terrible smell removal

[waterflea]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question or not. If you think I would get a better response under another forum, please advise.
This is my problem. I am a cabinetmaker and I use a product called conversion varnish to seal and finish my cabinets. For the last year my finisher has been using the wrong ratio of catalyst to varnish. After the cabinets are finished, installed and being used they begin to off gas a terrible smell which seems to be the excess catalyst. Any suggestions on how to rid these kitchens of this ordor?
Thanks

[Kevin]

Sounds like a serious problem can you sand down the cabinets and reapply a new sealer and finish?

[monayuki]

Its the same thing as sanding and Refinishing hardwood floors. steps are sanding the Cabinets with a Fine grit sandpaper. Apply the Sealer Sand again and Apply the Stains as to your Choice of Color. The more you apply the stain the more Darker the Color it Gets. Now Oil Based Polyurethane doesnt require Catalyst. catalyst are only to Harden the Coats. Most Polyurethanes are Oil Based and if you apply them they bring Darker Finishes unlike Water Based Finishes which is Light in Color. Naturally these requires a week of process before Installation to let the Coats Cure and harden before Installation.

Below Are Charts and procedures Informations about Wood.

Below are listed the relative hardness for numerous wood species used in flooring. These ratings were done using the Janka Hardness Test. The higher the number the harder the wood. This should be used as a general guide when comparing various species of wood flooring. Ratings will vary from where and and when a tree was obtained. The plank construction and finish play an extremely important role in the durability and ease of maintenance of any wood floor.


WOOD SPECIES RATING
Douglas Fir 660
Southern Yellow Pine (shortleaf) 690
Southern Yellow Pine (longleaf) 870
Black Cherry 950
Teak 1000
Black Walnut 1010
Heart Pine 1225
Yellow Birch 1260
Red Oak (Northern) 1290
American Beech 1300
Ash 1320
White Oak 1360
Australian Cypress 1375
Hard maple 1450
Wenge 1620
African Pedauk 1725
Hickory 1820
Pecan 1820
Purpleheart 1860
Jarrah 1910
Merbau 1925
Santos Mahogany 2200
Mesquite 2345
Brazilian Cherry 2350

The days of having to wax and scrub your hardwood floors are pretty much gone forever. Manufacturers of pre-finished wood floors have developed sophisticated techniques to quickly apply hard, durable, urethane based finishes right at the factory. By using ultra violet lights the pre-finished wood planks can have several coats of urethane applied within a matter of a few minutes. This is helping make hardwood floors both more affordable, and much easier to maintain. Recently, the hardwood flooring manufacturers have begun to add small chips of Aluminum Oxide directly to the floor's finish which dramatically increases the life of the urethane finish.

Most factory finished hardwood floors have several coats of finish applied to the wood's surface. As example, some wood floors are applying 6-10 coats of a ultra-violet (UV) cured urethane over the stained wood finish layer.

The job-site urethane finishes have been improved dramatically as well and will add years of performance to your wood floors.

This does not mean you should wash your floor with a wet mop, but it does mean that these wood floors won't watermark like the old waxed, strip wood floors. The the UV cured urethane wood finishes are extremely durable and much more abrasion resistant than waxed floors.

Factory Pre-finished Hardwood Floors
Wood floors that have been factory finished before they are installed.
UV-cured – Factory finishes that are cured with Ultra Violet lights versus heat.

Polyurethane – A clear, tough and durable finish that is applied as a wear layer.

Acrylic-urethane – A slightly different chemical make up than Polyurethane with the same benefits.

Ceramic – Advanced technology that allows the use of space-age ceramics to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer. See Award Hardwood Floors WearMax finish.

Aluminum Oxide – Added to the urethane finish for increased abrasion resistance of the wear layer, which is becoming extremely popular on the better grade wood floors.

Acrylic Impregnated – Acrylic monomers are injected into the cell structure of the wood to give increased hardness and then finished with a wear layer over the wood.

Note: With factory finished wood floors chances are your pre-finished wood trims and molding will not match your floor, rather they will be color cooordinated.

Job-site Finished Hardwood Flooring
Wood floor is installed, stained and finished at the job-site
Job-site finish means you start with a bare (unfinished) hardwood floor and than the floor is sanded, stained, and finished in the home. If you want a custom stained hardwood floor, or a wood floor to match existing trim than a job-site finish is your answer. The other advantage of a job-site finish is if you are concerned with uneven heights between planks, the sanding process will smooth out the floor.

Water Based Urethane – Water is used as part of the chemical make up of the polyurethane finish.

Solvent Based Urethane – Oil is used as part of the chemical make up of the polyurethane finish.

Moisture Cured Urethane – A similar chemical make up as solvent based urethanes but, this finish needs the humidity (moisture) in the air to cure.

Note: Although contractors doing job-site installations go to extremes to prevent dust, some dust will work it's way into other areas of the home.


These are Similar to Cabinets as they are mostly same in samae category. If you need more info just post.

[waterflea]

I've used one kitchen as a test kitchen. I've wiped it down with a few things with no luck at diminishing the smell. I sanded it and re sprayed it and it was a little better but not 100%. I remember hearing about something that cleaning companies use when they have to remove strong odors like smoke or maybe rotten food.