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View Full Version : Painting a Custom Closet: Best Paint/Finish?



Brody Goodwine
11-30-2012, 1:15 PM
I want to apologize for asking up front. I know this info is out there and I'm having a little trouble assimilating it, so I'll ask directly. I read flexner's finishing book so I can talk shop on other finishes, but he really doesn't cover paints in much detail.

I'm building a custom closet system (birch ply with hard maple edging) to place on a wall of gorgeous reclaimed cedar from a demo'ed ceiling. I feel the best way to make the cedar pop is to paint the unit white like the other trim in the area.

My Questions:
- What is the best paint type to use for this project? The qualities I need are 1) wear resistance and 2) no "stickiness"
- 100% acrylic vs acrylic latex, and whose is best to roll?

I'd love to spray, but at this point I feel a low nap roller will be the plan. All I have are 2 hand me down HF guns, no booth, and a pancake compressor.

Rich Engelhardt
12-01-2012, 8:42 AM
Best?
Oil based enamel undercoat followed by (two coats of) an oil based semi gloss or gloss enamel, brushed, not rolled on.
Sand the enamel undercoat lightly prior to the top coat.
A small amount (10%) of Penetrol will help the oil based top coat flow out better.
Oil based can be rolled, but, you need a 3/16" nap mohair roller to get a real good smooth finish.
Some people swear by foam rollers for a smooth finish - I swear at them....personal preference/personal technique.

Rustoleum oil based is still available in most areas. It comes in gloss and semi gloss white.
Main drawback - other than cleanup - oil based white will eventually turn yellow. A drop of blue or black universal colorant will help a little toprevent the yellowing. A drop of vanilla extract will help mask the odor.

Option "B" would be a 100% acrylic.
Nearly every "name brand" - "latex" has gone over to a 100% acrylic formulation from what I'm seeing.
Benny Moore and Sherwin Williams are the two that get the most positive comments.

I'll be using Sherwin Williams Pro Classic 100% acrylic semi gloss, maybe brushed/maybe rolled on the closet divider (birch ply - with joint compound used on the exposed ply layers) that I made either today or tomorrow - or maybe Monday.
I'm only really using it because - A.) It was expensive @ about $20 for a quart. B.) I have a quart of it that I had to buy to paint a 12' long handrail - so - I have a lot of it left over.
Given the choice, I'd rather use Benny Moore Satin Impervo. It's a 100% acrylic (BM calls it a 100% acrylic latex) that won't block (that "stickiness you mention - it's called blocking).

The advantage of the 100% acrylic is that it will stay white. Water cleanup is also nice.

When rolling the acrylics, I prefer to roll an entire surface to get an even coat. then while it's still tacky, I "dress" the surface.
Dressing is running a semi dry roller lightly across the surface in one direction w/out overlapping.
It puts a very slight stipple finish on the acrylic.
I gave up trying to get a glass smooth finish w/any waterborne product years ago. IMHO, it's usually not worth the effort.
I just sort of accpeted the fact that waterbornes are prone to showing brush marks and roller marks and a difference in appearance between brushed and rolled.
Any more, I just go for a uniform finish.
YMMV there. I sort of like the slight stipple since it's like the finish on a lot of refrigerators & it seems to show less dirt, fingerperints and smudges.

HTH - and good luck!

P.S. I'll also be painting my project prior to assembly. I'm using all pocket screw construction except for the back - which is going to be bead board MDF nailed on - so I can get away with that.

I also have a quart of white oil based semi gloss Rustoleum which is nearly full. If the weather was warmer and I could paint it outside, I'd consider using that - but - it's 36 degrees right now and isn't going to be much above 40 today and tomorrow and Monday - which means it gets painted in the living room.
My wife is a patient sort - but - 3 or 4 days of a "project" in her living room doesn't fly real well.

Don Jarvie
12-08-2012, 7:58 PM
Benjamin Moore makes a new latex called advance which I would recommend for this type of project. When it's dry it looks like oil enamel. I used it on a medicine cabinet and it looked very good. Use a foam roller and it will look great.

Jim Becker
12-08-2012, 10:33 PM
Don, be sure that the new Benjamin Moore product is "non blocking"...otherwise, objects will stick to it over time. That's one of the reasons that the finishes that Rich mentioned are good for this application. The BM 100% acrylic Impervo and Sherwin Williams ProClassic are examples. Personally, I tend to use the same Target Coatings EM 6x00 products for this kind of application since they can be sprayed. I've never had good luck with spray application of the Impervo or ProClassic. I do use the latter for trim work in our home and like it a lot for brushing application.

John TenEyck
12-09-2012, 3:09 PM
I like SW's Pro Classic, too. It is a 100% acrylic latex that spreads nicely and cures very hard. It is non-blocking so stuff won't stick to it. And yes, I called it a latex because that's exactly what it is. Many people think latex mean wall paint, when all it really means is "polymer emulsion". Wall paint, 100% acrylic, etc., etc., doesn't matter, if it's a polymer emulsion it's a latex. For those who disagree, look it up, and check the label on SW's Pro Classic, too.

In any case, many of the new WB paints are very hard and color stable, the acrylics in particular. They are every bit as hard and durable as their oil based counterparts, a whole bunch easier to use, and have little smell or residual odor. IMO there's no reason to use oil based products anymore.

John

Sam Murdoch
12-09-2012, 4:43 PM
The huge downside to using oil based paints is the amount of drying time required and the fact that cleaning brushes and equipment must be done with solvents. (And in Maine oil based house paint is no longer available - must use very expensive marine paints.)

The huge upside to painting with oil paints is that there is no other paint product applied by hand that can equal the nice even flow and leveling of a good oil based paint. So I disagree John with your closing comment. I simply cannot get any hand applied acrylic latex to look as good regardless of technique or additives as I can with oil paints.

Having said all that I agree with John that in regards to the durability of the finish you can't fault good acrylic latex paints applied on their appropriate primers. I'm just careful what projects I use which type of paint because I prefer the look of an evenly flowed out oil paint.