can you spray conversion varnish over lacquer

Can polyurethane

or conversion varnish be sprayed over lacquer? Kevin Hancock: It can, but it is not a very good idea. If the surface were to get softened from heat, the lacquer film would soften at a different rate than the topcoats.

Full Answer

Can I use denatured alcohol to remove conversion varnish?

A conversion varnish finish may not last forever, but no finish will, and it will far outlast a lacquer finish. One of our customers took denatured alcohol to remove magic marker from one of our tabletops finished with cv with no ill effect. Try that with regular lacquer and you'll have problems.

Is conversion varnish better than lacquer paint?

When compared to basic home lacquer paint; conversion varnish wins in durability. It is largely a solid coating which is hardened during the application process, so it stands up better to regular use.

How long does a conversion varnish finish last?

A conversion varnish finish may not last forever, but no finish will, and it will far outlast a lacquer finish. One of our customers took denatured alcohol to remove magic marker from one of our tabletops finished with cv with no ill effect.

What is conversion varnish for cabinets?

Conversion varnish is the premium paint finish for all sorts of projects, including cabinetry and cabinet doors. This post Catalyzed conversion varnish offers a number of benefits on your cabinet doors. You may choose conversion varnish over other cabinet paint or lacquer products because it:

Can you spray conversion varnish?

Conversion Varnish is a chemical-cured, fast-drying finish that consists of 2 parts: the finish and an acid catalyst that's added just before spraying. The catalyst creates a chemical reaction (cross-linking) in conjunction with added heat-curing that creates the hardest, most durable finish available on the market.

How do you apply conversion varnish?

1:312:48Enduro Professional Conversion Varnish for High Durability - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTimes based on ideal conditions of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% humidity are two-touch 5 to 10MoreTimes based on ideal conditions of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% humidity are two-touch 5 to 10 minutes to sand 30 to 45 minutes to reco 1 to 2 hours dry. Times can vary significantly.

Can conversion varnish be applied over lacquer?

Can polyurethane or conversion varnish be sprayed over lacquer? Kevin Hancock: It can, but it is not a very good idea. If the surface were to get softened from heat, the lacquer film would soften at a different rate than the topcoats. Eventually, the finish would fail.

Is conversion varnish the same as lacquer?

A lacquer is a single-component, pre-catalyzed, nitro-celluloid finishthat has 12-18% solids by volume. It is air-cured. A conversion varnish is a high-end solids, two-part post-catalyzed lacquer, which means a hardener must be mixed with this product for the application.

Is conversion varnish better than polyurethane?

However, it also lasts much longer and, although polyurethane is quite protective when compared to other lacquers and paints, conversion varnish is still consistently more durable. While it might cost a little more, it is ultimately a better value, offering longer lasting protection and durability in your home.

Does conversion varnish yellow over time?

Well, there a quite a few finish options that do not leave your with yellowing whites. Conversion Varnish – these finishes are vastly superior to lacquer. Incredibly durable with a higher solids content than lacquer, a quality “CV” finish will also be much more scratch resistant and totally non-yellowing.

What is conversion varnish used for?

What Is Catalyzed Conversion Varnish? The varnish that's applied over the finish color is there to help protect your wood furniture. Catalyzed conversion varnish basically consists of two parts, the finish liquid and a hardener(called the catalyst) that gets mixed in right before it's applied.

Is conversion varnish good for cabinets?

Unlike other finishes, conversion varnish is ideal for remodeling your kitchen cabinets because it's far more durable, especially when you compare its performance to lacquer. You can also expect fewer scratches when you use conversion varnish for your home improvement project.

Is conversion varnish good for kitchen cabinets?

When researching your options for your kitchen cabinet remodeling project, you should always look for a conversion varnish finish (also know as catalyzed varnish). Here is why we agree it's the best choice out there: Conversion varnish is transparent and the most durable finish available for wood.

How long does it take for conversion varnish to cure?

Conversion varnishes are 85% cured within about two days of their application. Pre-cats take about 3 to 4 weeks to achieve a cure that is worthy of any kind of performance.

Is conversion varnish waterproof?

Varnish which includes polyurethane and conversion varnish is the most durable of the finishes. It protects well against heat, solvents, acids, wear, alkyds, and water.

Can I paint over conversion varnish?

Yes, you absolutely can paint over varnish with latex -- provided you properly prepare the surface first.

