# Is it safe to stain in a closed garage with a respirator



## anotherAlan (Aug 27, 2011)

Hi there, 
I'm building a standing desk and have gotten to the stage where I'm ready to stain/poly the surface (3/4" oak plywood). I've never really done staining before. I appreciate the whole "work in a well ventilated area" thing, but I'm wondering what qualifies. 

Specifically: _If I'm working in a two car garage with the garage door closed but use a respirator that safe?_

-----

(You ask: Why not open the garage door? It's windy out and I'm trying to avoid things/dust blowing onto the work surface. )

The respirator I have is a "3M Tekk Protection Household Multi-Purpose Respirator" (link: http://bit.ly/okhk9L). It says in the description that it "is designed for work that involves non-hazardous sprays and vapors from pesticides, stains, coatings and sealants." Do Minwax stains and polys classify as "non-hazardous"?


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

You should be fine. Stains don't usually have the solvent content of the poly's. Do you have windows in the garage? Also could open the door about a foot or so and have fan blowing. Just a thought.


----------



## anotherAlan (Aug 27, 2011)

Ha! Open the door part way... Sometimes the obvious thing is too obvious. 

I take it from you reply that when I start doing the poly, the mask itself wouldn't be enough and I really need to get some fresh air coming in. (Easy enough to do if I don't have to open the door all the way.)


----------



## Jr.Woodchuck (Nov 9, 2010)

Lowe's sells several different brands of respirators. I have an AOSafety that uses charcoal filters for vapors. A Respirator needs to be fitted to you to work correctly.


----------



## Doc7 (Aug 2, 2011)

Take it from me, using polyurethane in my house, I am getting a big headache when I wake up in the morning! Waiting out the hurricane so i don't do the last couple of coats until I can have every window in the house wide open for at least 24 hours after a coat


----------



## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

yes but make sure you turn any pilot lights off b4 spraying and way after you ventalate. that one will work fine.


----------



## anotherAlan (Aug 27, 2011)

FYI: The respirator worked like a champ. I had a window open with a fan blowing out, but still wore the respirator. I couldn't smell the poly at all while I was working on it. Took it off when I was finished before I went inside and the smell almost knocked me down. 

Thanks for the help folks and based on that experience, if you don't have a respirator, it's probably worth the relatively few bucks to get one. 

Cheers.


----------

