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Thread: Painting Plywood. Techniques and Types. Advice sought

  1. #1

    Painting Plywood. Techniques and Types. Advice sought

    Greetings All.

    I've been working on a project that was supposed to be a quick interim solution while I put together a more permanent(and pretty) one. I ended up seriously overengineering this, and I think a lot of that had to do with my being new to all of this, and not wanting it to fail.

    Backstory: We have a south facing bay window in our living-room with no shade, and a whole lotta asphalt outside. So the heat coming into that window is crazy. I've measured it on a day when it's 70 degrees outside, and the inside of the window is sitting at 89-90 degrees. It's not much better in the winter either. It has actually heated our old PVC miniblinds enough that they have serious sag. So I needed to construct some kind of sun blocker. We live in a Co-op housing complex, and we're not allowed to just put foil on our windows. My original quick fix was to get a large sheet of cardboard and paint the outside white, which is what I did, and that helped, but it looked just like what it was... cardboard painted white. Over time the heat started to cause the cardboard to flex, and a yellowing effect to occur. Not cool, and something that the other members of the co-op could complain about.

    So I started building something that would hopefully not flex or warp in the heat, and would do the job. Having never done this before I improvised, and constructed two "picture frames" that I sandwiched a sheet of 1/8" ply between. The bay window measures 61 1/2" by 45 1/4" so what I built was large, and ended up being too heavy for my wife to lift into the window casing (she's disabled).

    After dealing with that (ie cutting it in half) I had to paint it. I didn't do the research that I should have. I knew I wanted it white, and smooth so as to provide the best thermal reflectivity. I ended up using the Rust Oleum Painters touch Paint and Primer. I did a base coat in Flat white, and then followup coats in Gloss white. I did light sanding between coats (using 220 grit) and it seemed smooth, but the ply keeps soaking up the paint. So here's the question.

    I was thinking of spraying a coat of High Heat enamel (white) over the coats I already have, but am I wasting my time with that? Should I say heck with it, Spray it with BIN and then spray it with the Gloss (or enamel)? Or should I be applying the paint in a different way (sponge roller?) to get a smoother finish?

    The ply by the way is 1/8" mahogany underlayment with a poplar core. The frames are built from Basswood trim (I don't have a router or router table to make the frame pieces out of anything better).

    Any advice you folks have about the best way to go about getting a smooth glossy finish for this would be hugely appreciated!

    20210808_153452.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,599
    I would get some 1/4" Melamine and cut that to fit. Super durable and no finishing required.

    John

  3. #3
    Thank you John.

  4. #4
    Shawn,
    You didnt ask for a different idea, but here's one in case the painted plywood doesnt look the way you want it: Phifer SunTex. This is a dense weave window screen. It can be mounted in a frame. There are different colors, and different densities to manage how much light comes in. A buddy of mine in Florida used it and really liked the way it worked. And it looks waaaay better than that reflective stuff, so your coop may not object.

    Just another idea if this one doesnt pan out.

    Good luck,
    Fred
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 09-05-2021 at 4:10 PM.
    "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.”

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