How long does it take for conversion varnish to dry?

Conversion varnishes are 85% cured within about two days of their application. Pre-cats take about 3 to 4 weeks to achieve a cure that is worthy of any kind of performance.

Can I paint over conversion varnish?

Yes, you absolutely can paint over varnish with latex -- provided you properly prepare the surface first.

Is conversion varnish good for cabinets?

Unlike other finishes, conversion varnish is ideal for remodeling your kitchen cabinets because it's far more durable, especially when you compare its performance to lacquer. You can also expect fewer scratches when you use conversion varnish for your home improvement project.

Is conversion varnish good for kitchen cabinets?

When researching your options for your kitchen cabinet remodeling project, you should always look for a conversion varnish finish (also know as catalyzed varnish). Here is why we agree it's the best choice out there: Conversion varnish is transparent and the most durable finish available for wood.

What Is Conversion Varnish?

Conversion varnish, also called catalyzed conversion varnish or catalyzed varnish, is a lacquer which consists of a high-end solid two-part post-catalyzed application process. But what does that mean, exactly? In short, a hardening agent is added to the varnish prior to painting. This hardening agent provides additional durability when combined with the heat-curing process. Conversion varnish is chemically cured and fast-drying, and consists of 40-60% solids.

What is lacquer used for?

Lacquer is commonly used on cabinets and cabinet doors, and for a long time it was thought of as the best wood finish. So how is it different from conversion varnish? Lacquer uses a pre-catalyzed nitrocellulose finish that can be sprayed on and air finished. It consists of about 12-18% solids, which means that many applications are required to get a proper build and density.

How long does polyurethane take to dry?

It also requires sanding in between each coat to ensure proper bonding, but since the dry time is up to 24 hours, that can mean it takes quite some time to fully finish a piece. It is also typically brushed on, rather than sprayed on, slowing the application even more. So then, why not choose conversion varnish every time?

Can you spray catalyzed varnish on cabinets?

Because of its particular requirements, this type of catalyzed varnish requires a skilled professional to spray on the finish correctly and get the right results. After it’s applied, it must be cured in a properly temperature controlled environment. Ensure that you don’t experience any conversion varnish problems by getting your cabinet doors professionally finished by a company you trust.

Is conversion varnish good for cabinets?

Easy To Clean. Conversion varnish simply applies smoother and doesn’t have a tacky or sticky feel like many kinds of house paints. That means if some food or mess gets on your cabinet doors it will be easier to clean. Better still is the coating is more durable and will stay looking great after years of cleaning.

Is polyurethane better than lacquer?

Polyurethane is actually a form of varnish and therefore really is quite durable. Polyurethane can resist scratching, heat, alkali, acids, and wear better than many other finishes, including lacquer. It also offers an attractive, protective finish.

Can you use Sherwin Williams conversion varnish on painted cabinets?

When you want the best and longest lasting finish for your painted cabinet doors, conversion varnish delivers. If you’re in the market for new cabinet doors that can stand up to daily use and you want a nice, smooth finish, we can help! Cabinetdoors.com exclusively uses the most skilled craftsmen to apply Sherwin-Williams conversion varnish to our painted cabinet doors. In fact, we guarantee our workmanship, so you can trust that you’ll get a high quality, professionally finished product each and every time.

What is conversion varnish?

Conversion varnish is a finish applied to wood cabinets that consists of two elements:

Common uses for conversion varnish

Like lacquer and polyurethane, conversion varnish is a popular finish option for showing off the natural or stained wood of:

Conversion varnish vs. lacquer vs. polyurethane

We’ll cover how conversion varnish differs from and is similar to two other common wood cabinet finishes: lacquer and polyurethane.

Why you should go with a water-borne coating over conversion varnish

At Cabinet Coatings, we want only the best finish for your cabinets. That’s why we use our water-based acrylic coating.

Need a quote to refinish your cabinets?

Contact us online or at 480-641-9611 to schedule an appointment. We’ll discuss how you want to update your cabinets, so we can give you the best finish options for your kitchen or bathroom. Then, we’ll give you an upfront quote that same day to upgrade your cabinets.

How long does a Gemini conversion varnish last?

Gemini Coatings makes a conversion varnish that has roughly a 21-day pot life after catalyzation. I have not used this conversion varnish, but they tell me that their customers who do use it think that it's a good conversion varnish and that the long, long pot life makes their lives easier. They also make one with a seven-day pot life. That also sounds mighty user-friendly to me.

