Paint problems

[John Reeves]

LOML wants a glossy black finish on a simple entertainment center. Solid pine that I built 25 years ago. Been in storage and she wants in our son's room. Will be used for books and possibly a TV if his grades get better. Open upper with doors on the lower section.

I brushed (no spray set up) on three layers of oil primer and have been sanding with ROS 220 grit. I am allowing 24 hours drying time between coats and before sanding. Can says 2 hours. I have sanded some between each coat. Paper loads up quickly and too often the paint rolls up exposing the wood. This is different then sanding through the paint. The rolled paint is soft like it was not dry or I melted it. When I looked this morning, reviewing last nights work, the rolled paint was harder like it had dried. This is paint that has been on a week or so for the early applications.

I used a 3" angled Purdy for the first application and then tried a cheap foam brush for the later applications. The foam brush gave me a smoother surface.

My plan is to apply glossy black enamel with a flow enhancer added. At least two layers.

1)Why am I getting so much build up or loading on the sand paper as I use the ROS?
2)What is happening with the rolled up areas? This is making life very difficult here.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[NZAPP1]

John
I have a few questions. What type of finish did the EC have before you started? How did you prep the EC before you applied the primer? Was the primer new or did you have it and if you had it how old was it?

 

[John Reeves]

The EC had a clear finish that I sanded mostly down to the wood to get the nicks and dings out. I filled some with wood filler. The primer was newly purchased. I do not remember what the old finish was so I assumed it was a Polly and used an oil based primer.

 

[NCPete]

what did you use for primer??? I have had good luck with Zinsser BIN shellac based primer, and good paint adhesion afterwards, rolled on
HTH:icon_thum

 

[skysharks]

I would look at the temperatures at which the project and the paint/primer is at during application and during drying.
I have run into similar problems if the liquid is not at the same temp as the work piece and everything is at or above 60 degrees during the drying cycle.
Oil based paint and primer takes time to set up and dry and is affected allot by temps during this process.
my .02

 

[John Reeves]

Pete,
I used an oil based primer I got from Lowe's. I tinted it Grey thinking that to black is better.

John,

I am working in my garage shop. The temperature does get lower at night but I heat it up a few hours before I start work. I do not have a way to measure the temperature of the wood or paint. The air is about 60%. The paint and wood is probably colder at least at first.

 

[Howard Acheson]

>> I used an oil based primer I got from Lowe's.

Is that a primer intended for virgin wood or does it say it can be used over other finishes.

When painting a previously finished surface, careful preparation is required. The surface needs to be cleaned of any contaminates and then scuff sanded for adhesion. I would almost always use a shellac based primer which will stick to almost everything and act as a barrier coat to any residual contamination. Zinsser BIN is a good choice. Do not build up lots of coats of primer. One lightly sanded when dry followed by another is plenty.

Always work in a area where the temperature will be no lower than 60-65 degrees for a couple of days. Oil based paint and clear coats dry and cure in two steps. The first step is the evaporation of the solvents. When the solvents evaporate the surface will be dry to the touch but still soft. The second and most important step is the curing by a reaction with oxygen. This reaction is heat dependent and if the temperature is too low the reaction will not occur and the paint, although dry to the touch, is not hard an fully adhered.

If your primer is peeling off, I would completely strip it and start over. It's the only way to be sure you will have durable finish.

 

[Gofor]

The problem is probably that the paint is not dry, as Howard said. Cold temps and/or high humidity can prevent oil based paint from ever fully curing hard. If it is peeling down to bare wood, you also may have a problem with surface contamination. Was Pledge or one of the other silicone based furniture polishes used on it in the past? If so, you may have difficulty getting all the silicone off of it, and no coating will adhere to the silicone. Sanding just drives it into the wood. If citrus cleaner was used on it, the citrus oils may have penetrated the wood and are preventing the drying.
If you have to strip it again, wipe it down good with MS and alcohol. Wipe on the solvent and wipe it off with a clean rag before it dries. This will get most of the contaminants off of it. Acetone will work to dissolve the contaminants, but will evaporate before you can wipe them up with the clean rag.
When you repaint, let each coat of primer dry hard to touch before applying the next. A light scuff between coats will give good adhesion. You should only need enough primer to hide the underlying wood. Additional coats are not beneficial unless you are using them as a filler to get a smoother surface.

JMTCW

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