StrangeRANGER

thanks again, your right about General Woodcraft. They can most likely get it. Do you know a local source where I can buy sheets of high pressure laminate like Formica, I am looking for solid colors not the fake looking stone?

Looks great, how has it held up?

Where do you find pre-finished?

I will call them tomorrow, there must be someplace local.

Thank you all, for all your help. I have wasted countless hours on the internet trying to find answers to these questions. The reason for the water-based finish is to preserve the light color of the birch. I will post some photos and Skechup plans soon. Again, thanks

Unfortunately General Woodcraft does not carry finishes, but what an incredible selection of wood! There are three Woodcraft stores, each one hour away. I have never heard of Pratt and Lambert, I will google them and see what I can find. The Zar that I have been using comes from Rings End, but that is all they cary.

Thanks for they reply, I stopped at SW last week looking for their water based and they don't carry it in stock. Of course they can order it, or I can mail order it but the goal is to find a local source so I can Get that extra can right away when I run out in the middle of a project.

I do not have a lot of options for water based locally. The other brand is Zar, but it's a bit pricy.

I have a Graco SprayStation 3900 and it works great, but the gun and parts are all plastic. No complaints but you get what you pay for. Can I Purchase a better gun, and then eventually upgrade the pump and hose or does it need to be bought as a system? Would the Graco SpraySation be considered a turbine unit?

I did get a little heavy at times, and the finish sagged and ran. I brushed them out with a wet brush sanded and resprayed. Is there a better way to repair sags?

Thanks for all the great info, the project is going much better and faster then I expected. Each coat has added another level of gloss, I am on the 5th coat. At what point does it reach maximum gloss levels? I think it is protected but I can still see some pores showing through. Should it be a straight "sheet" of poly or am I good now? I am also going to pick up a mil gauge, that should help. How do I interpret the Aqua Zar Spray instructions. It talks about Graco guns, no dilution for some and 5% for others but it does not say why.

Thanks for the help, I will keep layering the thin coats. It dries in 30 to 45 minutes so its going quick. What should I use to "rub out" the final coat? Is it the same as oil?

Hey guys, I just picked up a Graco 2900 HVLP Spraystation. This has been a life changing experience! I have put off HVLP due to price and it was also intimidating. If I had known that $130.00 tool could transform my finishing I would have done this a long time Ago. The amazing results I am getting with a cheap sprayer, I can only imagine what a high end one can do. Here is my question, I am spraying Zar Aqua water based poly on birch panels for kitchen cabinets. I have sprayed 3 coats, all are light and drying fast. Do I need to use more coats when spraying or should I try to put them on thicker? I am using gloss and would like a high gloss finish. I am sanding between coats and happy so far, just curious if water will finish like oil? Thanks, David