rherald1951 Posted March 7, 2020 Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 i could use some advice on finishes that are safe to use in an unventilated basement shop. i have a jet air cleaner and good masks. there seems to be no easy way to run ventilation to the outside. i suppose i could wait till summer and then apply finish to what i have built but i was hoping that someone out there who is in a similar situation and could help. thanks very much rjherald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted March 7, 2020 Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 You will be fine with any water borne finish. General Finishes has a nice line of products the fall into this category. They also have a number of videos on their website explaining the different features of their product line. They are a top notch product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted March 7, 2020 Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 How big is your basement shop? I finish in mine but it's larger 750 sq ft. I usually put a coat on as the last thing i do then leave the shop for at least 12h. I also wear a voc respirator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 7, 2020 Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 Being in the basement, you probably have a concern about smells coming into the house, even if you can "hit and run" like @Chestnut suggested. I'd stick with water-borne finishes, paste wax, and maybe shellac. The alcohol used to dissolve shellac does smell a bit, but dissipates quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetM Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I spent the entire weekend finishing the old basement room putting in laminate-from-hell and some IKEA Billy cabinets (not a fan but can't beat them time/cost-wise.. honestly it looks pretty good). So not much progress in the workshop. I was thinking about hanging some of the kitchen cabinets I bought on the walls in my workshop, but I'm not sure what is the best way to do this. I have no experience with the tongue-and-groove walls that are currently there. I *think* there is plywood under the t&g but I am not sure. Any ideas on how to figure this out? Also, if there turns out to be plywood under there, can I just screw french cleats to the walls and hang the cabinets on those? Or do I still need to search for the studs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I'd do french cleats. I do them with OSB on the walls of my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnesota Steve Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 French cleats should be screwed into the studs. Then it'll hold the weight. BTW, as far as finishes go. I've actually had better luck with wipe on finishes like Arm-r-seal from General Finishes. Less smell than the water based poly. Basically you'll just have to experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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