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Lingering Odor in Enclosed Space
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor W: It won't help the ones that are already done, but in the future, use water based like Target USL. Are you sure that the fumes are from the lacquer and not formaldehyde from the plywood glue? From the original questioner: We had cabinets installed without countertops and carpet in one trailer and the eye burning was vicious. I am sure it is the pre-cat. We tested the waterborne and while it worked very well (from Gemini, not Target), they would not invest the extra 30 dollars per five to eliminate the problem. Guess it's not as big a deal as they make it out to be, or they would have switched to waterbased. As far as a lawsuit, you know how people are, and if they want to sue, they'll do it regardless. From contributor R: $30 versus vicious eye burning? I guess I'm being judgmental. From contributor W: I was thinking the very same thing. Since you said it, would it really take the whole 5 gallons to spray the inside of a trailer? Maybe you should invest in some more efficient spray equipment. From the original questioner: Never said anything about using five gallons to spray one trailer, just that it is purchased in fives. From contributor B: I think that the vigorous ventilation is the key. I don't think that off-gassing is eliminated inside closed trailers, thereby leaving the finish to take longer to cure. I don't know much about chemistry or physics of that, but I've seen inside drawers where, if I couldn't get ventilation, it would take forever to dry, even in 90% temps. From contributor W: So, if you are using a couple of gallons per trailer, the smell could be eliminated for $10. From contributor D: Just as contributor B advises, ventilate. That's it. Nothing needs washing down. Open the items to fresh air and place small fans in each. The movement of air will solve and eliminate your problem. You don't have to switch to waterborne to tackle this problem, although that's one answer. Switching to 2k polyurethane (Ilva Polimeri from Camger.com) will solve the problem much quicker than waterborne. Waterborne takes at least three weeks to reach full cure. 2K polyurethane takes a few hours and the smell is gone just as quickly. The cost of a sprayed gallon of 2k polyurethane is surprisingly cheap (maybe $30 a sprayed gallon when you factor in the hardener and reducer). The performance is superior to any pre-cat or waterborne. In your situation, your immediate fix lies in getting some moving air to flow over your surfaces. Your stuff needs to off-gas. And maybe one or two days of this is all it will take to get your odors manageable.
From contributor J: Adding a deodorant, like someone else suggested, is a way to hide the smell of leftover solvents, but burning of the eyes is probably caused by the free formaldehyde release when resin crosslinks. Air exchange is your only solution for this. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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