Hi! I’m visiting from over at Cook’s Talk. I have a question that is weakly related to woodworking, and I was wondering if could get some advice from you folks. I’ve inherited an unfinished pine desk from the previous residents of my apartment. It’s in pretty good shape, practically brand new, but it is ugly-looking wood. I would like to paint it, and give it as smooth a finish as I can. (I don’t care that it be glossy; just very smooth to the touch.)
I have attempted this sort of thing before, but the resulting surfaces ended up with an uneven finish, and even after years, they remained sticky to the touch. This persistent stickiness was a problem. For example, I once rested a folded newspaper on such a surface, and then later I placed a stack of books over the newspaper for a few hours. The result of this was that the newspaper ended up sticking to the painted surface, and was a pain to get off.
I suppose that the stickiness problem may be solved with the right choice of paint. I remember that at the time I bought paint that was recommended for finishing wood. It was probably fine for finishing windows and mouldings, but not for finishing horizontal use surfaces such as tabletops and countertops. I would appreciate any suggestions.
As for the evenness of the finish, in my previous attempts I simply applied several coats of paint, using a brush, and sanding with fine sandpaper or steel wool between coats. Is there anything else I should be doing, either instead of or in addition to this?
Thanks in advance!
Irv
Replies
Since you specified that the desk is unfinished, I would give it a light sanding, then use a tack cloth or mineral spirits to wipe it down. Get Zinsser Shellac in a spray aerosol at your hardware store and give it a couple of coats, followed by another light sanding and cleaning. (You'll likely need two cans, depending on the size of the desk.) This will seal with wood and prepare the surface for the final finish. Since you probably don't have a sprayer, I would also suggest spraying the finish coats with Krylon aerosol in a color of your choice. Dries quickly and is pretty easy to do. Just keep the can moving at all times, and don't try to get too much on at a time. Two or three coats should be fine. I've done utility cabinets this way, and they look quite good.
Good luck. Send us photos of before and after!
Bert
If you weren't happy with the way the brushed on paint leveled out, my guess is that it needed thinning. Paint labels usually tell you what thinner to use and how much you can use. Don't add the maximum all at one time.
Were your previous unhappy experiences with latex paint? I've seen advice on this forum not to paint bookshelves with latex paint because it takes a long time to get really hard. Oil based paint dries much faster.
If you use a high quality paint and build up enough thickness, you can rub it out just like you would a clear finish, and end up with a surface that's as smooth as you want to make it. The current issue of FWW has an article on rubbing out, or you can search the archives here (use the Advanced Search button) or the magazine index at the FWW home page for rubbing out.
Yes and no. Latex dries faster than oil but it never hardens as well as oil base does. I highly recommend oil base paint properly thinned. This will self-level better than water base. Lightly scuff sand (approx 120 grit) between coats to aid in getting a flat surface. Allow a couple of days before sanding to allow the paint to harden. It sands much better when hard. Pour your paint through a filter (at least the last coat) to prevent any crud from spoiling the finish. Many paint manufacturers tell you not to thin the paint. This is just something they say to keep the govt. happy (reduces the volatility of the product). The paint must not be too thick or it will not flow well.
After about 30 days, the finish will be near fully hardened (for practical purposes) and you should not have any problem with things sticking. A high quality oil base paint will also scrub clean better than latex.
Painting with oil base requires a bit more patience, but as with many things in life... good things come to those who wait.
Thank you all for the great advice. I don't remember whether I used a latex-based paint in my previous venture (this was a number of years ago), but I'll make sure to avoid it this time... Also, I never thought of thinning the paint before, but it makes a lot of sense.
Irv
A quick sanding to clean the surface is a good idea as other's have stated. If there are any sticky knots or pitch pockets clean them up as best you can with lacquer thinner and seal it with shellac. If it suites your needs and the style, say the "country" look then milk paint would be a good way to go. It dries and cures quickly and adheres tenaciously. It will be quite flat so for a nice satin sheen wipe on a thin coat of boiled linseed oil. Have fun with it.
John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
Hi Irv - I'm getting in a little late here, but I have an old 5 drawer chest that was given to me by someone who was going to throw it out. At some point in time in it's life someone had spraypainted it navy blue. I put 3 thin coats of latex white paint and another 4 coats of water-based polyurethane - sanding lightly between each and it has been an extremely durable non-sticky finish. I'm in the Memphis area where humidity is an issue and I'm not one to turn the air on early in the spring. In fact I have window air conditioner units and unless it's going to be in the 90s I generally turn them off when I go to work in the morning. I have gas heat in the winter. I'd guess that the spray paint "sealed" the chest, so that could be why I didn't have any problems with the paint hardening and haven't had any problems with stickiness. Just my 2c worth. Robin
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled