DEI37

I am in the process of building an entertainment center from scratch. Meaning 2"x4"s and plywood...NOT particle board. I had initially thought of just spray painting it, but I'm seeing that isn't going to work so well, after spraying it with primer. It actually looks OK in primer. I know I'm going to end up using a roller and a brush on it, to get the paint even, and better coverage. Question is...what kind of paint is best on primed wood? It's pine, if I remember right. It's going to be a semi-gloss black. Thanks!

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MrFlux

I don't know a whole lot about paint... and I'm not sure if this is true or relevant at all but:

"We're gonna paint our wagon
We're gonna paint it fine
We're gonna use oil based paint
'Coz this wood is pine"

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Paradise Lost

I've never actually primed wood before, I usually just paint on it. Of course this usually
isn't super smooth oak plywood (which I'm assuming yours is.) I'm guessing it's like drywall
and any paint that works with primer would work here. Black would look spiffy.

Another suggestion: I personally would sand it all down, REALLY WELL, and then use
a wood finisher (can't remember what they're actually called) and a gloss finish. Makes
wood look BEAUTIFUL, especially if you're like me and douse the sucker in gloss.

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william

You make a point of saying you built the center of wood (not particle board), and you want to paint it? WTF is that? Real wood should never be painted (Why bother using using real wood?). Stain is an iffy, shellac or polyurethane is best.
Anyway - to answer your question, latex is easier to work with. The result is the same, w/o the hastle of dealing w/oil-based.

DEI37

Yeah, yeah, I thought about staining it, but then it's not me. It'd look too "nice" for my tastes. I like the satin black finish on stuff. I did sand it down nicely, already. I know when I build the computer desk, though, I'll probably cherry that. I've learned some lessons putting this together. Hindsight is 20/20, and maybe I should have stained this, but, it's too late for that now. It's 95% primed now. It's not oak...I don't think. Just a pine plywood and 2x4 wood. Thanks for the help and advice.

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Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

Suave

Here's a little ditty that helps me remember:

"gonna paint a wagon, gonna paint it fine, gonna use oil-based paint, cause the wood is piiiiiiiiiiiine!"

That probably didn't help at all, but I had to post it. I'm sorry.

MrFlux

Way ahead of ya, Suave

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flux (n.)
Medicine. The discharge of large quantities of fluid material from the body, especially the discharge of watery feces from the intestines.

Suave

Ahh screw you. That's what I get for not reading replies.

merkerguitars

When I worked for a cabinet company that made shelving for dentist's offices we sprayed it with primer and just used an spray enamel over the top of it. If you use a roller it won't look nice and smooth.

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tecoyah

I would recommend, as you have already used a spray primer, you go with an eggshell texture paint. In this way you will cover the grain of the wood (which is already pretty much history) and get a more modern end result.

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Fire

the following will not work now, as you have primed it already, but in the future, heres an uber durable black finish that is easy to maintain and reasonably cheap - take some kiwi brand black scuff cover, (not dye, not shoe polish) for shoes and apply- test a piece first to see if you like the look- it = a realy deep true black finish that sinks into the pores of the wood like a stain- and touchup is so damn easy

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fhqwhgads

*cringes at the thought of painting real wood*

I understand though. Quality wood is real expensive, especially when you're making something as large as an entertinment center. When I use pine to build things, I often paint them too. Latex paint will work just fine. After you're done priming, take a 220 grit sandpaper and knock off some of the sheen. Then, take a tack cloth and get all of the dust off the project. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting a good finish with a roller and brush, as long as you don't try to do the entire paint job in one coat. Use at least two coats, putting it on thin. When you try to cover it all in one coat, you tend to put it on thicker and get drips and brush strokes. Several thinner coats will give you a much smoother finish.

We want to see pictures when you're done.

mbaha

NO OIL, use latex and a mat will cover up mistakes more than a gloss, roller will look smoth and brush will have strokes in it
mbaha

Kalibah

I know you said painting wood, but if you wish to stain it

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=howT...c=howToLibrary


first half is about stripping old coats, but it really has some nice information on stains about midway through

kazoo

Labor is equal to apply crud, or use top shelf. Having been burnt with customer supplied bargain paint, I stick to the high-priced spread. That would be MAB, Benjamin-Moore, Muralo, or Pratt & Lambert. Yes, latex is easy to clean up and has no stinkiness, but for overall durability, I'd go with either an alkyd or a linseed-oil based paint.

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TheFu

I'd spray it. I know a guy who pained his cabinets with automobile paint and and sprayer. They looked so cool. High gloss, looked sweet. But I don't know what techniques were used. I painted my front door not too long ago with latex paint and a roller. Doesn't look so good. You can see the texture of the roller which doesn't really look that good on my particular style of door. I might try wetsanding to see if I can get rid of the texture, if that doesn;t work then I'll probably sand it down and take a jab at spraying it.

kazoo

Only some types of paint are friendly with wet sanding, and my experience is that latex isn't one of them. When you wet sand automotive lacquer, you're removing the orange peel and minor imperfections that exist in an air-dried finish. That leaves a surface which is smooth, but dull. The final gloss is achieved with hand or machine glazing/buffing. Factory applied finishes are blessed by heat in a controlled atmosphere, so the paint flows out very smoothly.

If you only have one or two doors to do, rent a small HVLP rig for the day. You may need to thin the paint to reach the viscosity the sprayer needs, and if so, apply multiple coats for proper film build. HVLP creates less overspray than a regular gun, and because the pressure is lower, the finish is smoother, with less bounce.

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terryjm16

I always use oil based primer and oil based paint. If you are going to brush it, use an additive called Penetrol. It really smooths the brush strokes. Oil based paint is more durable and is fade resistant. The only down side is that you need solvent to clean it up.