Recommended Finish On Top of Sherwin Williams Emerald Satin Paint

[Josh Baldwin]

Hey everyone so I'm wrapping up a bookshelf project tomorrow with 3 coats of Sherwin Williams Emerald Satin paint in a slate gray. I have a few questions:

1. Would you recommend any kind of top coat and if so which?
2. How long should I let the paint cure before applying a top coat?
3. Are there any other paints you might recommend for future projects with more of a built in protection?

I'm just wondering about these things as I'm not super confident the paint on it's own will hold up well with items being dragged across the surface frequently.

Also I'm spraying with an LVLP setup.

Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

For your next projects that are similar, consider using a paint that is non-blocking and durable, such as ProClassic or the Emerald Urethane enamel. That addresses your third question. :) BTW, 'non-blocking' means stuff you set on the shelves will not stick to the paint...that's a common issue with "normal" house paint and the real problem here. The Emerald satin paint you used is already pretty durable.

If you do top coat, let the paint have plenty of time to cure and settle.

The problem with top coating "regular" paint is that the paint is often softer than most clear finishes you might want to use. So while the top coat can be "more durable", sometimes it isn't because of what's under it over time. But if you want to top coat, you can use pretty much any waterborne clear you wish. However, it's best to avoid any product that purports to have a "warmer" color to emulate oil based products. Those will change the perceived color of your paint.

[Josh Baldwin]

For your next projects that are similar, consider using a paint that is non-blocking and durable, such as ProClassic or the Emerald Urethane enamel. That addresses your third question. :) BTW, 'non-blocking' means stuff you set on the shelves will not stick to the paint...that's a common issue with "normal" house paint and the real problem here. The Emerald satin paint you used is already pretty durable.

If you do top coat, let the paint have plenty of time to cure and settle.

The problem with top coating "regular" paint is that the paint is often softer than most clear finishes you might want to use. So while the top coat can be "more durable", sometimes it isn't because of what's under it over time. But if you want to top coat, you can use pretty much any waterborne clear you wish. However, it's best to avoid any product that purports to have a "warmer" color to emulate oil based products. Those will change the perceived color of your paint.

Hey Jim, sorry it is actually the Emerald Urethane Enamel. I just said Emerald to the guy and forgot to even specify which one. So you think should offer plenty of protection? How long should I let it cure before putting things on the shelves? Thanks as always for the help.

[Jim Becker]

The Emerald Urethane product is pretty darn durable...it's what I have on our front door "as we speak". I don't believe you need or want to top coat it...it's not a normal paint. It does take awhile to fully cure, however, because it's really more of an emulsified finish that uses water as a carrier, but has a slower, chemical cure to its height of durability. I have not used enough of it to tell you the expected full cure time, unfortunately.

[Adam Herman]

agree with Jim, no top coat, it really is great paint, if you can wait for it to cure. SW recommends 30 days to cure for hard use. I have had cure times vary wildly with humidity and temp with proclassic.

[John TenEyck]

Emerald Urethane dries quickly but cure is more like an OB product, so around 30 days. Great product once it does cure. I would not topcoat it but I would not choose it for a bookshelf project either. There are products that cure harder, faster, that are plenty enough durable for that application. Pigmented lacquer would be my first choice.

John

[Josh Baldwin]

Emerald Urethane dries quickly but cure is more like an OB product, so around 30 days. Great product once it does cure. I would not topcoat it but I would not choose it for a bookshelf project either. There are products that cure harder, faster, that are plenty enough durable for that application. Pigmented lacquer would be my first choice.

John

Hey John can you recommend any particular brands/products for future projects? Are any of them low VOC? Thanks

[John TenEyck]

Hey John can you recommend any particular brands/products for future projects? Are any of them low VOC? Thanks

Let me start by saying there's nothing wrong with using SW's ProClassic, as Jim recommended. If you let it cure for 5 to 7 days it's pretty hard and very durable. On to pigmented lacquer, Target Coatings EM-6500 is white but can be tinted to any color. Similarly, General Finishes White and Clear Poly can be tinted to most any color desired. And Lenmar makes a WB product called Duralaq WB, also available in clear and white that can be tinted to any color. Lenmar is available at Benjamin Moore. There also is Kem Aqua Plus white and clear, available at SW's as well as Sayerlack.

I've never used EM-6500, but I've sprayed a lot of GF's Clear and White Poly and quite a bit of Duralaq WB white. The GF and Duralaq products are really hard and can be top coated with the clear, if desired, though I've never thought it necessary. I've only sprayed a little KemAqua+ and it wasn't fun until I added some Extender to it. I've never sprayed their white product but someone here reported excellent results and on a book case project, too, IIRC.

If you want low VOC you might want to look at PPG's Breakthrough. It's supposed to have excellent performance. From what I've read from others the low VOC version is not nearly as friendly to use as the higher VOC version.

John