Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Painted Finish Advice Wanted

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758

    Painted Finish Advice Wanted

    I'm making a chair of Hickory and plan to paint it.

    I will upholster the seat, back rest and armpads. Colors not yet chosen but the paint will be a bold primary color with the fabric more muted.

    High gloss will look best if it doesn't display tiny imperfections. The wood surface will be pretty good and since there are no flat surfaces maybe they won't be so evident.

    No spray equipment so brush applied or rattle can.

    So I'm looking for advice on a schedule, how many coats of what and any sanding between or after.

    Thanks in advance
    Tom

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    Tom, the last wood project I painted I used a good latex paint and thinned it with water. I used the first couple of coats to fill grain (sanding well in between), and then a few more coats to finish. Obviously, the higher the gloss, the more imperfections will show. I think I used satin, or maybe even eggshell...can’t remember. It turned out well. Thinning out the paint seemed to keep brush strokes to a bare minimum.

    I have to say I don’t envy you painting multiple coats on a chair...so maybe a rattle can is the way to go.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,648
    I would start by filling any obvious dents, gauges, etc. with Timbermate wood filler in a color that's close to your wood. Waterbased, it's wonderful stuff. Then I would apply a WB primer like SW's Wood and Wallboard Primer (or something like that), because it's thick and will go on easily with a brush and also sand easily w/o clogging your sandpaper. It may take two or three coats, sanded well in between, to fill all the defects, hard to say. For the colors I would consider GF's Milk Paint, which comes in all the primary colors and a whole bunch more. Goes on great with a brush and ends up brush mark free. For added durability you could topcoat it with GF's High Performance Poly.

    John

  4. #4
    I have had good luck using rattle can paint over 2 coats of dewaxed shellac. The paint lays down smooth and adheres well. I always run a test part using the specific rattlecan and wood first though. (This doesnt work under latex paint. DAMHIKT.)
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    For the colors I would consider GF's Milk Paint, which comes in all the primary colors and a whole bunch more. Goes on great with a brush and ends up brush mark free. For added durability you could topcoat it with GF's High Performance Poly.
    I agree with this recommendation. Despite the name, it's not traditional "milk paint; rather, it's a great acrylic that goes on easy, hides well and is quite durable. And as John noted, it's perfectly happy being top coated with clear if the additional protection is needed or you want a higher gloss sheen. (The GF Milk Paint only comes in a satin sheen as does alternatives, such as tinted Target Coatings EM6500) I recommend you avoid typical "latex" products from the 'borg for this kind of project unless your color is light enough that you can get a 100% acrylic like SW ProClassic or BM Impervo Acrylic.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    I'm making a chair of Hickory and plan to paint it.

    I will upholster the seat, back rest and armpads. Colors not yet chosen but the paint will be a bold primary color with the fabric more muted.

    High gloss will look best if it doesn't display tiny imperfections. The wood surface will be pretty good and since there are no flat surfaces maybe they won't be so evident.

    No spray equipment so brush applied or rattle can.

    So I'm looking for advice on a schedule, how many coats of what and any sanding between or after.

    Thanks in advance
    Tom
    I think you would get a better quality finish by brushing it. Rattle can paint dries so fast it's difficult not to get lap marks. If you use an oil based enamel the quality of the finish alone is worth the trouble. When brushing paint apply the paint as thin as you can with as few strokes as possible. The more you brush paint too much it causes more brush marks. The paint needs to be allowed to flow out before it sets up and over brushing it causes it to set up too fast.

    Always sand between coats even if the surface is smooth. It keeps the surface level and the scratches created by sanding aids the adhesion of the next coat.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Thanks guys, good advice right on point.

    Rattle can paint has given me mixed results, good finish but never drys very hard. Tried two types from Sherwin Williams. Maybe the lack of VOC in recent years is affecting results.

    Brushing usually works well for me so I'll probably go that way but the VOC thing may have similar effects on oil based enamel.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    The only oil based, brushed enamel I've used, for a couple of decades, is Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel. I use it on steps, and porch floors on museum houses. They get a fair amount of foot traffic, and need repainting after about 10 years. Even then, it is not popping, and peeling, but just worn down from wear of shoes walking on it.

    It does not hold well on the end grain, so that is painted with softer exterior paint-SW Emerald, in matching color.

    This was painted this past Summer, and the first recoat since 2009. It didn't get stripped, but just a light hand sanding on the worn areas. It's old type treated Pine that was air dried for years, with some type of exterior oil based primer, that I don't remember the details of.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Shoreline, CT
    Posts
    2,923
    Hickory has open pores of medium size. Painting without previously filling the pores will leave visible pits. The pores should fill fairly easily since the pores are much smaller than oak pores but not small and diffuse like maple.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Will sanding the first coat do it? On very open pores I have used plaster.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Shoreline, CT
    Posts
    2,923
    It might take another coat or two to get pore fully filled. I’d want to do a few test coats on scrap of your hickory to test whether sanding finish coats is enough or whether a pore filler would be more efficient. The

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •