Tech Tips for VanAqua Water Based Wood Coatings 

Contents:
General Tips For VanAqua Water Based Wood Coatings
VanAqua Stain Application Tips
VanAqua Stain Application Tips
VanAqua Topcoat Application Tips

a.  Use stainless steel or suitable non-corrosive material for any wetted parts of the spray line or coating application equipment used.
b.  Spray tips, tip pressure, and pot pressure will require adjustment to provide optimum performance and may not be the same as that used with other coatings used in the past.  For start-up we recommend the following:

i.  With a HVLP gun we suggest using a fluid tip and needle size of 0.035" - 0.040" and air pressure of 65-85 psi to the gun.  Use a pressure pot of 9 - 12 psi to pressurize fluid.
ii.  With conventional spray equipment, use a fluid tip and needle size of 0.035"- 0.055" and air pressure of 50 to 60 psi.  Again, a pressure pot of 9 - 12  psi is adequate to pressurize fluid.
iii.  For airless and air assisted airless systems, use a fluid tip and needle size of 0.009" - 0.015".  For airless spray use pressure of 1000 - 1500 psi and for air assisted, use 500 to 750 psi.

2.  Grain Raise: YES - water raises wood grain, but can be made minimal and, when using VanAqua water based wood coatings, grain raise can be eliminated!  When using various coatings in the VanAqua finishing process, you will experience grain raise.  It is the strategy of the system to let the stains and sealers raise wood grain.  In doing so, the sealer will "lock in place" raised fibers so that during the sanding process, a highly smooth, uniform surface is ready for  topcoat application. After topcoating, no secondary grain raise is seen and a high quality finish results.  Best finish results are obtained by practice and patience and it will be found that the system in simple, easy, and remarkably fast!

      Wood moisture content will influence the degree of grain raise seen and, therefore, the potential effort necessary to achieve the quality desired.  Maintain a constant storage environment for wood stock to help eliminate any finish quality variations.

3.   Waste Disposal:  Check with your local sanitary treatment facility!  They will evaluate materials for you in their effort to help you properly dispose of waste.   Do not discharge any waste to a septic system or storm water drain regardless on how harmless you believe it is!  The EPA considers septic disposal as an underground injection and closely regulates discharges.  Storm water drainage is also closely regulated.  In the dry form, after water evaporation, the waste from VanAqua water based wood coatings is not regulated and may be disposed of as normal solid waste.   As a liquid it is quite common to find that VanAqua water based wood coating waste material may be easily processed through municipal sewage treatment facilities - BUT CHECK FIRST!

4.   Topcoats may be used as sealers.  The cost will be higher, the sandability slightly more difficult, and there may be less of a "fill" effect, but the final clarity is usually better. It is recommended to first try the sealer and then evaluate the use of a "topcoat" sealer if higher clarity is still required.

5.   Coating Application:  All of the VanAqua coatings have been designed to coat uniformly over most all wood species even when using standard tack cloths.  Machine oils and other surface contaminants can interfere with coating application, so take care to prevent possible contact with these materials.

6.   It has been observed, especially in spray lines, that the VanAqua coatings actually may remove residues of other types of coatings.  During start-up, it may be possible to observe "chunks", "slugs", and other particulate deposits on the surface after drying.  These are most likely to originate from residues in the fluid lines or tips from prior coatings used.  It is recommended to first use the VanAqua cleaning solution first to flush and clean the system.

7.   Sanding: This is the critical step in finishing with water based wood coatings.  The higher the grit used in pre-sanding, the better the smoothness of the final finish.  It is advised to pre-sand to 220 grit when completely dry (see below for dry times).  It is recommended to always sand with the wood grain, and, if using hand power sanders, to use a random orbit sander.

8.   Drying and Curing:   All Van Aqua water based wood coatings have been designed for ambient drying (room temperature - 70° F and 50% relative humidity preferred).  It is usually seen that dry to touch occurs in 15 to 30 minutes, and full dryness within 1 hour.

* Please take note that higher temperatures will speed drying and that higher humidity will slow drying.  For best performance, if possible, maintain temperatures between 70° F and 100° F with humidity below 65%.  The use of heated forced air dryers and other process drying equipment may be used to accelerate the drying and cure of these coatings.  Success will depend on the individual set of conditions determined by the finishing personnel.

9.   Clean-Up:   Always flush the coating equipment and spray lines with clean water immediately after use!  The VanAqua water based coatings are specifically designed to be very durable and chemically resistant.  Therefore, surfaces will be very difficult to clean if the coating residues are allowed to dry.  In the event that certain surfaces are covered with dried coating, it is recommended that MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) be used to clean the surface.  Remember- SAFETY FIRST when using any cleaning solvent - use appropriate precautions and disposal procedures.

* For convenience in removing deposits of dried coatings, Van Technologies has available cleaning solutions designed specifically for easy, safe, and effective cleaning and flushing of spray and coating applicator systems.  Check with Van Technologies for further information.

10.  Storage:  KEEP FROM FREEZING! It is recommended to store all VanAqua water based wood coatings at temperatures above 50° F and below 100° F.

VanAqua Stain Application Tips

1.   Stain up-take will vary by wood species and moisture content.  Maintain a constant storage environment for wood stock to help eliminate any finish quality variations.

