I invite feedback from finishing experts on this subject. I suppose that I am old fashioned but I feel that you get a better preparation when sanding a solvent based finish, whereas when sanding a water based finishe the sandpaper tends to clog and you don't seem to get the really smooth preparation. Is this old school thinking or am I still correct and people use water based finishes because of the easier cleanup and possibly less health risks?
Sanding water based finishes vs solvent based finishes
- Thread starter iandoug
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Jesse Cloud
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- Jan 23, 2007
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I can't claim to be a finishing expert, but I do have an opinion...
I use water based for health and clean up reasons, but you can get an excellent smooth "piano quality" rubout quite easily. I use paraffin wax (also sold in the US as 'baby oil') thinned 50 per cent with mineral spirits. I place a mesh grid (Abralon is a brand name here in the us) on a random orbit sander (150/3 without vacuum), spritz on a little solution and work through grits from 500 to 4,000 for satin or 12,000 for gloss. Its fast, albeit a little messy, and the result is spectacular. And if you use baby oil, most females swoon for the smell!
When water based finishes first came out, they were not very good, but they have steadily improved over the years.
I use water based for health and clean up reasons, but you can get an excellent smooth "piano quality" rubout quite easily. I use paraffin wax (also sold in the US as 'baby oil') thinned 50 per cent with mineral spirits. I place a mesh grid (Abralon is a brand name here in the us) on a random orbit sander (150/3 without vacuum), spritz on a little solution and work through grits from 500 to 4,000 for satin or 12,000 for gloss. Its fast, albeit a little messy, and the result is spectacular. And if you use baby oil, most females swoon for the smell!
When water based finishes first came out, they were not very good, but they have steadily improved over the years.
boxwoodrestoration
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- Sep 9, 2009
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- 2
Having used solvent based finishes over the years you reach a comfort zone with what works. Slowly we have adopted water based finishes for a variety of reasons...... at first we failed because it is unnatural to place water on a piece of fine furniture or in our case cabinetry and we lacked the confidence. Also waterbourne finishes have dramatically improved in the past few years. Dry times, sanding techniques, shop climate, sheens and products are all not an exact science. To sum it up we have concluded "we would rather sand a piece of chalk than a piece of chewing gum"
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