How long does post cat lacquer last?

Once this catalyst gets added, the lacquer starts a shelf life of anywhere from four to twelve months, depending on its acid value content reacting with the other components in the formula.

Is post cat varnish better than pre cat varnish?

I find little difference in spraying conversion varnish from pre-cat except that the conversion varnish, because of its higher solids content, requires me to use a smaller N/N set in my gun. In short, post-cat lacquer or C-V are, in my opinion, superior to pre-cat.

Why is conversion varnish bad?

The biggest problem you may encounter with conversion varnish will most likely be because of bad application. CV requires a greater skill in spraying and must be applied by a professional. On top of that, the shop temperature must be in the upper 60s for the first 2 days after application.

How much solid content is conversion varnish?

Conversion varnish has a higher solid content (about 40%-60% solids by volume), which means it doesn't need as many coats to build an appropriate film build. Easy to clean.

Do you need to mix lacquer?

Traditional lacquers, on the other hand, consist of a pre-catalyzed, nitro cellulose finish that's air-cured. Because it's pre-catalyzed, there's no need to mix any hardeners - making it a single component finish.

Is conversion varnish more durable than lacquer?

More durable. Conversion varnish has twice the dry film thickness as lacquer. This makes it more durable and less likely to scratch over time.

What is the best reducer for spraying?

Xylene or Toluene are the recommended reducers. The above reduction percentages are pretty much right on, however. CV is great for some applications. However, where field installation is involved and there may be extensive touch-up or field spraying, it's not such a great choice.

What is CV paint?

In Asia, CV is also referred to as acid catalyzed paint (AC). It is one of the widely used paints for US kitchen cabinet industries based on their advantages - fast dry, high durability, passing all KCMA requirements, and good yellowing resistance. The CV is very easy to use - long pot life, and good sanding property.

Can you use CV for multiple coats?

If putting on multiple coats, build with gloss as a sealer. Then for the last coat, put on the sheen desired. CV is used by all the big manufacturers in this business. Look at a Conastoga or Merdian finished door--they both use conversion vanish. Do they look "whitish"? Almost all my work is very high end and my finish looks it. The only time I use lacquer now is on my low-end work.

Can lacquer be used in a finish room?

No finish except conventional lacquer will tolerate this cold of a finish room without balking.

Can CVs be used with polyester?

It works! CVs are a ratio and temperature reaction. Change one or the other or both and the reaction stops for now. This won't work with urethane or polyesters--they must crosslink at temperature (65 or over) or you will have problems .

Can I use S-W water white conversion varnish?

Your S-W rep must be on drugs. S-W's Water White Conversion Varnish is and has been an industry standard for twenty years. It absolutely is the best choice for kitchen cabinets and vinyl sealer/lacquer topcoat isn't even a close second. Vinyl with CAB acrylic might be okay, but the CV is clearly the way to go. I disagree about using lacquer thinner with the CV. Xylene or Toluene are the recommended reducers. The above reduction percentages are pretty much right on, however.

How thick can I use conversion varnish?

You can go thicker than 5 mils with the conversion varnish. The important thing is to allow each coat to dry well before proceeding. Personally I don't think 5 mils is that thin. It's about double the thickness of a lawn and leaf trash bag.

How thin is 5 mils?

Turned mils into mm. 5 mils is 0.127mm. So that actually doesn't seem as thin as I thought originally.

Is conversion varnish the same as overspray?

If you have any experience spraying lacquer, conversion varnish will spray about the same. As far as overspray, with conversion varnish since it dries faster won't be near as bad as conventional varnish. In warm weather it would dry before it hits the floor. Under normal conditions conversion varnish can be a excellent finish for furniture. The down side is the finish is a two part finish kind of like working with epoxy glue, you have to use what you mix or throw it away. Another bad is if your family is especially hard on furniture. If you think the furniture will need to be refinished every few years you might have difficulty stripping the finish off. Some conversion varnish is immune to paint stripper. If you think you will need to refinish from time to time then a catalyzed lacquer may be a better choice. It's nearly as hard as conversion varnish but easier to strip off if necessary.

Can you use 4 mils on CV?

