Spray urethane gives wood a fine finish
Q Is it a good idea to use spray urethane to finish a small shelf I’m building? I’ll be making it out of hardwood, then staining it. I want a nice, smooth clear coat on top of the stain, and I don’t think I can get that with a brush.
A Yes, urethane that comes in aerosol spray cans is a great way to finish small projects. The spray pattern is fine-grained, and you can get perfect results if you do things right.
One of the big dangers is spraying too much urethane in one place, causing drips and runs. The best way to avoid this involves finishing in stages. Spray only horizontal surfaces lightly, wait a few minutes for the urethane to harden up, then rotate the project and spray other surfaces that have just got horizontal.
Spray cans are great for small areas, but if you ever tackle any finishing job larger than a card table, you might consider something other than a spray can.
I’ve used many spray guns over the years, but the Critter spray gun is my favourite for small and medium projects. It’s a simple spray gun that can run off even a portable air compressor used for trim nailers.
The finishing liquid is stored in a standard Mason jar ( just like the kind used for homemade jam), and the Critter spray gun is super easy to keep clean. Not suitable for thick coatings such as latex paint, the Critter is perfect for spraying water-based urethane. I bought mine from Lee Valley Tools for $55.
Q Why don’t my woodworking projects turn out as well as I hoped? I’m not exactly a beginner, yet there are still gaps and cracks here and there in my work. I don’t know how to avoid them. Almost none of the wood I buy is perfectly straight and flat, and this is most of my problem.
A Wood is a mischievous material that often morphs in shape with changes in moisture content. This is what’s behind your troubles. You need to impart more precision to the pieces of wood you build with, if you want the precision of your projects to improve.
The fact is, wood often warps, cups and twists at least a little after it leaves the mill. The solution is a milling process that establishes (or re-establishes) truly flat and square surfaces and edges on boards, as the first step in building furniture. This work happens on a machine called a jointer, and it might just be the most misunderstood part of the home workshop scene. Jointers come as large, stationary models or smaller bench-top versions. Not to be confused with thickness planers, a jointer creates flat surfaces that are square to each other. Check out my quick how-to video on jointer use, at BaileyLineRoad.com/woodworking/ jointing-wood-flat-true.
Q What can I do to keep the second level of my house cool this summer? We’ve got central air, but it doesn’t work upstairs. The basement is cold, the first level is comfortable, but the bedrooms are hot.
A It’s quite common to have upper levels stay too hot despite air conditioning, and the root cause is usually the design of typical duct systems. They’re made to work best delivering warm air in winter, so there’s often a pocket of hot air trapped in upper levels. Installing an openable skylight or roof window and leaving it open slightly allows the trapped hot air to escape, permitting the cooled air to rise all the way to the top of your house. Velux’s solar model is the easiest option for retrofitting a skylight that automatically closes as soon as it starts to rain.