Finishing Tips

Applying Water Base Finishes

Hand Application
Spray Application
Trouble Shooting Guide

Trouble Shooting Guide for Spraying EF Water Base Finishes

1. Rough, Dry Surface
This is called dry spray. You may have sprayed too lightly. Resand the finish with no.320 paper and apply a heavier coat. Keep your gun at six-eight inches from the surface.

2. Dimples in the Finish
This is called orange peel, caused by spraying in temperatures that are too cool. Cooler temperatures will adversely affect how the finish will level and harden. Water base finishes must be applied at temperatures above 65 F. If it is cold enough to wear a sweater it is too cold to apply a water base finish. The surface of the wood must also be warm. If you turn the heat on when you enter your shop in the morning, the air heats up quickly but your furniture will still be cold for some time. Check the surface to see if it is warm. Also, check the temperature of the finish. Warming cold finish by setting the can next to a heater or setting the container in some hot water for five minutes will improve the ease of application.

Note: Larger dimples are called "fish-eyes" or "craters". Cool temperatures can cause these, but the more likely source is contamination of the finish with either wax or silicone.

Spraying EF PolyAcrylic

3. Blush
Blush is the term for a cloudy, milky appearance in the finish. The most common reason for this is incompatible stain. An example would be using a water base top coat over a heavy oil base stain. When the top coat is applied, the oil in the stain seeps up through the finish and reacts with the acrylic causing a chemical blush. To prevent this, use a quick drying water based stain. If you choose to use oil base stain, seal the stain with a coat of shellac or lacquer sealer. This will provide a barrier between the oil and the acrylic. Proper drying time between the oil stain and finish coats is essential!

The other cause for blushing is high humidity. Spraying water base finish in humidities of over 75 percent may cause blushing because moisture becomes trapped beneath the finish and cannot evaporate. You can prevent this condition by increasing air movement in the finishing area with a fan. All water needs to evaporate is sufficient air movement. You can also improve drying conditions by increasing the temperature in the drying area.

4. Surface is not leveling out
In hot temperatures (85 100 F) the finish may dry too fast. Use EF Extender to open (increase) the dry time. Finishes that dry too fast may not completely level out before all the water evaporates from the finish.

Note: High humidity can cause the finishes to take longer to dry but will not harm the final finish.

EF Stains and Top Coats are perfect for childrens toys and furniture All EF Stains and EF Top Coats are non-toxic after drying!