done it will certainly be a beautiful kitchen.

-=gos=-

[ragswl4]

Where are my ice skates? Those are as smooth as glass!! Is this HF HVLP sprayer the one with the fan or the one (misnamed) which is fed by a compressor?

Its the one with the fan. It is a self contained unit. Its sold by HF, Rockler and now I think Woodcraft. HF occasionally has it on sale for $60 or less. Normal price is $99.

[ragswl4]

Beautiful doors and finish, Rags! I am going to check out the finish you used.

One thing I learned is not to use Resisthane when the temperature is high. It tends to dry too fast and doesn't flow well. I sprayed a couple of doors when the temperature was 95+ and ended up sanding the finish off and starting over. It seems to work best below 85 degrees. Three to four coats seemed to be the norm for this type finish. I found it very easy to apply and quick as well. Drys in 15-20 minutes, re-coat in 1 hour and didn't need to sand between coats. A real time saver. The finish seems very tough, no bluish tint like some water based finishes and drys absolutely clear.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Hmmm. I'll have to show these to my wife. I have not considered Goncalo Alves, though I found an excellent source for it in NC near my parents house.

Great work! Love the look and finish. That reisthane is good stuff and best price out there on waterbourne finish.

Edit : BTW did you happen to try test finishing with and without Watco? Just curious how much that is adding to depth of color, etc.

[footprintsinconc]

its a good thing that you mentioned the 85 degree limit. that is going to be a problem here in AZ where we are looking at 85 and more for most of the year.

do you thing that there is something else that can be done to the process to be able to spray at higher temps using resisthane (i was just about to order it this weekend)?

are there any other pros and cons that you can think of for this product?

thanks,

[ragswl4]

its a good thing that you mentioned the 85 degree limit. that is going to be a problem here in AZ where we are looking at 85 and more for most of the year.

do you thing that there is something else that can be done to the process to be able to spray at higher temps using resisthane (i was just about to order it this weekend)?

are there any other pros and cons that you can think of for this product?

thanks,

I have been shooting in the morning to get away from the heat issue. It is nearly 100+ here in SoCal every day. That has been working for me. I set up a spray room (4'x8') to keep the dust down. The Resisthane drys fairly quickly so I have not had any dust/bug/contamination problems (fingers crossed).

Mix the finish well before spraying. DO NOT SHAKE! I hold the gun about 6-7" from the wood when I spray and move the gun horizontally across the surface. This is pretty much standard spraying technique for any finish. Also ensure that you overlap the previous pass by about 1/3. This stuff is super forgiving in my opinion.

I suggest that you have a few pieces of scrap to practice on to get the flow from your gun adjusted correctly.

The way I could tell that it was too warm to spray was that the finish would be a little bumpy indicating that the lacquer was drying a little before it hit the wood so it would not flow properly. It was easy to fix. Sand a little and spray again.

PROS: Easy to use, cleans up easily, does not darken the wood, inexpensive, no sanding between coats, easy to repair if you have a problem, cost, durable, flows nicely on the surface, no runs or drips yet.

CONS: Not available locally, no UV protection for the wood.

[ragswl4]

Hmmm. I'll have to show these to my wife. I have not considered Goncalo Alves, though I found an excellent source for it in NC near my parents house.

Great work! Love the look and finish. That reisthane is good stuff and best price out there on waterbourne finish.

Edit : BTW did you happen to try test finishing with and without Watco? Just curious how much that is adding to depth of color, etc.

Of course the WATCO darkens the wood somewhat but the Resisthane does not appear to do that. I did do a test on a piece without WATCO and it appeared to add no color at all.

One thing with the Goncalo Alves, it darkens naturally when UV hits it and Resisthane has no UV protection for the wood. The doors in those pics that I posted were a dark shade of beige after planing and sanding then darkened quite a bit just sitting in the shop.

[paulstenlund]

That is a really beautiful finish. I'm guessing that hydrocoat (sp) resisthane? I have the same HF Hvlp sprayer what was the tip?? I can't find it in this thread. Also, did you thin it and if so with what

Thanks Rags
Paul