Which finish attracts more bugs - lacquer or shellac?
Which finish attracts more bugs - lacquer or shellac?
The one you use.
With fast drying finishes like lacquer and shellac, you'll have the least issue with spraying outdoors. That said, it's still a risk and not just for bugs...nature of the beast, as it were...
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
FWIW - I have one of those picnic table screen houses. The screen house sets up over a set of saw horses as easily as over picnic table. Doesn't keep out every bug, but really cut's down on the volume.
This is my vote. Keep an eye on the wind - I actually set up a little tell tale - a light ribbon on a stick stuck in the ground - and spray accordingly. Bugs are the primary issue once you have the wind calculated and a roof over the drying area is the minimum of protection - screened sides are excellent. Also, set up in the shade if you can - beating sunlight is not your friend. Not a great idea in any case to have wooden doors or boards sitting in direct sunlight for any length of time.
"... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
WQJudge
Again,probably shouldn't post this but hey..........It has been observed.
Bugs come in waves.Take the time....say,a day or so before the,"big spray" to see if you can put "numbers"(AKA,time)on when they show up.Pretty simple really....just catch'm between rotations.
When I spray Shellac, it never fails to attract yellow jackets, from where, I have no idea. It's like it summons them or something. Of course, I describe the smell of shellac like rotting apples, so I'm not surprised.
One has to be weather wise when spraying outdoors. Check the current temp, humidity, wind direction and speed, and forecast. Get the right conditions and spraying outdoors is easy. I've learned that anything less than ideal is not worth the hassle. I always set up in the shade and have sprayed shellac and lacquer outdoors with excellent results.
For me, I find that spraying outside is best in the morning hours. During the summer (it is pretty dry in Utah) I like to get started by 8 a.m. I spray in a protected area on the west side of the house, so I have about four hours before the sun becomes an issue. I have learned, never spray in direct sunlight. Never. I can spray in the afternoon by moving the back of the house where there is shade, but I stop about an hour before the sun goes down. That is when the bugs come out around here, and the times I have pushed it resulted in sanding down and starting over.