2.   Apply stain to the desired color intensity.  Multiple coats may be applied to develop darker shades.

3.   Small parts and pieces are easily stained by a dip process followed by a wiping, whereas larger pieces are more easily sprayed with stain followed by wiping.

4.   Cracks and crevices are easily filled with stain during spray application, and when wiping, the use of a sponge or cotton swab may be of help.  These work great for difficult to reach areas.

5.   Bubbles that, at times, form on the surface may create spots or voids where stain does not color.   Take care to avoid bubbling or foaming and if it occurs, voids are easily eliminated by wiping with a stain soaked cloth or sponge.

6.   Always wipe stains using a lint free cloth.

7.   Color Variation:  Should color variation occur, there are a few possible reasons.

a.  All VanAqua water based wood stains should be mixed well before use to ensure uniform color.
b.  Examine the color of the wood substrate.  Since wood is a natural product, it is common to see color variations that will influence the final stained appearance.

8.   When staining large areas, difficulty may be experienced due to the fast dry time of the stain.   Here is some advice on large surface areas:

a.  Apply a heavier stain application to offset times where the stain dries too fast.  This will help to permit uniform application of stain.
b.  Break large surface areas into workable sizes and stain individually with overlap of adjacent areas.  The overlap areas are easily "feathered" to achieve a uniform blending of color.

9.   Application:   The VanAqua water based stains are applied by numerous techniques including dip, spray, wiping, roller, etc.  It has been found that when applying stain to large, flat surfaces, such as installed hardwood flooring, it is easily applied by pad applicators  These applicators typically hold sufficient stain to permit good uniform coverage.  Stain is quickly and liberally applied in two foot strips and immediately wiped down well after completing each strip.  Adjacent stain strips are applied with slight overlap and, when wiped, are feathered and blended for the desired uniform color shading.

VanAqua Sealer Application Tips

1.   The sealer may be applied over VanAqua stains immediately after wiping to the final color intensity.   This is termed a "wet on wet" application technique.

2.   Apply the sealer to a wet thickness between 4 mil to 6 mil (0.004" - 0.006").  When dry, this will permit excellent sanding without burnishing through the stain coat.   Therefore, if the stain color is burnished or sanded to lighter shades during seal coat sanding, it is very possible that the seal coat was not thick enough.

3.   As a visual aid to correct wet sealer thickness, when applied correctly, the sealer will appear bluish-white and should not have any pockets, dimples or fish-eyes.  The wood grain should be barely discernible through the wet applied coating.  Just remember, the sealer WILL DRY CLEAR.

4.   If fish-eyes or repel spots occur, check for contamination on the wood surface.  The VanAqua coatings have been specifically designed to be tolerant of certain wood rosins/resins but may not coat well over machine or other types of oils and certain other contaminates.

5.   The sealer when dry will exhibit grain raise, especially with oak surfaces since this is a very long fiber wood species.  THIS IS EXPECTED!  The sealer will "lock" raised grain in place and permit excellent sanding properties to remove any evidence of raised grain.

6.   It is recommended to sand the dry sealed surface with 220 grit media or finer.  This will provide the smoothness quality necessary for superior topcoat application.

7.   If difficulty is experienced in sanding the sealer, due to poor dusting or it gums up in the sanding paper, the sealer is probably not sufficiently dry.  Dry for longer times or apply mild heat to promote drying (110° F).  Refer to the general drying recommendations above.

VanAqua Topcoat Application Tips

1.   The VanAqua topcoats include an all acrylic system, polyurethane system, and aliphatic system.   All provide excellent topcoat quality with the aliphatic and urethane systems superior in abrasion and chemical resistance.

2.   Both the acrylic used with crosslinker V-Cat 110,  and the urethane based topcoats can meet the demands of the KCMA standards. The Aliphatic system is currently under testing for KCMA standards, being it is a new product. 

3.   The V-Cat 110 crosslinker will speed up hardness development of the topcoat and will permit earlier stack times.  If, when using the V-Cat 110 crosslinker, hardness no longer is developed, check the length of time since the addition of crosslinker.  The effectiveness will last for a maximum of 24 hours.  After 24 hours, add fresh topcoat and add additional V-Cat 110 crosslinker according to the directions provided with the topcoat.

4.  It is recommended to apply the topcoats to a wet thickness between 3 mil to 6 mil (0.003" - 0.006").

5.   Again, if the final coating surface is not uniform, check for surface contaminates on the wood substrate and any possible contaminants from the application equipment.  Spray hoses must have a minimum of compressor oil and, as discussed above, it has been noted that residues in the fluid lines have been "cleaned" and removed with the use of the VanAqua coatings.

6.   With a pre-sanding to 220 grit one topcoat application is sufficient for quality results.   Two topcoat applications will result in exceptional surface finish quality.

Back to Water Based Wood Coatings

Important:  Technologies, Inc. makes no warranty, whether expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose.  Under no circumstances shall Van Technologies, Inc. be liable for incidental, consequential or other damages, alleged negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability, tort, contract, or any other theory, arising out of the use or handling of this product.

For information on typical properties, technical questions, pricing, or to sample and purchase products, contact Van Technologies at:

5791 Bergquist Road
Duluth, MN 55804
218-525-9424
Fax: 218-525-5594
email: vantech@vtcoatings.com