Painting wood

[JimmyC]

Hey All,

I've got a question about painting a bookcase. I know, we should never paint wood, right? But my wife wants me to make small bookcases for my daughters rooms and wants them white to match their BR sets. I will be making them out of 3/4" ply and poplar. I was wondering what kind of paint (latex or oil) other people have tried and how it's worked out. I was going to use exterior latex ( supposedly tougher than interior) and figured that I'd ask what other people have tried. One of my biggest concerns is how tough of a finish it would be, with book getting dragged back and forth across it.

Thanks for your time.

Jimmy

[Canuck]

Mornin' Jimmy,

I would recommend a product called XIM Primer/Sealer/Bonder. I gave my bathroom cabinets two coats of primer then applied three coats of Sherwin Williams ProClassic satin enamel with a brush.

The cabinets came out looking pretty good and seem to be standing up well. I personally would highly recommend this type of schedule for a bookcase. (I have used latex on bookcases in the past, and the finish didn't seem to stand up with the books sliding in and out over the surface.)

Wayne

[Bas]

Definitely do not use "ordinary" latex. The books will stick to it. I discovered this the hard way.

I just finished a project using Sherwin Williams Pro Classic, which is 100% acrylic. It seems to have dried very well, there is a tiny bit of stickiness but it's only been a week. It's not cheap though. Brilliant white, easy to apply.

I would not worry too much about toughness. If you put on a good primer and two topcoats, it will last a long time. If you go with two coats of primer and three topcoats, it's likely to last forever. You could of course spray a clear coat on top of that, for extra protection. Make sure you use a good quality plywood, even though it's going to be painted. Ordinary construction grade plywood is soft, even BORG "sandyply" would be better for a bookcase. DAMHIKT.

I'm all for not using dangerous solvents, and protecting the environment, but oil-based paints still seem to do better when it comes to furniture. Something to keep in mind.

[jeff...]

Jimmy most store bought painted furniture is lacquer based - seal and sand like you normally would with a good sanding sealer - spray however many light coats of lacquer based gloss / satin white. Rub out in between coats like you would any other lacquer then if you want an extra layer of protection hit it with some clear gloss / satin lacquer. Think of the white as you would a toner (coat(s) in between the sealer and topcoat) only difference is it's not transparent. You can buy good "pre cat" lacquer and sealer from Mohawk it'll dry rock hard within a matter of a few hours. Well according to FredP a mater on seconds

Pre-Cat Sealer http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=572

Pre-Cat White http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=637

Pre-Cat - Clear http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=571

Or if you want rattle cans there are located here

Pre-Cat Sealer http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=440

Production White http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/item...60&itemNbr=313

Pre-Cat Clear http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=439

[Howard Acheson]

You don't want to use an exterior or interior latex wall paint. Both exhibit a problem called "blocking" where items left on the painted surface will stick to the surface.

If you want to use a waterborne paint using an interior enamel which will be much more durable and will not have the blocking problem. You can also use an interior acrylic paint which is even more durable.

[Bas]

That's the route I'm going next. Well, in 20 years or so, when I feel the urge again to hide the wood with pigmentation. Nothing more frustrating than topcoating something and having a bug fly into the finish 10 seconds after you've put it down to dry. At least with lacquer you can rub out the finish and get rid of the imperfections, with paint and poly you're out of luck.

[JimmyC]

Thanks All,
I think that I'm going to give Wayne's way a shot, it suits me best.

Bas, I always use good ply for any case work, thanks.

Jeff, I definitely will give your products a shot the next time I want something finished with a real smooth coat, thanks.

Jimmy

[gazzer]

For casework pieces that just have to be white, I've had good luck spraying Rustoleum oil-based enamel - (semi-gloss white), thinning with acetone.

-g

[woodguy1975]

Pigmented white lacquer is the way to go..

The bed I'm doing now is going to be white lacqured and rubbed out. You can get both WB and solvent based pigmented lacquer. I got Klingspore's to bring in a few cans of satin white for my project for a good price from Mohawk. I've used their lacquer for years with good results on everything from kitchen cabinetry to my rockers. SW is much more expensive. www.homesteadfinishing.com is a great source for WB products, but again it will be expensive.

SW and WB Lacquer run about $50 a gallon
Solvent based Mohawk pigmented lacquer is running about $25 a gallon

Thanks,

John

[JimD]

I like white tinted Resisthane. You have to prime with a white primer or use a lot of coats. I made 6 windows worth of plantation shutters and finished them with Resisthane. The first window was 3 or 4 coats of Resisthane. The rest were one coat of Kilz Total One on the poplar frame and two coats on the mdf louvers followed by 2 coats of Resisthane. Hood finishing sells Resisthane for about $30/gallon. It sprays easily and can also be brused on but it dries so quick that large projects can be an issue to finish by brush.

It is described as a pre-cat lacquer because that is what it most resembles. It is water based so cleanup is easy and inexpensive.

Jim