Going Green???

[Gary Campbell]

My Son and I have been contacted by a local kitchen designer and an interior designer about building "green" cabinets. Does anyone out there have any experience with these newer, formaldehyde free, FSC certified materials? What about low VOC or waterborn finishes? Thanks in advance, Gary

[knight_toolworks]

expensive. anything green is going to cost you more. but formaldehyde free mdf is only about 1.00 to 2.00 a sheet cheaper. but if you go for things like wheatboard and such it is very expensive.

[3imoh]

Hi Gary-

I try to use FSC certified products as much as possible. More and more producers are "getting it" and there are more options coming online all the time. Many of the jobs I do require the use of certified products. I rent space from a green construction company who feeds some work to me...all of their clients are willing to pay to have their projects use green and sustainable materials.

You may want to look into the purebond product from columbia if you are looking for ply. It is formaldehyde free. You can also use exterior glued baltic birch...the glue has very low emmisions.

There are a ton of resources online for this stuff. I will try to track down some links for the group and post them here.

-Howie

[elcruisr]

We use some low formaldehyde products but have recently gone to waterborne finishes. They are different in appearance and the way you use them but overall I am coming to like them. Currently sold on Target coatings but who knows what I'll find in the future!

[wberminio]

Gary

I've been using Water based finishes for many years.
They've improved greatly over the years.They dry faster/no odors/low VOC's/newer versions have more
of the traditional lacquer "look".They may cost more,but the higher solids content allows for faster build up.Plus no explosion worries!
AS far as green wood,I'm getting more calls for this.Find out if they are taking about using material from sustainable forests /or just low or formaldehyde free products.I believe trupan is formaldehyde free.More and more suppliers are
adding these products to there line,at least here in NY.

Erminio

[jeffreymcgrew]

I'll second on the Target Coatings and Columbia sheet goods. It's all we use (well mostly) and it rocks. It's also not that much more money. Once you get into the wheat board and plyboo the cost ramps up fast tho.

It also keeps the shop in much better shape. When we have to cut 'normal' stuff again you can tell the difference in the air quality, so I don't even like to think about what the 'normal' stuff is doing to us health-wise, seeing that we're around it all the time...

[Gary Campbell]

Steve, Howie, Eric, Erminio & Jeffrey..
Thanks for the reply and info. I just found out that DixiePly in MIA is starting to carry Columbia's Purebond line, pricey, but I am sure glad a couple of you have used it and give a thumbs up. I dont think that we will be using any of the wheatboard/medex or particle/fiber type boards no matter how good they are rated. I am reluctant to use plywood in many cases. However, from the research I have been doing, keeping the solids to a minimum is "greener".
Eric, I have 2 2.5gal HVLP pressure pot spray rigs, will they work for the type of finish that you are using? We are located in a designated extremely environmentally sensitive area here and going to water born is the right thing to do. I am really hoping the learning curve is not too long. Thanks for the info guys and please post more.
Gary

[wberminio]

Gary
I've been using HVLP systems for years.
It's the preferred method for waterbased finishes,
just be sure to clean your equipment(with water/another plus).
Waterbased finishes could corrode interior of spray guns, if the are not stainless steel.Check with your supplier.

Erminio

[Gary Campbell]

Erminio...
Thanks for the heads up on the corrosion. Luckily for me.. the guns are all stainless but the pots are galv. steel, but since we use liners it should not be a problem. (according to the mfgr C.A.T.)
Gary

[elcruisr]

Talk with the tech guy at Target Coatings. He really knows his stuff and got me through the change. The big difference is you hang this stuff in very thin coats and with lots more coats. This takes a little longer to apply but then the over spray is not toxic, not explosive and cleans with water. It also looks a little rough at first but over 24 hours the stuff really sooths out, it's a little strange at first but you get used to it.

I don't have a paint booth and I'm on good terms with my local fire marshal. He would ignore the occasional laquer job but wagged his finger in warning about doing it much. If I'd been doing very much he'd of red tagged me in a heartbeat. When I talked to him about any requirements for finishing with water borne because of increased production he got really happy about it and said to spray away.

I ended up buying a new HTE gun but HVLP is also a good way to go. All stainless like mentioned above! I needed a new gun anyways to replace my elcheapo.

Can't blame you on avoiding Medex. That's some miserable stuff to work with and the dust seems worse than Trupan. Yuch!

[Gary Campbell]

Eric..
Amen on the Yuch!! Before we went to Durham to pick up the machine we bought 3 sheets of 1/2" Trupan for Bleeder and 3 sheets of MDF for practice. Have used 2 of the 1/2 for spoilboards, and cut a 2 by 4 off the end of the 3/4 but cant force myself to rout anything in the MDF. I have noticed that since mid May the edges have swelled over .035 just sitting in the rack. Maybe some kid will want it for a speaker box. Dont know how you guys deal with the dust and smell. But then again we are living pretty sheltered here with hardwood solids running 15 to 1 over sheetgoods (in $)

My Landlord has informed us that the insurance carrier will no longer allow us to spray without an up to date spray booth etc. (read 6 figures) so the water born will be both good and neccessary. I am going to get all the info I can on the Target products over the weekend, hoping to get some sample spraying done next week.
Thanks again for everything, Gary