Solvent Based Finishes

It might be a local fire code directive ???

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

VOC’s

California has laws to limit the content of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compound) in consumer products.
Technically, you can’t even import the good stuff from out-of-state.

-- Randy, Rustic Artisan, a family tradition. (No PM's - auto-deleted.) - "I am a seeker, not a follower."

yep… if you want good stuff anyway a big box store is that absolute last place you should go… i havent got finishes from a big box store in forever. not worth it

Both HD and Lowes in north east Ohio started that a few months ago.

-- Rick, Pa. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

You should have a local paint store that caters to professionals. The price/quality is usually better too.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

HD and Lowes in the Greater Cleveland still carry lacquer, shellac and many oil based finishes, but they do not carry gallons of some solvents.

-- Dane, Fairview Pk, OH. The large print giveth and the small print taketh away...

Illinois has the same laws just found out this morning from a painting contractor. The fine is heft if they caught you bring in state from IN. or Wisconsin…

I’ve been using Sherwin-Williams Low VOC Lacquer. It is a nitrocellulose and dries fast and hard. Can you get it in California?

thanks for the post i will have to go over there later today and see what’s on sale
i have been getting my finishes lately at my wood supplier or rockler like said above better quality

I have had very satisfactory results with waterborne finishes from Target coatings. They are a bit more expensive, but I feel better that I’m not creating a fuel-air bomb in the garage and to be frank, I don’t have the right safety equipment (spark-proof exhaust fan) to use Nitrocellulose in the home.

And there is always Zinsser Sealcoat dewaxed shellac as a fallback.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

“They are a bit more expensive, but I feel better that I’m not creating a fuel-air bomb in the garage…”

Now that’s funny! How many years were these things used without everyone blowing themselves up! Look, plead the environment (which is really what is driving the elimination of VOC’s), hug a tree but keep the safety issue out of this! Most accidents with solvent based finishes come from improper storage, not usage. I defy you to use any of the water-based polyurethanes without adequate ventilation. It may not explode, but it will suffocate you.

Truth is, with very few exceptions, the water-based stuff is not quite as good as the cheapest solvent-based equivalent. However well-intentioned, the current push to eliminate solvent based finishes is leading to the same lack of quality that everything in US society suffers from.

-- "Find out what you cannot do and then go do it!"

Amen