Dan,

I have been following your finish experience with interest. So much so that I went out and researched Interlux Perfection, starting with asking a large yacht supply house in Seattle for their thoughts. Basically, their answer was use only with a fresh air system, a tyvek suit, either with a full face mask or a tyvek hood, and never in or near a dwelling. Ditto from the nearby autobody business. Odd that it does not give that kind of recommendation on the can.

The problem is the same with all two part urethane products that I have looked into, the highly toxic isocyanates that are produced during cure. The side effects can be very serious and are cumulative. Small exposures add up over time and are not reversible. Isocyanate fumes readily penetrate exposed skin and eye membranes and are not generally detectable to the human nose at levels that are toxic. So how does one know if the vapor cartridge in use is functioning properly? As far as I can tell there is only one cartridge (made by 3M) that is specifically approved for isocyanates. It's no wonder autobody shops require a license (Washington State) to use this type of product.

For the bulk of us garage builders I would think that Interlux Perfection and Dupont ChromaPremier would be either too hazardous to mess with or require so much equipment as to make it unreasonable. For me it would be better to hire a professional to put on this kind of finish and avoid all these issues.

Have I overblown the risks? Do I have the story right? This is what I know, but I would love to be proved wrong so I could use a better product.

Ted Henry