Fourth in a series of articles called “How To Weeklies” that address jobsite issues. This week’s article addresses problem-solving techniques when the job presents unanticipated issues. (Click here to visit article 1)

These notes and pictures were created as a window into the world of cabinetry finishing. Additional important information may be required for this or alternate finishes. The calculations presented in these articles are in reference to this specific job and may not be a true representation of your requirements for your job. Please visit Faux Masters Studio for classes and product information.

ARTICLE 4 – Problem Solving

Day 1, Area 2: Dust, Clear & Disassemble

Some aspects of doing a job are clear and visible from the beginning, and others aren’t.

Refrigerator Vent

I had agreed to do the moving and disassembling of all the kitchen appliances when necessary. For this area I needed to remove the vent above the refrigerator, dust off and move the refrigerator out about 2inches to gain access to the frame surrounding it. Also, the door handles were removed to gain access to the wood panels on the front, which created a fabrication problem.

Fabricated Handle

Some fabrication problems need unique or custom solutions. Because the handles of the refrigerator had to be removed, the doors couldn’t be opened without some kind of handle. In this case, I took a hard plastic packaging strap and drilled a hole in the end and attached it to the door so the refrigerator could still be accessed while I worked on this area.

This area is more often used than others so the years of dust and oil/grease have built up which in turn consumed more Jasco Liquid Sander this time.

The baseboards in this area were partially worn through from years of floor cleaners used to clean the white tiles. After cleaning with the liquid sander and allowing to dry; I used a cut piece of styrene to protect outside areas while I brushed a light coat of AquaGuard (in gloss) to seal the surface before glazing. I also checked other areas that needed sealing before attempting to apply my Glaze.

For quick touch ups without taping, you can cut some thin styrene into manageable shapes that can be placed right up against the surface you are applying product to protect the outside areas. Because part of the baseboard wrapped around to a carpeted area, I used commercially available carpet guards to tape in place and protect the carpet.

Carpet Protector

Hint:

 

End of Day

All the usual cleaning and end of day rituals where completed before leaving.

Day 2, Area 2

Due to the unexpected hurdles that day 1 brought, I taped off my working areas today and sealed twice where the surfaces met wallpaper and tile.

Glazed Together To Check Levels

Glazing went fairly well working small manageable areas at a time. When it came time to glaze the large side panel I slowed the air movement down by closing all doors and windows preventing my glaze from tacking up before I could get a good blend.

Scratches In Surface

Wiped Back Glaze & Sealed

One of the door panels had a scratch at the bottom that I hadn’t noticed until the glazing process had already begun! I didn’t panic, its an easy fix. I wiped back the glaze from this area using a damp rag and feathered out the edges of my glaze application and brushed a coat of AquaGuard over the scratch, brushing with the grain and feathering out. Once the Glaze and sealed area was allowed to fully dry, I blended and feathered fresh Glaze back over being careful not to get the application too heavy over the blend.

Hint: All acrylic products dry darker, so error on the side of lighter rather than darker. It’s always easier to add more and not possible to take away without disturbing the finish.

Day 3, Area 2

I decided to hand brush the baseboards with my topcoat so I only used Painter’s Tape to protect these adjoining surfaces.

Painter's Tape To Inside Edge

Pull Out Film & Secure

After applying adjustment layers of Glaze to pieces of wood that were lighter, I worked to mask off the cabinets. Masking Film was used to protect the interior area of the larger pantry. I started with a boarder of tape around the inside edge with the sticky side facing out, then, applied the Masking Film against it. After the film was applied I wrapped the hinges with Painter’s Tape.

Taped Out Hinges

Pantry Masked Off

Sprayed All Inside

I sprayed the frame and the doors in the same room this time. I was able to use a free wall to mask off and lean the doors against the wall. I couldn’t spray the doors as heavily this time because they were vertical but even then, a couple of drips did develop so I wicked the drips up using the very edge of a piece of VIVA paper towel. What little irregularity developed when the topcoat was dry was so small that I just let it go, besides, it was on the inside and sometimes its not worth the effort to correct the very small things when time is money.

Accidents Do Happen

While I was spraying the refrigerator doors, a piece of dust blew out of the masked off ventilation area and fell on my fresh topcoat!!!

More than a little perturbed, I couldn’t wipe this area away with a damp cloth because some of it was already flashing off (drying). I just kept working to finish applying the first coat to all surfaces and allowed this layer to fully dry. Once this spot was dry I used 220grit sandpaper to sand out the dust and used some Scotch Brite to smooth down. Because I had to sand so much, I burned through my glaze application in a couple of spots, what a mess. Although this fix is possible, it’s not as easy as making adjustments in my glaze application.

