Dreaded Dust

[abitfishy]

Hey all,

I wish to stain a pine cabinet, most likely a gloss Jarrah, just one of the off the shelf things at Bunnings, but I have a few tins of different stuff, (Jarrah, Mahogany, New Maple) so I sanded the cabinet with 180 grit, lightly, with the grain and wiped it down with a damp cloth, and did the same with an offcut to do a sample stain to see what I like. Anyway, theres dust and cr*p in the final finish on the sample.

What is the best way to prepare for a gloss finish then?

I guess you would say I don't really have access to a great 'dust free' area - just the garage which is covered in rubbish and dirt and dust. Would bringing it inside be better? At least most of the dust inside is probably settled. Or can I do it where I sanded it, just let it settle for a few hours beforehand?

The other option is a matt finish, not gloss which I assume won't show up as much of dust an imperfections (and I correct?) but I'm wondering if the matt finishes are as 'hard' as in, protect the surface very well. The surface will have some light scratching now and again and water spray. (reptile enclosure for blueys etc). Oh, by the way, New Maple is a disgusting colour. The lighti/medium Jarrah is lovely.

[astrid]

You probably have two problems here, you didnt sand it back fine enough and the dust in the environment.
give it a thin coat of shellac, let it dry thouroughly, then sand again to about 250 grit, I wouldnt take plantation pine much further.
then clean all the sawdust from your sanding off with a VERY Slightly damp cloth and let it dry for an hour then dust it. If the air is still and the sanding dust settled put your finish on.
Or you could clean up a bit with a vac first.

Astrid

[abitfishy]

Thanks for that.

What do you think of my thoughts on a Matt finish? I won't be able to stand looking at it (and won't redo it) if it doesn't come up nicely.

[astrid]

A dusty matt finish looks just as bad as a semi glossy one if not worse.IMHO
All good finishes relie on good prepwork, shellac or danish oil and wax over your stain will be fine, dont forget to sand between coats.
I did some bookshelves in radicrapita 20 yeas ago. finished with spiritbased stain and danish oil, (wipe on poly), there fine even now.
Astrid

[durwood]

If you have a problem with dust it may be caused by many things. You can list an awful lot when you start thinking about it.

First off, if you are in a dusty environment you are at a disadvantage. The dust is present and there is always the possibility of it being stirred up.

Unless you have an air tight shed any wind or even change in temperature will cause the air to move and the dust will be able to be lifted from its resting place.

So first get away from the dust, do you have a room in the house where it can be sealed off from the others and not be needed for the time you need to apply the finish and then let it dry ( or at least get it to dust free stage). On large jobs (that have to be done outside) the rule is do it first thing in the morning before the breeze picks up, wet down the area to lay any dust apply finish and if available lock away in a shed etc to stop possibility of damage from anything (kids dogs birds wind,rain ) As its only a cabinet inside somewhere where dust of any quantity is the go.

The smoother the timber is rubbed then made dust free as suggested by Astrid,(damp rag or better still tack cloth) then the better chance of having a surface set to go. If you have compressed air then blowing it off first gets rid of most dust especiall in corners.

BUT the dust may be from other sources, such as your brush, make sure its not contaminated with previous finished that have dried in the hair of the brush and are now being introduced into your finish. Wash the brush in soap and water before you start. Even with a new tin of paint straining the finish may be needed to ensure you don't pick up a lump of dry material in the mixture.

What about you, are your clothes dust free they probably arn't if you were sanding the timber in them and you still have them on. (especially the sleeves) If you have no hair like me then a wipe with the damp cloth on the skull may help but if you have long flowing locks you may be shaking dust onto the surface as you hover over it. Don't mean to be nasty but if you have a dandruff problem you will be adding a bit of dust also.

So you can go on, one of the most cost effective ways of getting a dust free area if you can't get to do your job in the house somewhere is to set up a tent of plastic sheet or other material which you can then paint in.

Maybe a bit hot this time of the year but if you do it early in the morning, on the lawn without any wind a plastic sheet overhead and a wet surrounding area may do it for you. To get a dust free job I once had to set it up upside down so it could be painted by getting under it as contamination was falling out of the air after painting and while it was drying..

Let me finish by saying that I worked in the paint industry when spray booths were first introduced and the theory was that you did all the preparations and then sprayed the object so it would be a perfect dust free job, never worked, there was always some somewhere, it was a matter of luck. This point was bought home when we had to respray a terrible old bomb, we skipped the usual preparations to eliminate the dust just masked it and sprayed. The rotton thing came out so prefect without any dust what so ever it was heartbreaking to have it wasted on such a job.

All you can do is try and eliminate all the problems you think may be a problem and hope for the best.

The answer to a perfect job is to use a finish which allows you to remove the dust when its dry. If the finish is an enamel one( they are the dust collectors) you can improve the finish by washing with a chamois, this was how the old brush painting was done on vehicles before spraying came into being, I was assured by my old tradesman it worked but can't say I have even put it to the test.

Still I'm sure the reptiles won't be that fussy if you have a few specks in the finish.

[astrid]

Ummmmm
well, there you go.
Astrid