You do not want to go over 4 dry mils because heavier films may "cause" cracking. Most CV's are high in solids and fill voids very well with just 2 coats. Most CV's can be used as a self seal because of this.

Can you put a hard finish over a softer finish?

You can use a high solids sealer under a CV to obtain more build, but you must catalyze the sealer as well or that may cause cracking. You can not put a hard finish over a softer finish, so catalyzing the sealer is a must.

Is paint thicker than clear?

The paint would be slightly thicker than the clear but would spray the same.

Is conversion varnish good?

Conversion Varnish is an excellent finish but like any finish it has strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't use CV unless you have a functional spray booth and respirator, it has a very strong odor and is very difficult to spray without removing the fumes from the area. It has a 4-5 mil dry film thickness maximum that can cause catastrophic failure of the finish if exceeded. It is also very sensitive to temperature and if sprayed or allowed to cure in an environment that gets below 65 degrees Fahrenheit for a 48 hour period it is subject to cold checking. It is also important to measure the catalyst proportions very carefully as well or you can have bad problems in the future. That may all sound scary but it is an excellent finish and is used by most professional cabinet shops due to it's hardness, durability and low cost compared to other 2 part finishes.

Do you need thinners or retarders?

I would strongly recommend using the manufacturer’s thinners and retarders and whatever else you need, at least at the beginning until you’re more comfortable with what you’re doing.

Can you thin a spray gun?

Also, when it's not possible or convenient to install the needle/nozzle size that matches the viscosity of the coating you're spraying, the quick and easy solution is to thin the material until it works well with the needle/nozzle in the gun. Thinning reduces the solids content and makes the dry film thickness of each coat less than it could/should be. That means you'll have to spray extra coats to get the film thickness of the unthinned material. In a pinch, it's worth it to get the job done.

Does xylene hurt your finish?

No, the xylene will not hurt your finish. It is what most CVs were made with for many years until the HAPS compliancy regulations came into effect. It is not a HAP (hazardous air pollutant) compliant solvent. If you were a big user you would only be allowed to spray so many lbs. of any finish containing this solvent per year. It will help level your finish out I am sure. I would mix about 20% into the finish for max leveling. Just put an extra coat on it if you need to. The other thing not mentioned above that may be a factor is the air movement over the piece. Make sure you remove the pieces from any high air movement environment as this will skin the surface and stop it from flowing out properly. Air movement after it flashes off (about 20 min.) is fine.

Does xylene work in acrylic coatings?

Hopefully you ran that test panel because by now you have discovered that the xylene definitely did not work in your coating. SW's T77F61, 62 and 63 Acrylic Conversion Coatings are not conversion vanishes, so they don't use the aliphatic hydrocarbon reducers like toluene, xylene, and hi-flash naphtha. Rather, they use MAK as a retarder and SW's R7K120 lacquer thinner as a reducer. You would be OK with the R7K27 retarder thinner (pricey stuff), but following contributor C’s advice would yield the best results in your current situation. Also, I wouldn't trust the purity of any solvent from a box store. By the way, the SW store that sold you the T77F62 has a Technical Data sheet for the product giving all of the above info, and if you use SW products with any frequency you should get their Chemical Coatings guide to have on hand for handy reference.

How long does a conversion varnish last?

Lastly, today’s conversion varnishes can have a pot life anywhere from 8 hrs to 3 weeks. Pot life is measured from the time you add the catalyst to the material until the product is no longer usable for spraying.

What is volume solid varnish?

Volume solids are the actual amount of resin material left after all the solvents and co-solvents have evaporated. Conversion varnish finishes generally run in the 30–38 percent volume solids range or sometimes even higher. But do not confuse volume solids with proper spray viscosities.

Is conversion type coating more expensive than pre cat?

While pre-cat material is generally less-expensive initially, conversion-type coatings offer the higher solids and increased durability that will satisfy the demands of your customer.

Can you mix catalysts together?

Yes, adding catalyst is a very important step in the mixing process, and it is very important to follow the percentages recommended by the manufacturer. If you do not add the proper amount of catalyst to the coating, it may not correctly cross-link or cure. When you forget it all together, it will not cure at all.

Can you spray varnish straight out of a pail?

But do not confuse volume solids with proper spray viscosities. Conversion varnish is more viscous and generally cannot be sprayed straight out of the pail. It typically needs to be reduced before spraying. Check with your supplier for recommended spray viscosities.