Humidity RSS
Exterior Wood Finishes in the Desert
Last November, we began testing two coatings for exterior use here in Arizona. With seasonal temperature swings of over 80°, humidity than can range from non-existent to rain forest levels, and a fair amount of summertime rain, our climate is a very challenging place for any exterior coating to endure. You'll see the harshness of the desert in the faded, dried and flaking finishes of many vehicles from the 2000s, or houses with peeling, faded and failing paint jobs. Wood, being a natural product that is highly sensitive to changes in climate, has always been one of the toughest surfaces to...
Summer Finishing Tips
With the temperatures increasing here in Southern Arizona, it's time to shift gears and dial in best practices for summer time finishing. Heat is very challenging to cope with when you need to execute a flawless, orange-peel free finish, but there are steps you can take to mitigate some of the issues that come with summer spraying. The most obvious step, start early! Temperatures are always the lowest of the day an hour or so before sunrise. If you're working in a space that is adequately lit, you can work smarter and faster by starting at 4am or so. Yeah, getting...
Spraying Lacquer in Challenging Environments
Here's some helpful tips from the lead chemist of Mohawk Wood Finishing products on how to get outstanding finishes in less-than-optimal conditions. Viscosity Viscosities should be taken at a specific temperature for consistency. If always tested and recorded at 77° F. for instance (There’s no magic behind this temperature, it’s simply a value chosen to use for consistency and it’s easier to warm material a few degrees than to cool it). If the coating is cold the viscosity will be higher and atomization is affected which may lead you to thin or reduce the coating. While this may help, you’ll...
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