Refinisher's Warehouse Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 1
First Quarter
Printable Copy

SHOOT IT!!!!!
It may be the oldest cliché in the trade, but there's no escaping the truth that the final result of any refinishing job is only as good as the prep work.

Spraying the surface to be refinished is the final step in the entire process

And it is crunch time, where you will either be dazzled or disappointed with the final results.

Getting it right is a combination of the correct materials, the correct mixing ratio, the correct equipment, cleanliness, and the correct techniques. The actual shooting technique varies from refinisher to refinisher; however, there are some general rules.

The refinisher’s motion MUST be fluid and smooth, starting the motion be­fore the gun's trigger is actually pulled, and following through with the stroke as the trigger is released. On countertops start from side to side, then repeat process front to back. The paint gun should be held PERPENDICULAR to the surface being refinished at a consistent distance and never swung in an arc.

The first coat is a light pass, referred to as the tack coat, which lays down a base for the subsequent heavier coats to build upon. Normally, the tack I coat requires a minimal amount of flash time (flashing is the solvents evaporating from the coating), then the first of the full coats can be ap­plied, spraying enough material for even coverage and flow-out, taking care not to spray too much and create sags or extra wet spots.

This is a fine line, where experience is the best teacher, but a helpful tip is to really look at the material as it goes on, laying down a nice even coat that will fully wet out the surface.

Extra care needs to be taken when spraying adjacent sections (such as the countertop and the back splash). To avoid spraying too much material where one section ends and the other begins. It's best to avoid building excessive paint thickness (too thick of a coat), only apply enough coats to get complete and even color coverage.

In the instruction manual we provide application data with recommendations for amount of coating and number of coats for the proper material thickness.

FIBERGLASS REPAIR PANELS:
A lot of you are using the Fiberglass Repair Panels now. Just remember a few things. Make sure to read the directions when making the pattern. You need to measure to the center of the drain hole from four points (usually from the 4 sides). This needs to be clearly marked on the pattern. Now, the size of the drain hole opening, if the drain hole is 3" and the drain cover is 4", you would want the hole in the repair panel to be 5" or 6", depending on the smooth level area around the drain itself. What you don't want is the panel to overlap the curvature near the drain. This needs to be clearly marked on the pattern.

If the tub floor has texture (raised or lowered) and you are ordering a precut panel from the size chart, the precut panel MUST fit exactly, or the texture will show around the edge and it will look repaired, so be exact. If the precut panels aren't an exact fit, you must make a pat­tern. If the tub bottom is smooth (without any texture) then it isn't that important, and "close enough" will work. All the other information needs to be on the pattern also, color, right hand drain or left hand. Top side of pattern must be marked, or the manufacture will not make the pattern and you have lost time.

PLEASE NOTE: ELIMINATION OF HAZMAT FEES
I hope by now you have noticed that most packages no longer have a Hazmat fee. DOT changed some of the rules and we can now ship up to 4 gallons of flammable paint, by GROUND, as ORM-D and not Hazmat, so we no longer have to charge the Hazmat fees. (There are a couple exceptions. If your order includes Dissolve-X, it must be clas­sified as Hazmat and the fees will be charged. If you want your order shipped by AIR then the Hazmat fees apply). That translates into a $20 savings per box just on shipping charges, for ground shipments.

ALSO DHL/AIRBORNE HAS ADDED AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF 13% OF SHIPPING COST AS A FUEL SURCHARGE, DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF JET FUEL , IT'S SUPPOSE TO BE TEMPORARY, BUT WE'LL SEE . THIS WILL BE REFLECTED ON YOUR INVOICE AS ...FSC, AND WILL REFLECT 13% OF THE SHIPPING CHARGE.

Refinishing Terms

FLOWOUT: The desirable characteristics of droplets of sprayed material to meld together and level into a glass-smooth surface. Air pressure, gun atomization, and the amount of material being applied, as well as the mixture of the coating, all ef­fect flow.

ORANGE PEEL: Usually considered a surface flaw in which the coating goes on with too much texture. Usually caused by improper reducing and/or air pressure.

FISH- EYE: Small circular depressions nearly devoid of paint usually caused by surface contamination with oils or silicones.

PIN HOLES: Small pin-sized holes in the coating, resulting from too much solvent, inade­quate flash time between coats, or surface contamination.

FLASH: The time required for the majority of the quick-evaporating solvents in the material being sprayed to evaporate or "flash" from the surface. Spraying too thick of a coat can greatly increase this time and/or even prohibit the sol­vents from evaporating properly.

MIXING RATIOS: The amount of various components in the proper proportions to produce the final mix for spraying. The MIX in paint products is critical in providing the characteristics the paint chemists designed into the system.

SHRINKAGE: The characteristic of paint or filler to "shrink" with time as a full cure is reached, making surface flaws (repairs) and sanding scratches reappear. This is common with lacquer-based primers and acrylic spot putties (not our filling resin).