Glaze Adjustment

I used an artist’s brush to delicately apply a very thin layer of AquaGuard over the burned area and let that dry. I then had to delicately apply my Glaze and feather blend that over the spots. Luckily these cabinets are made of oak, which has a dramatic grain that will hide any minimal imperfections that may have been created during this fix. Once the fix was fully dry (which ended up being completely invisible), I applied a second spray coat to all surfaces. A third coat was applied to this one panel a little later.

Hint: Small adjustments can be made between layers of topcoat. Once the first layer has dried, a light Scotch Brite sand with the grain to all surfaces helps yield the smoothest topcoats. It also allows for a small amount of Glaze to hold on to areas of adjustment. Once this is allowed to fully dry a final topcoat can be applied.

Note: my Glaze is created using Stain & Seal which has a stronger bond to my surface, for delicate Glazes made from pigment & glazing mediums only, another protection layer or “isolation” layer using AquaGuard should be applied over it (especially for larger applications) before another topcoat could be applied. Topcoats are made with strong co-solvents, which in some cases may burn through a glazed layer (especially if brushing). All Glazes created with only glazing mediums should have an isolation coat applied before the topcoat is applied.

End of Day, Same As Area 1

Removing Tape

Only remove the Masking Film when you are sure the topcoat was successfully applied, check this using the extra light. After cleaning my spray gun, tools and arranging items back in my staging area, enough time had passed to fully remove the Masking Film from the kitchen (at least 1 hour or until there are no moist areas). I was careful not to allow over spray dust on the film to land on countertops, floors and especially my delicate topcoat. I pulled my Painter’s Tape very carefully working with a small blade periodically to score and release difficult sections. The chairs and kitchen items were returned to their positions before I left.

One more note here. When collecting Masking Film, tape and other trash or recyclables, always remove your disposables from the jobsite. You don’t want to fill up the client’s trash leaving them with less space than they may need.

Daily Tally

Area 2, Day 1, 2, & 3

• Dust & Clear = 3hrs
• Jasco Clean = 3 ½ hrs
• Taping = 3 hrs
• Sealing = 2 ½ hr
• Glazing & Adjustments = 6 ½ hrs
• Topcoats = 4 hrs
• Fixes = 1 ½ hrs
• End Of Days = 2 ½ hrs

Total Hours = 26.5 (not including .5 hr lunches) 

Total Product & Tools, Area 2:

• Lint Free Cheesecloth = about 10 pieces
• Jasco Liquid Sander = 2 ½ cups
• Tape = ¾ Roll
• Masking Film = ¼ Roll
• Glaze = ¾ cup – for 68sq.ft. (Remember, some of the Glaze is lost in the brush or on the cardboard so the amount necessary to create the finish may be different for the amount used up each time)

Next week Area 3 will reveal even more awful surprises!

Signing off for now…

Stephanie Bartlow

Studio Manager & Instructor for Faux Masters Studio, CA

Faux Finishing is all about paint. If you don’t like what you’ve done or problems come up, just paint over it!

Have you had an accident you didn’t know how to get out of?

Third in a series of articles called “How To Weeklies” that address jobsite issues. Now that the job is in progress, how do I successfully bring this project to completion? This week’s article will discuss tips to applying a glaze, issues that may come up and the importance of topcoating. (Click here to visit article 1)

These notes and pictures were created as a window into the world of cabinetry finishing. Additional important information may be required for this or alternate finishes. The calculations presented in these articles are in reference to this specific job and may not be a true representation of your requirements for your job. Please visit Faux Masters Studio for classes and product information.

ARTICLE 3 – Glazing Tips & Topcoating

Day 2, Glazing

VERY IMPORTANT – Before you start glazing your cleaned cabinets, check the surfaces for wear. There will likely be areas on your surface where the topcoat has worn through or where scratches are evident. If there is a substantial amount of wear, you will need to spray or brush a coat of AquaGuard (gloss) before applying your “Glaze” as these areas will absorb much more product than the sealed up areas creating a blotchy appearance or revealing the scratch marks in the surface.

Sealing Scratches

I thinned a little AquaGuard (gloss) with water and hand brushed minimally worn and scratched areas with one coat to ensure my glaze would go on nicely. Where I applied the sealer I made sure to feather out the product moving with the grain of my wood. Because the wood grain of my cabinets is so prevalent, I wasn’t worried about brush marks being evident here and there where I’ve applied the AquaGuard. If this were a “quiet” finish with minimal graining, I would seriously think about spraying all my seal coats to ensure a professional appearance.

To learn how to spray product using an HVLP system, visit www.fauxcenter.com to find our Furniture I class (also Mini Furniture will touch on the basics).

