Painted Desktop?

[Jack Norfleet]

I am building a desk for my daughter's room and my wife wants the deskop painted to match the other furniture. The tops of the other furniture piecesare painted with semigloss latex paint but I am afraid that it won't be hard enough for a writing surface. The top is made from plywood edged with poplar.

Any suggestions for a durable paint that is hard enough for a writing surface?

[Betsy Yocum]

Jack - I'm not sure what paint would be more durable for a writing surface - but I would use an oil based paint as opposed to latex. In my opinion oil does a better job on bare wood than latex. As for writing surface - how about a good sturdy piece of glass as a desk top (over the wood)?

Betsy

[Norman Hitt]

I think that if I were going to paint the top, I would use MDF, banded with the poplar, for the top instead of the plywood, as it would give a harder more solid base under the paint. I would be afraid that the paint will not be hard enough to eliminate the problem of the soft plywood surface which could be indented easily from writing, etc..

Good Luck........Norm

[Bob Aquino]

I would use MDO, not MDF. MDO is a plywood with a paper surface, it is pretty hard and definately has more structure than MDF which is compressed sawdust. Stick with an oil based paint and the glass idea isnt bad either.

An alternative would be to find a laminate in a color similar to the color in question and use that. Then your substrate wouldn't be critical.

[Bob Powers]

I would recommend a gloss oil-based enamel, sanded and rubbed down just as you would any other fine finish. In my experience, smoother is better, whether you are considering appearance or wear. Using the gloss enamel enables you to rub/steel wool/whatever the final coat to match other surfaces in the room.

[Bob Hovde]

Staples and Office Depot have desktop protectors that make a good writing surface. I like the black plastic kind, but there are many types.

Bob