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Furniture painting

Sailfish | Posted in General Discussion on December 14, 2004 04:55am

With the baby due soon, the wife made yet another request (bless her heart). I am now to refinish her baby bedroom suite for our little girl. Lucky for me, its in excellent shape. I’ve just about finished sanding. I had to remove all the paint from the tops (not a big deal actually) and the other surfaces I sanded the shiny finish off.

My question, she wants it white. I want it to last another 30 some years. What would be the best approach to complete the project? Sealant, paint type, sprayer, etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

http://members.fishingworks.com/bo444444/index.cfm
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  1. User avater
    hammer1 | Dec 14, 2004 06:03pm | #1

    30 years is a long time for a painted finish especially in a child's room. Ben Moore's oil base Satin Impervo would be one of my top choices, three light coats with a good brush. Oil's yellow slightly with age but they also flow together nicely and will give a porcelain like finish with good durability. Acrylics don't flow like oil and they are less forgiving with application techniques, that means runs, brush marks, etc. They really don't compare to oil in durability or touch.

    Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

  2. jackplane | Dec 14, 2004 06:06pm | #2

    Congrats!

    You'd want to use a shellac based primer like Kilz or other, and for durability, I'd use an oil topcoat from a good manufacturer like Kelly Moore,Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. The glossier the finish, the harder the finish. I'd use high gloss but you might prefer semi-gloss.

    Spraying the finish coat yields the best results.I've never seen a paint job that lasts 30 years; the service life of this coating depends on wear, and UV exposure.

    Edit- I have seen exterior paint hold up for 30 years, but that was when a rubber based paint was used.They are not now.

    1. User avater
      Sailfish | Dec 14, 2004 06:55pm | #3

      Thanks for the info so far!

       

      I was being somewhat facetious with the 30 year comment. Just want it to last as long as possible so "dad" ends up looking great, and mom loves me even more ;-)http://members.fishingworks.com/bo444444/index.cfm

      1. mlbfreestyle | Dec 14, 2004 08:06pm | #5

        I agree with the suggestion to use Benjamin Moore satin impervo.  Let me add a bit on the primer.  Specifically, you should try the Zinnser BIN shellac based primer.  This is not the same as KILZ.  The BIN will adhere as well or better than anything.  It wil dry very quickly and allow you to sand soon after.  Try using the 3M "Sandblaster" paper (150 grit).  You need a stearated paper such as this because the BIN will corn up regular paper.

        I put on two coats of bin, sanding between each to smooth it out and get a nice base for the top-coat.

        Follow up with two coats of the oil-base paint.  When I establish a good primer base, I don't need to sand between paint coats.

         

  3. DonK | Dec 14, 2004 07:40pm | #4

    YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER TOPCOATING YOUR PAINTED FINISH WITH A POLYURATHANE. I HAVE NOT DONE IT MYSELF, BUT INTEND TO ON SOME TRIM THAT I RECENTLY INSTALLED AT HOME. I WOULD ALSO CHECK WITH THE PAINT SUPPLIER FIRST TO ENSURE COMPATIBILITY. DON

    1. YesMaam27577 | Dec 14, 2004 11:15pm | #6

      Hammerlaw's comment about polyurethane is right on the mark. There are now ployurethane paints on the market. You may have to look a while, but they are out there.

      And ployurethane paint is almost as tough as the poly that's used on floors. The ones I've seen/used were gloss finish, and oil based. They flowed nicely, and left a great finish.

       

       Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.

      1. highfigh | Dec 15, 2004 07:09am | #7

        If you use the BINS primer, don't do it where there is a lot of air movement or any fire. It has alcohol in it and the fumes are pretty strong. If the air movement is excessive, it might dry faster than you want, but that means you can sand and recoat sooner than you thought, too.
        "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

    2. Piffin | Dec 15, 2004 07:21am | #8

      poly over white paint will yellow it 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

  4. TomT226 | Dec 15, 2004 02:47pm | #9

    Sherwin-Williams Pro-Classic 100% Acrylic Enamel & Pro-Classic primer.

    HVLP gun.

    Two coats of primer, thinned 20%, sanding the first.

    Three coats of enamel, thinned 20%.

    Good enough for kitchen cabs, good enough for kid's furniture. Doesn't yellow.

    'Nuff said.

     

    1. zendo | Dec 15, 2004 06:29pm | #10

      geez guys, why dont you use 2 part epoxy paint.  lol

       

      Oh and Piffin is right, if you use oil which you need if you use oil paint, and you shouldnt use water based because it wont be that solid.  Oil poly wont only be yellow but will also yellow more over time.

      Sherwin Williams just plain smells bad.

    2. masterofnon1 | Dec 15, 2004 08:46pm | #11

      Tom, you are the first to suggest thinning.

      I do very very little painting, but I am very very fussy and I just end up with more brush marks than I like.  Not a problem for me with baseboards, and in a recnet projet I was happy with my door trim.  But on some wide stair skirtboards, I just was not happy.  Am I doomed to go get an airless sprayer, for my pickiless, or is thinning an answer?

      1. zendo | Dec 15, 2004 09:06pm | #12

        Jack, thinning is a common practice for HVLP spraying, but if you are using latex paints you can add Flotrol or a similar product found at a paint store to thin the paint creating a more fluid batch and also they will extend the runtime.  These products are called paint conditioners, and can be added without breaking down the binder(glue) in the paint. Read the labels on each to evaluate properties against your intentions.

        Also, an airless isnt your answer, airless is good for big jobs but has a lot of overspray, HVLP may be though. lol -but.... was mentioned in a recent thread what happens when you have to touch up your HVLP work? Your brush touch up would look horrible near the spray areas.

        The best thing I can say is get a good quality brush and most of your strokes should disappear if you dont bear down to hard.

        Edit: I cant think of the name off hand but there are conditioners for oil paint as well.

        Edited 12/15/2004 1:09 pm ET by zendo

        1. masterofnon1 | Dec 15, 2004 10:17pm | #13

          HVLP?  High volume low presure?  Just a guess.

          1. zendo | Dec 16, 2004 01:24am | #14

            Right!  Has a turbine, or an air compressor so it is an 'air' rather than an airless. 

            Airless has a piston that fires and the paint actually is compressed from the bucket into the hose.  When the paint reaches the gun it is 'Atomized' (pushed through a tiny hole creating a mist ) generally about 015 of an inch.   On fine work the airless paint is atomized 2x.   The compressed paint is HVHP because it is anywhere from 1000-3600 psi.  Which by the way can blow paint under your skin.  Upside is that you can easily pump 1/2 gallon a minute, even though you probably wouldnt want to. 

            I believe an HVLP sprayer runs around 8-15 or so psi. They are the Gravity feed or canister sprayers you probably more often see, like an auto sprayer, with the paint container on the gun.  The air goes by the canister and draws the paint down its trail. The mist is adjusted like the end of a screw type garden nozzle or a spray bottle.

          2. TomT226 | Dec 16, 2004 02:35pm | #15

            Get a "conversion gun."  Lots of them on the market.  Make sure it's a pressure feed as thick products don't atomize well from a suction or gravity feed even with thinning.  Most require a compressor of at least 8.5 CFM @ 70 PSI, and use a tip pressure of 15-24 PSI with a cup pressure of 5-10 PSI.  Many needle and cap selections for different products.

            Check out the Asturo models at http://www.homesteadfinishing.com.

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