victim of my own success...wife on my neck

[Joef]

As some may recall...i killed last winter by building a "transom desk" for my office. Came out great...and i learned a thing or two about building furniture. Anyway...my wife , who was the lead skeptic in last year's project (especially when i started taping off my entire garage in preparation for spraying the Interlux 2 part paints) has decided that if i was good enough to build that 'stupid desk' (which secretly she really likes) then i certainly could build some furniture for our daughter's bed room.

...and while i'm generally against any project that does not somehow involve boats, i thought this might be a good way to kill this coming winter. So i've sketched out some designs and have a plan. My wife says she wants the furnture to match the crib - which has a white laquer finish. I tried to find some infomration on how to finish furniture with white laquer - and i learned that this stuff has all sorts of bad chemicals in it - which means more "garage prep time" ...and then i thought - if i'm gonna go through all the trouble, why not just use some awlgrip with some flattener for a satin finish? The dresser will come out stain-proof, water proof, UV resistant (ultra violent resistant, not Uncle Vic resistant) and tough as nails.

...so - what do you guys think? Can i use awlgrip to finish a wooden dresser (assuming all the correct pre and priming)? Is that stuff toxic if a baby were to chew on it (i cannot imaging how a baby could bite the side of a dresser)

dumb idea? (about the paint, not tackling the project)

PS...i love the idea of paint - it means i can cover all my mistakes with epoxy and fair them out

Joe

[Buju]

It's some seroius overkill Joe, but other than the cost and amount of labor involved,I can't see any reason why not... well, other than if the wife wants it refinished in a few years. Not so easy to remove awlgrip products from wood.
If it were me, I'd buy a gallon of a alkyd primer/sealer (Kilz or Zinnser Cover Stain) a gallon of mineral spirits, and a gallon Sherwin Williams alkyd All Surface Enamel (ASE).
Get the wood finish-sanded down to 220 grit. Wipe with a rag saturated with spirits. Spray furniture with primer and allow to dry. Spray 1st coat of ASE, allow to dry. Lightly sand ASE with 320-300 grit, wipe clean and spray final coat.
It's a good, durable product...Very easy to apply... and your only looking at about $70 for you materials, as opposed to the Perfection, or Awlgrip. Could also go to the single component marine polyurethane, like Interlux Britesides. If used in conjunction with the correct primer (Prekote) it is very durable- as far as general residential applications go. Here's a staircase I finished with Britesides on the vert. surfaces and spindles, stain & varnish on the oak. Still lookin good 2 1/2 years later. I'd venture to say the staircase gets more abuse than the baby furniture will.