Vent: My whole week got wrecked by a bad batch of lacquer

Just finished a big table for a client in Springfield, and the top coat went cloudy overnight. It was a fresh gallon of the usual brand, but it must have been a bad mix. I had to sand the whole thing back down, which took two full days. Has anyone else had this happen with a new can before?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.max1mo ago

Ever wonder if the humidity just decides to mess with you on purpose? I had a can of clear coat do something similar last fall, not cloudy but it stayed tacky for days like it forgot how to dry. Turns out I left it in the garage overnight when it got cold, and that was enough to ruin it (the can was new too). Now I'm paranoid and bring all my finishes inside the house overnight, no matter what.

jamierodriguez1mo ago

That's a solid plan from @park.max, because temperature swings seem to mess with chemistry way more than the labels warn you about. I've ruined a few projects by assuming "room temp" meant my chilly basement. Now my paint cans live in the house like pampered guests, no exceptions.

cooper.nathan3d ago

Watch paint cans get treated better than most houseplants these days... my wife saw my primer on the kitchen counter and asked if it needed its own blanket. Honestly, after losing a whole gallon to a garage shelf in December, I'm not taking any chances either. These products have the shelf life of a ripe banana if you look at them wrong. My garage is basically a finish graveyard now, all because I trusted a "cool, dry place" once.