I'm planning on applying stain and polyurethane to some furniture I recently built. I've been thinking about getting a space heater for my uninsulated garage, both to help the poly cure, and for my own comfort while working.
What type of heater would be best? Electric? Kerosene? I'm not planning on having any ventilation, so how does that factor into things? A friend of mine mentioned that a radiant heater is most efficient for uninsulated spaces. Is this true?
UPDATE: I decided on an electric ceramic heater. I got this Bionaire ceramic tower heater at Lowe's for $40, and I'm pretty happy with how it performs:
It dropped into the low 20's last night, and I was comfortable in the garage with the door closed in just a t-shirt and undershirt. It heats up fast and even has an auto shut-off if it reaches the desired temperature. (Although I don't think it's got quite enough power to get the garage up to 70°F.) I'm pretty sure if I put on an old sweatshirt and cracked the door a foot or so for ventilation I'd be ok too. The rated power output for this heater is 1500W, but I had to open the box and look at the manual to find out – it wasn't written anywhere on the packaging.
I wouldn't go by power rating alone though – get some recommendations or read some reviews. I got this Optimus heater first for about half the price, and it claimed to have the same power output. However, you could barely feel the heat standing directly in front of it. It went right back to Lowe's.
Best Answer
If you're not going to have ventilation (which I'd reconsider .. stain and polyurethane are pretty stinky materials to use, a lil air might help you avoid a nasty headache and potential health issues from inadvertently huffing) an electric heater would be best. Kerosene heaters are going to produce additional fumes which is going to add to an already smelly situation. I'd go for an electric model and keep it as far away from the piece of furniture as you can. Here is a good page on electric heaters. I'd seriously consider having some sort of ventilation though just because of the odor and potential fumes if the stain and poly get warmer, they're likely to give off more fumes than if they're cold.