hi guys,  

I want to supply a finish to the builders I am working with but it has to be "green" also I would like something with low  to no voc's but is still a good finish.  basically i am trying to appease three thing not horrible on mother earth, not horrible for the builder, but still strong for the customer.   I did start the search already and have come up with "tried and true"  which seems to meet the criteria  however I don't know how good it is.  I finished a few pieces in my kitchen  to see if I could  and there was no smell hardly at all and it looks ok. is this a good product? are there others you may suggest I look at?

thanks  in advance for your time

Michael 

Howdy Michael, what exactly is the finish going on. High moisture areas, furnishings. Do you need a pigmented finish, a clear finish. What are your intentions for use. Thanks!

I assume he's doing the beech trim he just put up, which might have been easier to finish before it went up.

 

A water based poly will be ok.

naw I finished the beech with the tried and true stuff,  to see what it was like.    I have a program where I supply lumber to builders  who make furniture, then they return it to me and I sell it for them, splitting the final sell price 50/50.  because of the nature of my business I want to be as responsible as I can,  so I am looking for good finishes that I can provide them to make it easier on them.  pigmented,  or not I just need to build a list of finishes that I find acceptable, and I  am asking for places to start. 

dragon1 said:

I assume he's doing the beech trim he just put up, which might have been easier to finish before it went up.

 

A water based poly will be ok.

Right on Michael!

Now I know where to start. To be honest Michael, I forgot you were the one that was doing the builder program! Duh!

It's Sunday, my brain is already on work for the week ahead.

Ok, a completely non toxic finish for furniture builders would be good ol fashioned shellac. I don't know if you thought of this yet. But shellac can be eaten by humans even. Well, I'd eat it before you add the de-natured alcohol to it. But once applied, the alcohol burns off leaving behind a wonderful finish. It is so green, it is suggested for use on baby cribs. Because anyone with kids knows how much those lil rascals love to chew on the top rail of their crib. Now it can't be used for everything. Probably not a good application in high moisture content areas. But great for custom furnishings, chests, tables, boxes, chairs, you name it. It has been in use for a thousand years. And contrary to popular belief, it really is moisture resistant in the form of slight water rings from glasses on tables etc. And because of its natural nature, it is easily repairable unlike other finishes such as varnish's and lacquers. So my vote would be Shellac. The only draw back, it's a little expensive.

 I just looked that stuff up... makes you wonder who the first guy was who looked at all those dead bugs and thought "Im gonna collect those, wash em' , clean em' and possibly bleach them. disolve then dehydrate them. and eventually mix with etoh  and then put on my furniture?  then it makes you wonder how many bugs he tried before he found the lac bugs? thanks always seems to go back to the old ways. 

The American Woodworker said:

Right on Michael!

Now I know where to start. To be honest Michael, I forgot you were the one that was doing the builder program! Duh!

It's Sunday, my brain is already on work for the week ahead.

Ok, a completely non toxic finish for furniture builders would be good ol fashioned shellac. I don't know if you thought of this yet. But shellac can be eaten by humans even. Well, I'd eat it before you add the de-natured alcohol to it. But once applied, the alcohol burns off leaving behind a wonderful finish. It is so green, it is suggested for use on baby cribs. Because anyone with kids knows how much those lil rascals love to chew on the top rail of their crib. Now it can't be used for everything. Probably not a good application in high moisture content areas. But great for custom furnishings, chests, tables, boxes, chairs, you name it. It has been in use for a thousand years. And contrary to popular belief, it really is moisture resistant in the form of slight water rings from glasses on tables etc. And because of its natural nature, it is easily repairable unlike other finishes such as varnish's and lacquers. So my vote would be Shellac. The only draw back, it's a little expensive.

Shellac is still highly regarded by woodworkers world wide. Most purest in the woodworking world love shellac, not only for it's finish, but because it has been around so long, it is used on accurate reproductions as well, because that is what the original was finished with. Shellac is the sweetheart of the woodworker.

I have often thought of the same thing Michael, how the heck did the first guy figure this out? I wonder if perhaps the little shellac worms were laying there excretions all over a log and it made a nice protective coating, and some guy or gal saw this and thought, "Huh, I bet that would protect those tables I build for the villagers too!" 

Or how about the first poor soul that discovered eating that funky looking toadstool would end your life, or make you see things?

michael frankhauser said:

 I just looked that stuff up... makes you wonder who the first guy was who looked at all those dead bugs and thought "Im gonna collect those, wash em' , clean em' and possibly bleach them. disolve then dehydrate them. and eventually mix with etoh  and then put on my furniture?  then it makes you wonder how many bugs he tried before he found the lac bugs? thanks always seems to go back to the old ways. 

The American Woodworker said:

Not sure what the definition of Green is...?????

 

However, GENERAL FINISHES make a great line of quality water-based stains/dyes/finishes, I use them all the time.

 

That's a great point Mike, back to you Michael, can you give us the parameters for a Green finish. What is the standards these days for a finish to be officially called Green. This your chance to educate the masses!

Mike Frank said:

Not sure what the definition of Green is...?????

 

However, GENERAL FINISHES make a great line of quality water-based stains/dyes/finishes, I use them all the time.

 

I agree on the GF water base finishes, about as green as it gets... except for mud , as well its as durable and tough as it gets, we use it all the time .....

Tung oil . Pure tung , available from several sources, is the base finish I use to bring out the best in my high figure woods .Citrus based solvents compliment this "green " finish ,and helps it to penetrate deep into the woods surface . It takes time to cure , and there are a few ways to go with this "solvent " based finish that can be tinkered with .After several days  the   top coat of choice is General Finishes Enduro -Var .New last year from GF , this stuff is great ! Very hard , easily tintable , and easy to apply . I just completed a restaurant job with this finish schedule to very flattering reviews . I always smile when I say that my finishes are oil and water LOL

"green"  has become a hippy tree loving,  band wagon term.  I use it because it somewhat fits what I am looking for.  

first and foremost   low risk to the user.  because lets face it very few small shop guys have appropriate air supply systems.   and also once it is cured have it be inert.  and finally  finish quality.    you guys have all been very helpful and have given me a very good start to my search.  

thanks

 Michael