I’ve just built a shelving unit into my wall, made from raw ¾" plywood. It turned out quite nice but now I need to paint it to match the other wood accents in my living room (fireplace mantel, window sills, etc.)
Problem: Last time I painted the window sills, anything I sat on the sill for an extended period of time stuck to the paint. I did let the paint dry for several days, and I probably added an extra day past what the lable recommended just to be sure. Did I use the wrong paint? I just asked for Home Depot’s standard issue latex whatever, blended to the desired color. I used a non-glossy type for the plaster & drywall, and a glossy type of the same color (but darker by a few shades to give some character) for all the wood trim. Why is the paint on the wood trim peeling off so easily? I’ve got a large glass vase on the fireplace mantle and I haven’t moved it in years because I just know that if I pick it up, the paint is going to come up with it.
Some fairly heavy things are going to be on this shelf, since it’s going to serve mainly as my entertainment area. I want to make sure that I can sit my heavy amplifier there and not have it get bonded to the paint over time. Do I need to apply some kind of clear coat (varnish? Lacquer?) after I paint? Do I need to prime wood before painting it?
HELP!
Hi! If any of this is too basic, please forgive me.
To begin, you’ll want to fill any and all defects in the wood with wood putty. The vinyl ones work well and dry fairly fast. Once you’ve filled all the gaps, voids, dings and other “character” marks and the putty has dried, sand the wood up to 240 grit at least. In order to avoid forming small dips in the wood where you’ve sanded harder, you may wish to use a sanding block, e.g. block of wood, felt, or rubber that the sand paper is wrapped around.
Remove all of the dust with a vacuum and/or tack cloth. You’ll need to seal the wood next. There are many primers available today, but none are as easy to apply as shellac. The Bullseye variety available in the hardware store works well, though the most common variety is an orange color. You can use the shellac as is, or preferably, thin it out a little with some denatured alcohol (you’ll need the denatured alcohol to clean up after the shellac anyway). The thinned shellac is applied with a clean cloth and simply rubbed on. You’ll find that it dries almost immediately, so you can go over it a few times.
Once the shellac is fully dry, you’ll want to sand it lightly with 240 grit sand paper and your sanding block. Make sure to go easy to avoid sanding through the shellac.
Now you are ready for painting. And, unfortuneately, this is where I start to get fuzzy on the topic. If you have a well prepared surface, pretty much any paint, latex or oil, will work well. Just remember to use a good brush (nylon bristles for latex or natural bristles for oil paint) and paint the coats on thin, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly between coats. Two to three coats should do it.
Good luck, cause in my opinion, finishing a project is the most tedious part.
cj
/safety glasses and shop apron ON/
I agree with what cj says (welcome, btw!) wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, applying finish to a project can be the undoing of most woodworkers.
Two additional points, however.
Before beginning a project such as the one you’ve already built, make sure that the wood is dry (6-8% moisture level) and stable. By “stable”, I mean that the would should have had several days to sit in the environment where the item it’s to be made into will be used. This way, you can be sure of little seasonal movement of the wood fibres. But, you shouldn’t have to worry about wood movement with plywood anyway.
As for your windowsill, chances are that the wood may have been too moist for the paint to cure and adhere well. Your best bet to correct that problem would be to remove the sill, strip all the paint, allow it to dry a few days before refinishing it. And make sure to put a qood quality primer on the wood before painting it.
Some exotic hardwoods are very oily and will not allow any finish to adhere unless you take an extra step to prepare the wood surface by wiping it down with acetone to remove the surface oils, and then applying a sealer. However, your sill is probably made from white, yellow, or southern pine and won’t need this step.
/safety glasses and shop apron OFF/