Have you heard of Monocoat?

[Leon]

I apply my finishes with a rag so this product looks promising.

I just learned about this from TableLegs.com

Apparently it has been available since the 60's but not here.

Good for floors and furniture.

Oil based and it?s nontoxic, honey-scented, has very low VOCs and is LEED certified.

It appears that it is a colorant and sealer all in one and only one coat is necessary. Apparently you cannot apply a second coat except to repair a scratch.

Apparently dries to the touch instantly and supposedly fool proof.

Application is quick.

Expensive BUT yield is approximately 4 time greater than the Old Masters products that I use now. If only one coat is needed that could equate into a considerable reduction in labor time.

Into information

Where I saw it first.

Has any one seen or used this? Apparently the manufacturer will send a free sample.

[nailshooter41]

That would be my first step. I have never heard of that finish myself and thought I needed to nose around and see if that was something I needed to c heck out. It seems it is used mostly for flooring and large projects, and opinions vary pretty widely. I have no valid opinion myself as I said, I h aven't heard of their products. But...

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Always looking for new finishes, always... I read a lot more than those and it seems that everyone regards this product as primarily a flooring produc t.

While I assume you would be putting it on furniture, if you had something e lse in mind it might be worth a look. Note that most people that talk abou t application are talking about using an commercial buffer and pad to apply this product, so it might not be "rag" friendly.

Other sites I went to mentioned its lack of abrasion resistance a great dea l. The offsetting factor is that some find it easy to repair.

Personally, I think you do a great job with your own system in final projec t appearance, and you seem to be able to replicate the results you like wit h little problem at this point. Repeatable, predictable, reliable results f rom a product are a finisher's dream. Even though I am not a wipe on guy, your stuff always looks absolutely top notch. I have a tendency to "learn" a product and stick with it.

Besides, I can't see you running a commercial sized floor buffer over your nightstands to apply that stuff. :^)

Robert

[Leon]

I'll check those sites out Robert. Thanks.

Here are a few things I noticed. The product is also sold with out the activator. Apparently the activator cut cure time from 21 to 7 days. I saw a demo where the surface was scratched with a key and it did not appear to take much effort. But having said that the scratch appeared to be made quickly after initial application. Perhaps curing increases abrasion resistance..

What I'm using is truly working but I apply a minimum of 3-4 coats with a day of dry time between each coat. If one coat is all that is needed with monocoat that would speed production immensely. And on my projects I almost always apply finishes at stages during assembly so multiply those stages times 3-4 days. Finishing almost requires as much time as building.

I did see some videos on YouTube showing the product being applied by a rag in hand on smallish table tops. But like you said, it appears to be aimed more at the flooring industry.

There is a flooring store in Houston that carries the product, I might check them out or order a couple of samples. The fact that the product has to be buffed might be the reason it is better suited for larger flat surfaces. But then again that is why I apply finish in stages, so that I do not have to deal with tight inside corners of assembled pieces.

[dadiOH]

Their site says it is a plant oil. There are only so many plant oils that dry; wood-wise, linseed and tung but there are others such as poppy, walnut, sunflower and safflower oil.

One site I read says that monocoat is linseed oil. Not BLO, certainly, it dries faster; no idea how long raw linseed oil takes but I would guess in the range of weeks to months.

The monocoat site also says that it dries matte (more or less) and that it can't be applied to an already treated surface. To me, that sounds a lot like tung oil even though it can be applied in multiple coats (just doesn't sink in).

I'm really just sort of mind doodling here. I tend to be suspicious of Newest & Greatest things, gotten into trouble at various times by using them instead of "tried & true". Regardless of what the plant oil is, or what is done to modify it, the price they are asking seems horrendous to me. I'm kinda with Robert...if what you do now works for you, use it. I guess a frere sample can't hurt though, maybe have a qualitative analysis run on it :)

[Leon]

Apparently cures in 7~21 days depending on whether you use an accelerator.

I had been using a gel varnish with linseed oil and it would dry in as little as 4 hours and ready for the next coat.

Apparently latest and greatest here. The product has been available for

50 or so years I think.

I'm probably going to give it a try and see what's what. Very expensive but coverage seems to be 4 times greater than what I am currently using. AND if it is tough enough for floors with one coat it certainly would save me time with finishing furniture. And again, this would be used for pieces I am selling so time savings equates to $$$ saved/increased production.