# Type of finish for a garage cabinet



## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

I am building a rolling garage cabinet for my dad, and I need some advice on how to finish it. The plans I'm following don't call for a finish, but I'm thinking it is definitely going to need some kind of sealer. It doesn't need to be weather proof, just durable enough so that gun oil and grease hand marks can be wiped off easily.

I want to try something a little bit different, and hopefully easier, than just poly. 

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/rolling-garage-cabinet-dad-pic-heavy-46822/

That is a link to my build thread in the Project Showcase


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I looked at the pictures. I want a work-top to be a work top, even if it's a sacrificial top with Arborite.
Make several tops/covers for different uses?
I ask for that because Hoppe's No9 powder solvent can and will penetrate to the depths of anything. Lithium gun grease just doesn't wipe off. . . . maybe why it's useful?
That would free up the rest of that beautiful build for any finish you eventually decide upon.

I'm a life-long bird hunter. Bunch of shotguns. They get both dirty and wet. Oh well. But, I strip and clean and lube them after every really messy hunt. I have a cradle to set a gun into but a whole bench?. . . . . I can only dream.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Robson Valley said:


> I looked at the pictures. I want a work-top to be a work top, even if it's a sacrificial top with Arborite.
> Make several tops/covers for different uses?
> I ask for that because Hoppe's No9 powder solvent can and will penetrate to the depths of anything. Lithium gun grease just doesn't wipe off. . . . maybe why it's useful?
> That would free up the rest of that beautiful build for any finish you eventually decide upon.
> ...


Thank you for your response. He has a workbench where he cleans his guns. I also built him a gun cradle for father's day using a hand screw clamp to hold the butt stock in place. This cabinet would strictly be to store his shotgun ammo, gun cleaning supplies, and misc. garage stuff. 

I'm glad you brought up how aggressive the Hoppe's No9 is because that is one of the solvents he uses the most. I guess I need to be looking at a much more resilient finish that will hold up better if some of these chemicals come in contact with it. Any ideas?


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Ah good. The cradle on the bench trumps dumping a bottle of No9 in your lap. 
For storage, I have a bunch of plastic tobacco cans with no lids. All the solvents, instant blueing stuff and greases sleep in those cans.
Even the dry supplies (Q-Tips, brushes, etc) have a home can. . . . hard to even accidentally tip over.

Your Dad would like my downstairs kitchen = whole house is completely finished. The drawers are for different shotgun shells (12, 20, steel & lead). The cupboards are for flats of trap loads.

Anyway. For whatever shelf the solvent bottles sit on, you either sacrifice the shelf or add some liner like a piece of Arborite countertop. That stuff has a habit of drooling when I least expect it, hence the cans.


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## bradnailer (Nov 11, 2008)

For all my cabinets, I just use a water based enamel paint I buy at a home center. I like it because it dries fast and is pretty durable.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I think you would have trouble with gun oil and grease staining latex paint. If it were me I would use an oil based enamel. Once cured oil and grease can be wiped off with mineral spirits if need be. Also the glossier the finish you use will repel stains better.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> I think you would have trouble with gun oil and grease staining latex paint. If it were me I would use an oil based enamel. Once cured oil and grease can be wiped off with mineral spirits if need be. Also the glossier the finish you use will repel stains better.


Could you recommend a brand of enamel? I don't have a lot of experience with oil based stuff. I don't even know the best method of application


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## bradnailer (Nov 11, 2008)

captainawesome said:


> Could you recommend a brand of enamel? I don't have a lot of experience with oil based stuff. I don't even know the best method of application


You can get Rustoleum Oil Based Enamel at most hardware stores or home centers. It's good stuff. I've used it before but just don't like the drying time and clean up mess.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

captainawesome said:


> Could you recommend a brand of enamel? I don't have a lot of experience with oil based stuff. I don't even know the best method of application


The Rustoleum enamel that Bradnailer recommended is pretty good and seems to dry faster than other enamels I have used. I can normally buy it at Walmart. I also use All Surface Enamel from Sherwin Williams. With either the best method of applying it is spraying but either can be brushed. If you apply it with a brush use a soft natural brush and apply each coat as thin as possible and don't overbrush it. The more you brush it the more brush marks will show. It's best to apply it and move on. The finish dries so slow it will blend together as it dries. If any thinning is needed use paint thinner for brushing and naphtha if you are spraying it. Thin as little as possible. Excess thinning screws up the sheen and I had the manager at Sherwin Williams tell me it ruins the integrity of the finish to over thin it.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

You all need to test your bench finishes with Hoppe's No9 Powder Solvent.
Very aggressive soup to spill on the bench. 
Imagine, it's like WD40 that actually works. It can and will soften the plastic blow-back in my Truchoke trap tubes.
George Trulock (GA), a man who can machine useful parts.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Robson Valley said:


> You all need to test your bench finishes with Hoppe's No9 Powder Solvent.
> Very aggressive soup to spill on the bench.
> Imagine, it's like WD40 that actually works. It can and will soften the plastic blow-back in my Truchoke trap tubes.
> George Trulock (GA), a man who can machine useful parts.


Back when I had guns I used the Hoppe's solvent on a bench that was painted with All Surface Enamel. I didn't have a problem with it. I just quickly wiped up any spill. I agree the Hoppe's solvent is pretty strong but if you don't ignore it and let it sit and soak it shouldn't hurt the paint. Anything including motor oil if spilled on paint should be wiped up as soon as possible.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

For a shop cabinet, or any cabinet for that matter, a waterbase polyurethane will work very well. You can buy Parks Pro Finisher at HD. It dries fast, designed for flooring, stays clear, and cleans up with water. 









 







.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

cabinetman said:


> For a shop cabinet, or any cabinet for that matter, a waterbase polyurethane will work very well. You can buy Parks Pro Finisher at HD. It dries fast, designed for flooring, stays clear, and cleans up with water.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you cabinetman. All of the Parks Pro Finisher I found on the HD website was oil-based, which I thought didn't clean up with water. I have some oil-based poly leftover from when I coated the stair treads I installed in our house a year ago. The finish has held up very well, and it makes sense to use a poly designed for floors on a shop cabinet like this. What is your preferred method of application? In the past, I think I used a foam brush, but that often produces bubbles in the finish.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

I am not a fan of poly varnishes. But, in this case, oil based poly is your best choice. It is the most resistant finish for anything that will be getting cleaning chemicals on it. Lacquer, shellac and waterborne finishes will all be damaged by the chemicals that will be used. Short of a two part finish, oil based poly varnish is the most durable and protective finish.


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