Protecting Lacquered MDF Tops

Give lacquer finishes a little extra time to cure before trying to wrap and ship pieces. June 28, 2007

Question
Over the last year I have done more MDF countertops clear sprayed than I had ever dreamed of. My dilemma is transporting them without damage or defects in the conversion varnish, because they are so heavy. We have tried bubble wrap or foam pads but they leave a ghost image on the surface. Has anybody found a workable method of packaging/shipping?

Forum Responses
(Business and Management Forum)
From contributor W:
Are you transporting with them laying flat side instead of on edge? Your CV is not completely cured, so you're getting plasticizer migration from bubble wrap. Pressure from laying down on bubble wrap could be causing the problem. Could be... maybe not. Allowing CV to cure out a little more before transport might help.

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From contributor D:
I would have to agree with contributor W on this one. Lacquer takes about 30 days to reach its complete hardness. Don't rush it. Give it an extra day or two to cure.

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From contributor G:
That problem is called "printing" and many of the larger coating manufacturers have special coatings to avoid it. Check with your lacquer reps and see if there's something available that won't take so long before you can wrap and ship. You can also try letting the tops cure in a warm room. If you can get to over 100° F, curing will be quite rapid.

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The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor B:
This is a common problem with conversion varnishes that have not cured adequately. It is actually more of a term called "blocking". You can use a little faster catalyst, or you can supply more heat to make the CV crosslink properly. It varies from mfg. to mfg., but as a general rule you want between 120-130 degrees, for 10-30 minutes if you can get it. There are also additives you can add to make the surface "block" less as well.