Masking Off

Masking Film & Paper

I used Masking Film to protect the surrounding areas from my process. It comes in 48, 72 & 99 inches. Applying Masking Paper as well as film will help absorb heavier applications or multiple layers. You can use a Masking Film Dispenser to automatically attach Masking Tape to your film, or just cut to size and apply tape as you go. Masking Tape (the regular buff colored tape) is a stronger tape that will stick to the Painter’s Tape. Since I didn’t bring any and I had way more Painter’s Tape this day, I ended up using the more expensive Painter’s Tape, oh well.

Area Masked Off

I masked off some areas against my cabinet and protected the countertops and floors where I thought I might drip my glaze mixture with plastic and my picnic tablecloth.

Hint: Keep some baby wipes near by as these clean up messy spills or missed drips very easily. They also work to re-moisten my pointed glazing brush as I work keeping my Glaze flowing.

Premixing

It’s a good idea to premix your “glaze mixtures” before coming to the jobsite to save time in preparations. In this case, my Glaze is a direct product color, American Walnut Stain & Seal with 20% So Slow Super Extender added in so I was able to create enough Glaze easily in my staging area on glazing day. If preparing mixtures on the jobsite, work in staging area only on well protected surfaces even if on a garage floor or non-precious locations.

Mixing in Staging Area

Note: A confusing thing with faux finishing slang, when you have mixed pigment  + glaze medium = “glaze mixture” which we finishers generically call “Glaze.”

Puzzle Pieces

Finally, we get to apply Glaze!

I usually work the backside of the doors before the fronts, that way when I need to turn the door over (if working flat), the backside is the one supported on a soft cotton cloth (or Lint Free Cheesecloth) just in case there are any flaws or areas of the finish where it might stick. I allowed the backside to dry 4 hours before turning over.

I learned from the best, Mike Hoppe. He showed me how to break down my working areas into sections that I would be able to manipulate and complete before my Glaze begins to “tack up” on me. This is called a puzzle piece approach.

Puzzle Piece Sections

After applying a glaze layer to the first puzzle piece section of my door, I wiped away the over brushed areas I’m not ready to deal with yet using Lint Free Cheesecloth. I moved on to the next puzzle piece and finished that section. I continued until this side of the door is complete then turn the door when it’s dry.

Work in Sections

Glazing Frame

The cabinet frame and ceiling frame were glazed in place working in small manageable sections. I had to move into the center of the room periodically to check that my application was evenly applied and that I hadn’t missed anything.

Removing Over Brushed Area

Glazing

Loading Brush

Off Load Excess

I used the “wet brush” technique we teach here at Faux Masters Studio. Basically, you spread a little Glaze on some cardboard, roll the edges of your bristles into the Glaze to load and move over to a clean piece of cardboard and offload the excess. Brush smooth, even applications with this minimally loaded brush blending from one section to the next. The idea is that you only apply what you need reducing the time it takes to wipe off or manipulate further.

I added a little “scumbling” technique for interest. I applied 1 coat of Glaze to all surfaces and in some cases 2 coats where needed as some of the pieces of wood were much lighter. These glazing techniques are taught in our classes on wood finishing.

For more information on applying a simple wood toned glaze, visit www.fauxcenter.com for furniture classes.

End Of Day

After giving my Pointed Glazing Brush a good clean, I returned all my tools to my staging area, collected all the trash and completed my end of day rituals complete with returning the chairs and kitchen items back to their place.

Day 3, Topcoating

Before thinking about applying my topcoat, I checked the tone and level of my glaze applications so adjustments could be made.

99 inch Masking Film

Secure Film Edges

Since I’m spraying my topcoat, I need to work a little harder to protect surrounding areas from over spray. While my small adjustment applications dried, I assembled all my Masking Film and started tenting around the areas of my faux finish working to fully protect the surrounding surfaces. I applied overlapping sections of film, pulled out the lengths and secured them together. Masking Film and sheets of plastic were used to protect the countertops and floors as well.

Cabinet Cavity

For the internal cavity of the cabinet, I applied painter’s tape around the interior with the sticky side facing out, that way I could apply a protective paper (or plastic) over the internal cavity protecting the items inside. It saves a lot of effort to keep kitchen items in place instead of moving them out, and the owner is usually very thankful.

Protected Interior

Ripped Hole for Access

To protect myself, I used a particle mask and work goggles/glasses. If you are concerned about getting product in your hair, you could put a painter’s hat or shower cap on as well, even though it may make you look like a dork!

Thinned With Water

Strained Into Cup

I thinned some Varnish Plus in satin with about 10% to 15% water and mixed well. Once I had the mixture just right, I placed a paint strainer into the reservoir cup of my HVLP gun and strained some product into the cup to remove any unwanted particles.

Ready to Spray

Always spray 2 coats of a topcoat to ensure proper coverage and depth of protection. The first coat is applied a little lighter that the second for drying purposes and to prevent drips. Working between fist and second coats applied to frame I worked on the cabinet door outside.

