painting advice

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am a member of an organization that owns wooden panels we use for displaying art work at art shows. The design uses standard pegboard in 4 ft x 4 ft sheets screwed to a wooden frame, each panel can then be assembled to others to create a variety of layouts to support different size shows in different sized rooms, etc.

I am looking at some refurbishment and rebuilding of these panels, and one of the big thoughts is to repaint them from the current light cream/off white color to a light gray color. The idea is to be a more neutral color and to help them look cleaner. The current offwhite just ends up looking dingy.

Also to consider is the handling of the individual boards for transport and storage. This currently involved stacking them against each other in flat pairs, and then loading the pairs. Transport by necessity involves tying them against each other for security, so they get strapped under pressure. Loading in and out of a truck or trailer makes them susceptible to wear and tear, especially if the loaders are untrained volunteers. They tend to not care about rubbing the paint off and whatnot.

I am seeking advice on the best type of paint to use for durability against holding by hands, rubbing during transport, etc. Something that can stand up to tape would be a plus.

The current panels have used a latex type paint to speed drying and avoid fume issues. I am curious with regards to the type of finish, etc.

I did some price shopping and consulted with folks at Home Depot and Lowe’s.

The shows are for now indoor displays, and we have climate controlled storage for the most part. There was a brief stint in uncontrolled storage that gave some moisture damage, perhaps from humidity. That is part of what we are repairing.

Some concern was raised about the finish type, not wanting it to be too reflective to prevent bright spots detracting from the artwork. Flat/matte finish was suggested as best for that. But durability and wear suggests using a more glossy finish. Currently, paints come with at least three or four levels of finish, typically including flat, semi-gloss, and glossy. Some have a couple more levels like “eggshell”.

There was also suggestion of coating with something like polyurethane. Except I’m told that shouldn’t be used with latex paint, only oil-based paint. Polyacrylic is what should be used if anything, but it’s suggested that just use a glossier finish paint with the built in coat protection.

Also, what about varnish? Yes, no, maybe?

Advice and suggestions appreciated.

2

You can tint polyurethane to any color you want. Just go to a paint store and buy the tint you want. You’ll want to dump a bunch of poly into a larger container and tint an entire batch for uniformity. A paint store may even do it for you. Poly, like paint, comes in flat, matte, gloss, etc. Poly comes in both water and oil base.

You could also use something like spar varnish, but the dry time is longer and I don’t know if there is a water-based version.

3

I’m an artist, and I can say with all confidence that light gray is the color to go with. All my walls are that color, and I can hang anything on them, and all colors look great against that neutral light gray.

I’ve been using Behr paint from Home Depot. The color I’ve chosen is called Twilight Gray. My walls are Interior Flat, but you may want to go with a semi-gloss or eggshell. I’d put two coats on the panels, and touch them up if necessary, when damaged. If you stick with the same color, you shouldn’t need to repaint the entire panel, just the part that’s damaged. For extra protection, you may want to go with Exterior paint (same color), though I have no experience with that.

Behr has come out with a new line of premium paint. I don’t know in what respect it’s superior, but I do know it’s expensive.

4

This is one place where the difference between the big box stores and real stores becomes important.
I’m sure money is tight - which is why you do it once.

Find the local paint store with painter’s trucks all around it at 8:00 A.M. and ask them what coating to use.

And the heavy canvas dropcloths might be good for protecting the pieces.

5

I think any paint is going to is going to get scratched and marred if it is rubbing during transport. Have you considered installing heavy screw on bumperson the corners and maybe sides?

The idea of using dropcloths, moving blankets or even just foam or cardboard between the sections is goo too. I install lots of doors, cabinet parts, panels and trim that have been pre-painted. Wrapping them well for protection during transport is standard procedure.

6

If it is peg board you might consider alignment dowels when shipping and storing to avoid any slidng back and forth on each other.

7

Be sure to look at vids of proper application techniques. Brush marks and roller ridges will be more noticeable the higher sheen you choose.

Don’t let runs drip out the holes, either.
.

8

+1

Contractors I have dealt with all have differing opinions about most things but “Don’t buy Behr” is pretty universal.
An experienced painter and/or experienced paint shop employee can save you a huge amount of hassle in figuring out the right paint and technique.

You are looking for durability, but it is likely that Behr will take more coats to cover and will not wear as well as a name brand like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore, YMMV.

BTW, I prefer SW over BM because SW keeps your previous purchases (and custom colors) on file, while BM doesn’t. It’s kind of cool to be able to go back and say “You have that one I called Living Room? I bought it in 2012.” and they pull it up and make a can.

9

something could do is make separators or spacers.

cardboard, cut to the same size, placed between them before being strapped together.

use 1/4 inch plywood squares, maybe 12x12, as a spacer for corners. this square would have a right angle of 1x1 or 1x2 on each face. this would separate the panels and be an outside protection of the corners. put in place in the corners before strapping panels together.

10

Making things volunteer-proof is **seriously **difficult.

I’d paint the frames with semi-gloss as it will be marginally better at resisting grubby hands and is marginally easier to clean.

Protecting them against rubbing and banging together in transit is a major challenge. Is there any possibility in designating someone to be more or less permanently in charge of loading them and ensuring they’re properly wrapped ad secured for transit?

Another thought - paint the pegboard part gray, but leave the frames natural wood with an oil finish. (eg: Watco “Danish” oil) This won’t chip unless someone smashes the frames so hard that the wood is broken, and can be refreshed periodically with some steel wool and more oil.

11

The rubbing is mostly sides sliding against floor, truck floor, etc while being handled. Volunteers not realizing that friction = wear and scraping. Yes, we try to explain beforehand, but sometimes your volunteers are more volunteery than others. Bumpers are impractical as they would interfere with interconnection for shows. Placing layers between to reduce wear is an idea, but requires a lot more fiddling in the confines of the truck in the heat, or else prewrapping indoors. Again, lots of effort for the gain.

Interesting. It’s moot now. Paint’s been bought.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.