Personal recommendations for painted finish

Personal recommendations for painted finish · 08-30-2009, 10:50 PM

I will go on record as hating to paint wood projects but I have a customer that wants her computer stand finished in a satin black.It is poplar and I haven't painted raw wood in any form in a long time.I was gonna spray it with conversion varnish but it's not big enough to justify the $40+ per gallon cost so can anybody recommend from experience a product or process that will be durable as it will be in a hallway leading to the kitchen,lot of traffic, and I can get ahold of tomorrow.Thanx,Greg B.

Hank Knight · 09-18-2009, 03:36 PM

Milk paint is about as simple as it gets and it's tough as nails. Mix dry milk paint with water according to instructions. It's very forgiving, so the mixing proportions are not critical. Raise the grain of your project and sand with 220. Paint on 3 or 4 coats to get good solid coverage. It dries pretty fast, so you can usually put more than one coat in a 24 hour period. The first coat looks awful, so don't dismay. When the last coat is dry, sand lightly with 320 and burnish with a Scotch Bright pad. The milk paint will look dull and chalky at this point. Apply a coat of BLO and let it dry. The BLO kills the chalky look. Finish with an application of paste wax and buff. This brings out a nice satin finish that will withstand a lot af abuse. Black milk paint works great for a black satin finish using this method. I just finished a project with it and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Hank

OOPS: I just noticed that your post is over two weeks old. If you've already finsihed your project save this for future reference.

timf67 · 09-18-2009, 03:49 PM

+1 on the milk paint suggestion. I recently did a pine bookcase with it, then sanded the edges down to give it an aged/antique look

nelsone · 09-18-2009, 08:27 PM

Well Greg, I guess everyone overlooked your post. The painted finish must have scared everyone away! Have you already finished it? I used an oil based enamel on an entertainment stand I built for someone. As far as I know it stood up well to wear and tear, and it leveled nicely. Can't remember, but I think I went with Benjamin Moore.

Woodman2k · 09-18-2009, 10:08 PM

Well guys,the project is done and has been delivered.I ended up using waterbased enamel and while it drove me nuts the customer was very happy.I sprayed 2 coats of primer,then sprayed 2 coats of black and then rolled a light finish coat because it was drying before it leveled out.I could not find any retarder except for the guy in the Lowes paint department.

Hank,
I will keep your recommendation because I have another set of cabinets and they will be painted so thanx for the info.Is there a better brand of milk paint or is it all pretty much the same.
Well,Thanx to all who responded for the info and suggestions,
Greg

Hank Knight · 09-19-2009, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Woodman2k

Well guys,the project is done and has been delivered.I ended up using waterbased enamel and while it drove me nuts the customer was very happy.I sprayed 2 coats of primer,then sprayed 2 coats of black and then rolled a light finish coat because it was drying before it leveled out.I could not find any retarder except for the guy in the Lowes paint department.

Hank,
I will keep your recommendation because I have another set of cabinets and they will be painted so thanx for the info.Is there a better brand of milk paint or is it all pretty much the same.
Well,Thanx to all who responded for the info and suggestions,
Greg

Hi Greg,

Sorry we didn't get to you before you finished your preject, but it sounds like it turned out fine. As for what brand milk paint to use, I've used two and I can't tell much difference between them The first is The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company. It's the most widely available here in the States. The other is from Homestead House Paint Company in Toronto (very pleasant and easy to deal with folks). Both are dry powder products that you mix with water. I think I've seen recently some pre-mixed milk paint, but I've never used it and, frankly, probably won't because I'm used to the powder mix-your-own variety. Give it a try on yout next project and see how you like it.

Hank

pafekete · 10-07-2009, 05:40 PM

General makes a premixed milk paint that is real easy to use. I love using it. I have also used the target coatings water based poly over it. If you want the distressed look after light sanding on wear areas use a wood stain so the wear spots are not so light.