Talked with a lacquer rep last week that changed my mind on pre-cat vs post-cat

He straight up told me pre-cat has a shelf life of like 6 months max once opened. I was keeping cans way longer than that. Said most finishers don't account for the chemical breakdown over time. How often do you guys actually replace your pre-cat inventory?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaiharris1mo ago

Funny you mention shelf life, my buddy runs a cabinet shop and he found a can of pre-cat from like 2018 in the back of his van last month, sprayed it anyway and it was all gritty and weird. Now he just writes the date in sharpie on the lid.

jessica_ross381mo ago

Wait did he say the shelf life actually starts once you open it, not the manufacture date like @kaiharris mentioned?

-1

emery191mo ago

Yeah that's pretty much how it works with most finishes. I read somewhere that the clock really starts ticking once air hits it, not when it was made.