Spray before or after assembly?

[Yeon]

Hi everyone,

I recently made an Adirondack chair. The first one came out pretty well and I used minwax outdoor helmsman urethane to seal it after staining. I used an aerosol version since I had already put the chair together and using a brush was going to take ages it seemed. The finish while okay enough to last this summer I will definitely have to reapply come next year. Plus aerosol cans are pretty expensive for the amount you get.

Some family now want a couple sets of these and I am trying to go about it as efficient as possible. I did a little research and watched a couple videos here and there. Found people who had reasonably successful results using pretty cheap sprayers and minwax helmsman spar urethane. I pulled the trigger and bought a pretty cheap Wagner sprayer that had good reviews.

That brings me to the question of would it be best to spray these pieces before assembly or after? Also I realize a cheaper sprayer isn't going to produce perfect results. I don't have a dedicated spray space separate from my workshop so regardless the finish isn't going to be perfect. I also realize that minmax helmsman isn't a top notch outdoor urethane as well, but for my purposes and the price it seemed like the way to go.

Thanks for any advice/feedback. Picture of first chair I made is attached for reference.

 

[Bohdan]

Since it appears that the chair is assembled with screws I would definately prefinish the parts before assembly. If you do use any glue joins then mask them with some tape and spray away.

Prefinishing the parts enables you to sand the finish back easier and achieve a much nicer finish.

 

[KRKWW]

+1 on spraying before assembly.

 

[jbasen]

+2 for spraying before assembly.

I finish and spray the vast majority of my furniture projects before assembly.  As [member=36526]Bohdan[/member] said you must carefully mask the surfaces that you will use for glue or it won't bond. 

The advantages that I have found is that you get a more even finish because you don't have to worry about anything either pooling or missing in corners and glue squeezeout can be simply wiped away with no worry about leaving an area where stain won't penetrate properly.

The disadvantages are that it takes extra time to properly mask areas where you will apply glue and you have to find a way to properly support each work piece for drying so you don't leave marks in the finish.  This can be awkward at times.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Looking at how the chair is constructed, I'd spray the entire frame of the chair in one piece, and the slats that make up the seat and the back separately before assembly.

 

[Scott B.]

I'd spray all prior to assembly. Or brush if its just one.