painting questions

[Alan Turner]

I am not a painter, but need to paint a bit. I have made 3 cabinets, and each has applied flat panels of Baltic birch ply, 12 mm. I have already finished the carcases with shellac. They are of butternut. Now I need to paint the panels. They are loose at this point.

1. Can I seal the BB ply with shellac? Can I use this dewaxed shellac as the "primer" of sorts? Is this a bad approach? The principal color will be a light green.

2. I would like to add a boder to the panels of a different, and darker color. I think I should I paint the whole panel, and then add the border. Maybe an inch wide. I was wondering if I could apply the blue 3M tape, and use a cutting guage to get it dead on at 1", or whatever. Is this a good idea?

Spraying at this time of year is not an option for me. I will be brushing, which I hate but have no choice. The colors have been selected from an MAB chart.

Thanks for the help.

[tod evans]

allen, your approach sounds solid to me. zinzers bin primer is shellac with white pigments. be sure to sand out the primer untill you can`t feel any more grain....02 tod

[Joe Unni]

Alan,

I was in need of this info a while ago. After some research both online (here) and from a paint store, here is what worked worked very well for me...for the painting that is - I can't speak to the border.

- Surface prep
- Prime with Kilz - I know it sounds like a cheap solution, but you'll find that it sands like glass giving you a nice even surface to paint on.
- use very good quality oil-based paint, and brush or roll on (the foam hot dog rollers work really well - they just give a little bit different look.)

Don't get your paint at the big boxes, go to a paint store and use Sherman Williams, Benjamin Moore or California Paints. I didn't think it would matter too much, but when I upgraded the paint, the paint jobs improved dramatically.

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck,
-joe

[Steve Schoene]

Alan.

For the border I would use a fine line masking tape instead of the blue stuff. This is a semi-transparent plastic looking tape from 3-M. The crepe finish of the blue, which allows it to take curves also lets paint flow under the tape, not so with the fine line.

Your cutting gauge idea is interesting. I have never done that, but I have only been putting lines on a boat, and if anyone can get close enough to the boot stripe to see a small variation in the line they are worrying about the impending collision, not the paint.

You can tinker with the tape, delicately lifting and letting it shift small amounts before it is fully pressed down. You can, with a bit of practice get visually straight if not mechanically straight this way, if the cutting gauge doesn't work as well as it appears it could. Test first.

I'd give plenty of curing time for the underneath paint before adding the tape to avoid any chance of lifting paint when the tape is removed. Don't wait too long before removing the tape. Removal is easier and safer after the solvent has flashed off so it won't run any more, but before it is fully hardened--ie still just a bit tacky.

[Hal Flynt]

I agree with the fine line masking tape per Steve, and I want to mention a technique that I watched on DIY.

FWIW
After painting on the background color and letting it cure, mask with blue or green painters tape and emboss the edges. Then paint with the same background color over the tape. This way all those little seeps will be the same color as the background. After this is dry, paint your border color and peel off the masking tape revealing a crisp line. This works great on wall with latex paint, but I don’t know about oil and glossy.

[Phil Phelps]

I agree with the fine line masking tape per Steve, and I want to mention a technique that I watched on DIY.

FWIW
After painting on the background color and letting it cure, mask with blue or green painters tape and emboss the edges. Then paint with the same background color over the tape. This way all those little seeps will be the same color as the background. After this is dry, paint your border color and peel off the masking tape revealing a crisp line. This works great on wall with latex paint, but I don’t know about oil and glossy.

Depending on what surface you are on, masking tape can lift the surface. I have painted many designs on flat, sheetrock, walls. I use transfer tape sold at sign supply companies. This paper won't harm anything, but as you said, the secret is to paint the edge the same color as the wall and seal the edge. Sometimes the paint isn't available, so you use a colorless latex. If I'm striping a line or design on a hard surface, I mask it off using real masking tape and, using an exacto, I cut the design in. Then I either spray or brush the paint. Cutting the line ensures a perfect seal. I never use the edge of the tape for the leading edge.

[Phil Phelps]

[QUOTE=Alan Turner]I am not a painter, but need to paint a bit. I have made 3 cabinets, and each has applied flat panels of Baltic birch ply, 12 mm. I have already finished the carcases with shellac. They are of butternut. Now I need to paint the panels. They are loose at this point.

1. Can I seal the BB ply with shellac? Can I use this dewaxed shellac as the "primer" of sorts? Is this a bad approach? The principal color will be a light green.

2. I would like to add a boder to the panels of a different, and darker color. I think I should I paint the whole panel, and then add the border. Maybe an inch wide. I was wondering if I could apply the blue 3M tape, and use a cutting guage to get it dead on at 1", or whatever. Is this a good idea?

Spraying at this time of year is not an option for me. I will be brushing, which I hate but have no choice. The colors have been selected from an MAB chart.

Thanks for the help.[/QUOTE
I don't like to brush Kilz because it dries too fast. Benjamin Moore makes a wonderful alkyd base primer. It flows on well, fewer brush strokes, and dries fairly fast. I use Kilz or Bin pigmented shelack for hiding dark colors. All paints have their purpose.