Tape Out Hinge

The cabinet door had the hinges left on so I worked my Painter’s Tape around the hinge to protect them from the topcoat.

Outside Spraying

I didn’t have space inside to spray the cabinet door so I placed plastic on top of a shaded area on the grass outside with a cotton cloth over a bucket to support the door. When working outside, dust and bugs can be an issue so I have to use a soft large brush to dust off surface just before spraying. If I can place the door inside after I’ve sprayed to keep bugs form landing in the surface I do that, if not, I try to place in a quite shaded area until dry, then sand out any dust or bugs that may drop into product on first coat.

Hint: Most finishers bring the doors back to a studio to spray for best results unless there is space that can be created inside. If you choose to remove doors or studio spray, create a map of door locations complete with a tiny mark on top edge of top doors and bottom edge of bottom doors so the same doors are returned to their locations later. Most cabinets are custom fit into place and may not be interchangeable. For a hanging studio system, you could drill tiny holes instead of placing marks on strategic positions and hang doors from eyehooks for managing studio space and mark the hooks. Once these doors are finished, wood putty is placed over the holes in a matching color.

The back of the door was sprayed first, left to dry for 2 hours then lightly Scotch Brite sanded with the grain of the wood and sprayed a second. After another 2 ½ hours passed I turned the door over onto a soft cotton cloth and applied the first coat to front of door. Once the second coat was dry (flat so drips don’t develop), I very carefully re-attached door to hinge that I had put back in place after frame was dry and left the door open to cure overnight. The owner placed protective pads on the inside of door the next day.

While I am working elsewhere or taking a break from spraying, I wrap a damp cloth around my spray gun tip to prevent product from drying. Keeping product from drying on the tip makes for easy clean up at the end of the day.

Hint: An HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) system is the best way to apply the most professional topcoat to your surfaces. The low pressure reduces bounce back and this type of turbine keeps a constant even pressure on your spray gun for best spraying results. Using a compressor system will work, it just means you need to pay attention to the pressure changes as your spraying which ends up being just one more thing to think about.

Graco 4900 HVLP

 

Troubleshooting

On the right side of our blog, there is a section called “Troubleshooting Equipment.” This section will answer most questions regarding the use of a Graco 4900 HVLP system. For product issues, check out the section on “Troubleshooting Product.”

Drips in Topcoat

My first coat of Varnish Plus went on very well, but during the second coat I sprayed an area too heavily because it was in shadow and the topcoat sagged! OH NO Mr. Bill… no worries, I just let that area dry, sanded back smooth using 220 grit sandpaper with a good sanding frame and then applied a third topcoat to that section. Light scratches from sanding will disappear when subsequent layers are added.

Hint: Bring an extra light that can be used to shine across the surface to check for spray applications. There are usually shadows in any room and it can sometimes be difficult to see the surface as you’re working.

End of Day

Only remove the Masking Film when you are sure the topcoat was successfully applied, check this using the extra light. After cleaning my spray gun, tools and arranging items back in my staging area, enough time had passed to fully remove the Masking Film from the kitchen (at least 1 hour or until there are no moist areas). I was careful not to allow over spray dust on the film to land on countertops, floors and especially my delicate topcoat. I pulled my Painter’s Tape very carefully working with a small blade periodically to score and release difficult sections. The chairs and kitchen items were returned to their positions before I left.

Daily Tally

Area 1, Day 2

• Taping = 2 hrs
• Sealing = ½ hr
• Glazing = 5 ½ hrs
• End Of Day = .5 hrs

Total Hours = 8.5 (not including .5 hr lunch) 

 Area 1, Day 3

• Check Glaze = ½ hr
• Masking Film = 2 hrs
• Topcoat = 3 hrs (includes gun loading, moving things, managing spray system etc.
• Tape & Film Removal and Clean Up = 1 ½ hrs

Total Hours = 7 (not including .5 hr lunch)

 Total Hours, Area 1 = 15.5

Total Product & Tools, Area 1:

• Gloves = about 6 pairs
• Lint Free Cheesecloth = 6 – 8 pieces
• Jasco Liquid Sander = 2 cups
• Tape = 1 Roll
• Masking Film = ½ Roll, both 48 & 99 inches
• Glaze = ½ cup – for 136.25 sq.ft. Wow! Of course, the ceilings frames are not solid; I calculated those frames as if they were to allow for extra time it takes to work around edges etc.

Next week I’ll talk about problem solving with issues from area 2.

Signing off for now…

Stephanie Bartlow

Studio Manager & Instructor for Faux Masters Studio, CA

Do you have any helpful solutions for issues you’ve come across?

Or maybe you have a question regarding an issue you currently have. Go to our Technical Support Category to ask the pros.