Bookshelves...What Kind Of Paint?

[Derek Arita]

I'm building a set of book cases to be installed, kinda built in. Anyhow, I've only ever used clear finishes on my projects, so when the wife said she wants them painted a color, it threw me. I don't know what type of paint to use. I have a gravity feed, compressor type HVLP sprayer that I use for clears. For colors, all I know about is rattle-cans and latex...sad, huh. Don't know whether she wants a clean paint job or that used furniture type finish. Help, please!

[Matthew Hills]

I'm not an expert at painting, but I can recommend against latex paint (too soft for furniture).

I've done a couple of quick projects for my son with General Finishes milk paint.
It sprayed very well with an earlex HVLP sprayer. (*)
I know I added the General Finishes High Performance (water-based poly) as a topcoat
on at least one of the projects; I don't recall any more if I did it on all.

(*) -- but do watch the ambient temperature. Too cold or too hot can be a problem.
And one of my attempts to pretend the earlex was an airbrush and paint a fade wasn't entirely successful...

Of course, another option is to look up hydro dipping :-)

Matt

[scott vroom]

I've sprayed Benjamin Moore Advance with decent results after thinning 10-12%. When I lived in California I sprayed General Finishes White Enduro Poly (urethane-acrylic blend), tinted, on many cabinets with excellent results but it's pricey. I've got a color job coming up and I'm going to try Emtech EM6500 acrylic laquer....good reviews and much lower cost than GF Enduro. https://www.targetcoatings.com/product/emtech-em6500-wb-bright-white-pastel-lacquer/

[Paul F Franklin]

I've had good results with SW Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel on bookshelves. I have not tried spraying it, but it levels well when brushed and dries just slow enough to make keeping a wet edge possible. Just make sure you allow it to cure for at least a week before you load it up with books...longer is better. Sticker shock alert, however!

[Victor Robinson]

Scott, I’ll be interested to hear about your color EM6500 experience. Are you getting it tinted from Target or at a local shop?
I’ve not yet been brave enough to take a gallon to my Ben Moore dealer for tinting.

[scott vroom]

Scott, I’ll be interested to hear about your color EM6500 experience. Are you getting it tinted from Target or at a local shop?
I’ve not yet been brave enough to take a gallon to my Ben Moore dealer for tinting.

Victor, I'll be ordering it from Target...I live in a rural area with no dealers nearby.

[johnny means]

Modern latex paint will do just fine, with the added benefit of being easily refreshed. They make non blocking paints now, so that your things won't stick to the cabinets. A retarder like Flotreol goes a leng way to making a really smotth finish.
Another trick I've used is tinted shellac primer with a poly clear coat. The shellac sprays beautifully and sands really well for flawless finishes. Though i was limited in how deep a color I could get.
My absolute favorite, though, was water borne lacquer. It's easy to apply and clean up, plus has good durabilty in short time. Latexes can take a while to harden up real good.

[Jim Becker]

For "paint", you want a 100% acrylic to avoid the blocking issue. SW ProClassic is an example. BM Impervo Acrylic is another. BM advance, which is an emulsified alkyd in a water carrier is a good choice, too, but has a much longer full cure time. For "purpose built" finishes, EM6500 from Target Coatings is a great choice and they will tint it to any SW or BM color code you provide. I recently use it (tinted by Target) for our new upper kitchen cabinets and was totally pleased.

[Dan Hahr]

I used ML Campbell envirovar tinted to match my trim to paint the shelves in my pantry. It’s a conversion varnish and has held up very well even under stacks of canned food. The two recommended coats look great on poplar and it’s satin finish works great in the kitchen. It also dries and is stackable in 20 minutes or so.

I’ll never use latex, acrylic or not, for shelves of any kind.

Dan

[Edwin Santos]

Modern latex paint will do just fine, with the added benefit of being easily refreshed. They make non blocking paints now, so that your things won't stick to the cabinets. A retarder like Flotreol goes a leng way to making a really smotth finish.
Another trick I've used is tinted shellac primer with a poly clear coat. The shellac sprays beautifully and sands really well for flawless finishes. Though i was limited in how deep a color I could get.
My absolute favorite, though, was water borne lacquer. It's easy to apply and clean up, plus has good durabilty in short time. Latexes can take a while to harden up real good.

I think Acrylic paint would be the best answer, but I've used latex paint many times. I find when using latex, if I topcoat with water based polyurethane it will give it a hard coat which will prevent the soft stickiness of straight latex and give additional protection. Start with a good primer like BIN or just straight dewaxed shellac (Sealcoat).
Edwin

[Ted Phillips]

You might also look at Milk paint if you would like a more rustic appearance. Buy the powder and mix your own - don't bother with the canned stuff. It is easy and almost foolproof to apply. By itself, it is incredibly durable and has a matte finish. But you can top it with Oil, poly, shellac or any number of other top coats to give it a bit of sheen.

I've fallen in love with it over the past couple of years. Milk paint is also completely non-toxic and has no VOCs.

[Jim Becker]

Ted's suggestion is an interesting alternative.

One think, though...GF's "Milk Paint" isn't actually "Milk Paint". It's a matte finish acrylic which gives a similar look and can be top-coated for desired sheen and additional protection. I have one quart of it, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.

[Derek Arita]

Thank you! All, great suggestions that I'll have to look into, as I'm not familiar with lots of them. I have used milk paint, sanded for an aged look, then poly top coats. I'm just not sure what the wife wants, as usual...

[Jared Sankovich]

I prefer solvent based precat lacquer for anything "painted" before it's installed. Cheap, fast and durable.

Bm advance is nice if you need to brush some and spray some of the project. Cure time is wildly excessive and your brush skills need to be on point though.

[Jared Sankovich]

Ted's suggestion is an interesting alternative.

One think, though...GF's "Milk Paint" isn't actually "Milk Paint". It's a matte finish acrylic which gives a similar look and can be top-coated for desired sheen and additional protection. I have one quart of it, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
Its sprays well enough (once you thin its pudding like consistency out of the can.) It's brushes reasonably well and levels out OK.

[Jim Becker]

I prefer solvent based precat lacquer for anything "painted" before it's installed. Cheap, fast and durable. .

Most folks can't use this type of finish safely, however...

[Jared Sankovich]

Most folks can't use this type of finish safely, however...

True, however Its forgiving enough to be sprayed outside over a relatively wide range of temperatures. Assuming you are located in a semi rural area. If you have neighbors it's not really a option.