Painting dining table base

[Matt Wolterstorff]

I'm going to be making a new dining table that will have a natural Walnut top, but legs will be painted white or off white and I'm curious about opinions on a durable finish. I'll be applying with an airless sprayer. I was thinking lacquer, but am eager to hear suggestions from the forum. Thanks!

[John TenEyck]

BM's Advance is hard to beat. It should spray beautifully with an airless. It flows out into a beautiful, smooth film, and is very durable after it cures. It does take a really long time to dry and cure, however. If that's a problem, SW's ProClassic Acrylic is a very good choice, too, and dries in an hour or so. BM Advance is available in every color they offer, and SW ProClassic is available in quite a few. Target Coatings and General Finishes both make white poly products. I've used the GF White Poly and is very nice, indeed, just a lot more expensive than Advance and it's only available in white although you might be able to have it tinted at a local shop like SW's.

John

[Steve Eure]

PPg makes a lacquer in white that is flexible and durable. Its called Breakthrough. Their web site has a ton of info on the product. I've used the clear on a recent project, tinted the first two coats black and then finished with a clear. It turned out great. I used a hvlp gun and added about 5-10 water to the mix. Flowed nicely. One important thing I did not realize was that I needed to take the small filter out of the sprayer to get a good consistent flow. This product can also be applied with a brush or rag.

[John TenEyck]

Oh yeah, another option would be to use GF's Milk Paint and then topcoat it with HP Poly or Enduro Clear Poly. You can intermix the milk paints to get most any color needed and it should spray great with an airless. Not cheap, however.

John

[Andy Giddings]

Oh yeah, another option would be to use GF's Milk Paint and then topcoat it with HP Poly or Enduro Clear Poly. You can intermix the milk paints to get most any color needed and it should spray great with an airless. Not cheap, however.

John
This is what I've used on all of the cabinets I've built for the bathroom and bedroom - works very well and a little Milk Paint goes a long way (a quart should be plenty for the table base - unless it's huge) even though its quite thick. The paint is tough in its own right, but because it's matt, tends to mark easily (although the marks can be wiped off with a damp cloth). The Poly makes it maintenance free

[Matt Wolterstorff]

These are some great suggestions. I'm not concerned about dry time, so I would definitely consider the Benjamin Moore product John mentions. I'm intrigued by milk paint, but really know nothing about it and have never worked with it. Would I spray it all, or do multiple coats by hand and spray the poly? I'm going to be making some bathroom cabinets and will consider getting enough to apply the same finish on them. I made some walnut cabinets in the house I'm selling, and they turned out great, but we're leaning towards some more painted pieces in this new house. Thanks for all the help.

[Andy Giddings]

These are some great suggestions. I'm not concerned about dry time, so I would definitely consider the Benjamin Moore product John mentions. I'm intrigued by milk paint, but really know nothing about it and have never worked with it. Would I spray it all, or do multiple coats by hand and spray the poly? I'm going to be making some bathroom cabinets and will consider getting enough to apply the same finish on them. I made some walnut cabinets in the house I'm selling, and they turned out great, but we're leaning towards some more painted pieces in this new house. Thanks for all the help.
Matt, the Milk Paint from General Finishes is not a genuine casein base Milk Paint - just formulated to resemble that type of finish. It can be sprayed (might need to thin it) but also goes on very well with a foam brush. I generally use a foam brush for the paint (two coats is enough with a light sanding between) and spray two coats of satin poly (again with sanding in between). Painted finishes for cabinets seems to be the fashion these days IME.

General's site has a number of videos covering different finishing techniques (glaze etc) that are worth a view