I have 11 drawers milled from soft maple that will be installed in an office and have decided to use GF Enduro-Var both because I have plenty remaining from use on the interiors of cabinets in the same room and because of durability.
What I don't know yet is whether I will spray it or wipe it on and whether I should assemble the drawers before finishing or not.
I have both an Earlex 5500 sprayer which I've used with this product on panels and a small HVLP conversion gravity gun.
The small gun can be dialed down to really put out very little air and yet still atomize the finish. It should be small enough to get into the drawers to be manageable. The Earlex gun is much bigger.
I am considering assembling the drawers, some of which are large (30" x 20" x 10") and spraying the interiors with the small gun and the exteriors with the Earlex.
What approach would you guys recommend or how do you apply finish to drawers?
Most of my drawers are unfinished on the inside. The drawers I recently made for my bar I finished with shellac after they were assembled to provide a bit of protection from water. I'm concerned about the order lingering from oil finishes in an enclosed drawer.
Your spray plan sounds fine as long as the smaller gun will adequately atomize the finish.
I feel that spraying is generally preferred over wiping due to the speed of application and ability to get a more uniform coat. If you are experienced and comfortable spraying, and it seems that you are, that would be the choice unless you are looking to get the "close to the wood" look that only wiping can give you.
I finish all parts of drawers, hvlp spray, usually wb finish. Mask off front. Line them all up, turn gun down to get all corners at once, then turn it up and spray all sides
So do you guys assemble, glue up, clean up and then spray them or do you spray before assembly?
My drawers have rabbits in the back panels, so I will not be able to slide the bottoms in after assembling the sides. I've read some recommend leaving the bottoms out to prevent blowback, but my drawer design doesn't allow for that.
I am considering masking off dovetails and laying components out inside facing up on a table, and spraying. Then assemble, glue, clean and spray exterior sides and top edges.
I really don't want pooling of finish in the corners and am concerned about that if I spray them with the bottoms installed.
I don't always finish drawers, but when I do I try to do it without the bottom being installed. Spraying into a box, even a shallow one like a drawer has never worked very well for me. I just can't seem to get the inside corners to look as good as the drawer sides. Enduro Var is a good choice for this, fairly durable.
I tape and spray and then assemble. Like Fred I have a hard time getting corners to look good.
I like to spray everything on a flat horizontal surface.
Thanks for asking this question. I'm in the process of building a map cabinet which also has many large drawers. I was planning to spray finish them after assembly but now I may rethink that plan.
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