Location

Choose a location to work on your wood project that won’t be extremely busy. The paws of curious pets and the fingers of your kids and their friends can accidentally leave prints on your finish.

Avoid areas that can be subject to dust. Select a spot where your wood project can be left undisturbed while the finish at each stage dries.

Temperature and humidity

All wood finishing products depend on evaporation during the drying process. Low air temperatures and high relative humidity slow evaporation and increase the length of time your wood project will remain tacky. Before starting your wood project, make sure the temperature will remain above 65° F and the humidity around 50% during both application and the drying process.

Ventilation

During the evaporation and drying process, products emit fumes that need to be dispersed. If you are working indoors, set up a simple two-fan system: one fan draws fresh air into the room, while the other blows fumes out of the room.