2 Part Polyurethane Recommendations for "Fine" Furniture.


Dolmetscher007

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Most of what I make is "fine" furniture, in that I buy really nice veneers from Oakwood Veneer, and I veneer my furniture which is made from birch plywood. This veneer company, recently sighted several studies that showed that 2-Part Polyurethane is by far the best finish for veneered furniture. It has more solids i.e less solvents, more flexible, more impervious to heat and moisture, and much less likely to stain or dent. They compared it to conversion lacquers, nitrocellulose, and ProCatalyst lacquers, and for veneered furniture, 2-part polyurethane destroys all the others by a landslide. 

Problem is... I have no idea what companies make a 2-part polyurethane. A Google search showed me lots of companies and products for boat varnish and outdoor heavy duty 2-part varnishes. But I usually use General Finishes ArmRSeal, or Minwax Fast Dry Poly. Is there some high-end 2-part poly that you have to have a special key to get from behind the counter?

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2k urethanes are basically the "paint/clearcoat" that's on your car. It can top-coat epoxies and polyesters as well. Here's a reasonable chart of different finish systems from the American Hardwood Information Center: http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/articles/view/pro/23/257

Conversion Varnish is (5) in the chart and Catalyzed Urethane is (11).

You can purchase 2k urethane finishes from General Finishes (though they call theirs "Conversion Varnish"), ICA, Sherwin-Williams, and ML Campbell (among others).

The downside is that you get to worry about isocyanate exposure. You should invest in a supplied air respirator like a Hobbyair (i.e., not a typical 3M organic filter facemask) if you're working with isocyanates. You really don't want to become sensitized to isocyanates. Some people can become sensitized to isocyanates if they get exposed to them. When that happens, a person can become very sick each and every time they get exposed to isocyanates, even in very small amounts. Some people don't get sensitized at all, whereas other people can have very bad reactions to them.

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