I just finished a shelf for my Dad with a tung oil finish. Instead of heating the tung oil for the first few applications, I mixed with 50% turpentine. I absolutely love the look I got on that figured maple (two thinned coats, four unthinned coats). The oil smell wasn’t bad but the turpentine is terrible.
My shop is a garage, part of the house. The heating system’s in there, too. Bad smells in the shop mean bad smells in the house. So I have to figure out a way to get my projects out while not driving my poor wife and kids nutz.
So first, are “odorless mineral spirits” usable with the tung oil for those first coats? And does the stuff really smell better than the turpentine?
Second, which finishes can I use that will be tolerable for the family, after the oil is done? Just wax was fine for the shelf, but I was planning to use Waterlox for the toy boxes. Is that gonna stink up the joint? Do water-based finishes smell better during application and drying than oil finishes?
Thanks!
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Hello John,
Here's my solution: We have two bathrooms. On "finishing days" I commaneer one of the bathrooms for my work. The ventilator gets rid of the fumes and there is no odor in the house.
Hmm. I'm not sure it'll work for me... the only bathroom with really good ventilation is the one I can't commandeer.
I wonder if I should consider some sort of low-tech solution, maybe a plastic sheet enclosure and a low-flow exhaust vent in the side of the shop. Sort of like a discount temporary spray booth, but I shouldn't have enough flammable vapors to require an expensive explosion-proof fan.
I've looked at the Taunton finishing book by Jewitt, and he doesn't really get into the smell of the various options, except tangentially when he talks about safety. I also did a search here, and honestly I'm surprised not more people have had to deal with this.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I've used odorlees M.S. to thin tung oil without a problem. Another solution is to use Waterlox which is a tung oil-based oil/varnish finish. I personally like it a lot and have used it for finishing things from a hardwood floor to furniture that needed a bit more protection than tung oil alone could provide. Best thing is that now you can buy it with a citrus scent that shouldn't bother the family at all.
I've got a concern. Under the IRC 2003 building code, garages are required to be separate from the residence with no duct openings in the garage. (Section R309.2) This particular code may noot apply to your area, of course, but that's not the point.
But, I think the reason behind it is limiting the fire and fume hazards associated with garages. Perhaps there is a way that the air being drawn from the garage could be drawn directly from outside so that fumes would not spread inside the house. Odorless mineral spirits would work as a solvent, but shifting to less smelly solvents doesn't mean that the solvents aren't permeating the house, only that they are more "stealthy".
Waterborne finishes do cut the volatile organic solvents (VOCs) but don't eliminate them. Most contain about perhaps 40%, give or take, of the VOCs of oil based paints. You won't smell them as much, but they are still there. They also require warmer conditions than most oil based finishes.
Well, it's a garage but between the TS and the workbenches and the wood and everything, you can't put a car in there any more. :)
Seriously, I don't know if that code applies but the truth is we do get the smell in the house when I finish in the basement.
As you suggest, I'm going to see if I can do some sort of "discount spray room" with a small negative pressure. Not sure just how to do it, but it seems like my best option.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
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