For some reason, that no one seems to be able to answer, the majority of clients assume that by asking for two pack, they are also asking for a top quality application of that product.
In
discussions with your applicator there must be a distinction made between the
product of “two pack” and the manner in which it is applied. Asking for your
joinery to be sprayed with two pack is only committing the applicator to using
a set product, you are not asking them to apply it in a perfect blemish free finish.
Two packs
are a type of lacquer that require the addition of a second chemical to start
the curing process. Where a single pack lacquer will dry via the evaporation of
the thinning agent, two pack will stay uncured for days, weeks, months, or even
years unless the curing chemical is added into it prior to application. Two
packs come in various forms and varieties but essentially they all cure via the
same process of mixing two products together prior to application. The
advantage of two packs in general terms is they tend to be harder wearing
surfaces and you can also create far glossier and higher build finishes.
No
different from having your house painted or having your car repainted the use
of any type of coating does not ensure a good quality finish is achieved. You
can purchase a quick cheap job from a house painter or an expensive job. Whilst
both tradesmen may use the same type of paint whether they apply two coats or
four coats, and whether they sand between coats or not will determine the final
finish you receive. Two pack applications are exactly the same.
To
achieve a perfect mirror finish on your joinery requires a great deal of
preparatory work by the applicator. Ensuring the substrate is perfectly flat
and all defects are filled is the first step. Applying sufficient undercoat to
have a good build of lacquer on the surface is important. Some two pack
undercoats won’t hold up a full gloss finish as well as others, and tend to
sink back slightly so this is also an important decision for the painter. Next
the undercoats need to be sanded to a fine flat finish using 400 – 600 grit
sandpaper thus achieving a dead flat blemish free surface.
After all
preparation work is completed the top coats are chosen and applied. Some top
coats will create a higher gloss level than others and even the choice of
hardener and thinner can alter the gloss level. Some top coats will have a
higher build than others and some will sink back more so than others. Your
applicator will need to be across all these idiosyncrasies.
Applying
the final top coat is the most important aspect of achieving a top quality
mirror finish. Many tradesmen can spray two pack but fewer can spray it
perfectly flat and blemish free. Getting the lacquer to flow correctly,
altering the hardener or thinners to allow for heat or humidity, spraying in a
perfectly dust free environment and being familiar with correct air flow rates
and spray gun air cap sizes all affect the outcome for the painter.
Many joiners will simply ask one question of their
applicator, can you spray my work with two pack? Of course the answer will be
yes. The question needs to be rephrased to; Can you give me a perfect flat
mirror finish using two pack? Now the answer may be quite different
Of course there is a market for all different application
styles of two pack lacquer. A quick cheap job may be perfectly acceptable and
your applicator may just apply a thin undercoat and one quick top coat. Perhaps
your client wants the benefit of hard wearing two pack lacquer but doesn’t need
a perfect mirror finish. This is quite acceptable and is becoming more and more
the norm, but when your client requires a perfect, blemish free, dead flat
mirror finish, then your choice of applicator becomes very important and your
request to them is not, can you spray two pack? But, can you spray two pack
lacquer to achieve a perfect finish?
Two pack is nothing more than a high build hard wearing
lacquer. Whether you spend the time and
money on getting it applied in a perfect fashion or go for a more economical
finish is ultimately up to you as the paying customer. Asking the correct questions will sort out the better
quality applicators from the lesser quality applicators. Perhaps your
spray painter will offer a number of alternative application systems as we do
at Simmonds Polishing, or perhaps they prefer to offer only one style of
application. To avoid disappointment for yourself and especially for your
client the number one aspect to discuss is what the final finish is going to look
like. Just because a spray painter says he will spray your joinery in two pack
that doesn’t give any indication of how it will look when installed into your
client’s premises. Years ago two pack tended to mean quality application of the
lacquer, today it simply means the painter will use a specific type of lacquer
and nothing more.
