Paint Expert

[chris ma]

Folks,
I guess this thread may be more suitable on its own rather than in the useful tools and techniques.

I am asking for help from the forum to compile a table list for us DIY newbies in the interest of paint finishes.

Here are a list of keywords I encountered while researching the subject. And I always get confused and easily forget/mix up these words and usage.

Urethane
Turpentine
Varsol
Enamel
Mineral spirit
Varnish
Stain
Lacquer
Latex

For painting I think we need to know;
* oil based, water based, and what else?
* what cleaner, thinner to use
* what can mix with what or not to do?
* when to spray, use roller or brushing not recommended etc..

I think may be something like this to stick to the wall of my workshop will help ;

Paint______Oil/Water_____ Thinner to use____ Cleaner to use
Enamel______Oil__________ Urethane__________ Varsol


Regards,
Chris

[Schaef]

Let's see, with the list you have, the table will end up being quite large. Its hard to answer the question as its so vague and vast. Not to mention you cover more than just paints.

As for techniques, that can be summed up pretty easily.... Spray when you want a nice glass smooth finish, or multiple thin coats, or generally when you can.

Brush when you can't afford the spray equipment.

Roll, I wouldn't. Rolling goes on a wall, not on my speakers.

This is the opinion of someone who spends time building furniture, and would build my speakers to either be or blend in with furniture. But then again, spending anything short of a week on the finish alone, in my opinion, not up to par.

P.S. - If you're going for a list like that, you forgot two of my favorite finishes: shellac, and tung oil!

[Austin]

speaking of finishes, does anyone have recommendations for finishing a cabinet made out of Birch plywood? I was told that Birch does not take stain very evenly. Originally I had planned on making it a cherry type finish with a high gloss polyurethane. I think I am back to ground zero now and would like some suggestions for a good finish. The cabinet is appox. 2.5 cu. ft. It's a downfiring dual 10" subwoofer made to be a coffee table. Thanks for your help.

[chris ma]

Thanks Schaef,

I really just want a generalized list, the reason is that I am trying to experiment with making a piano black finish. I bought a can of grey primer, a can of gloss black paint, a can of clear gloss paint. When I open the grey primer, it seem too thick, so I was thinking I need to thin it a bit for easier to paint and better finish. But I did not know what can be used as thinner, I tempted to use water but common sense tell me water does not make sense in this case. So what I can use or best use as thinner for paint. The can of paint does not state whether it is water based or oil based paint.

My experiment is just a piece of MDF board 2 by 2 feet piece.
My goal is to have 2 layer of grey primer, 4 layers of black, and 4 layers of clear. Using 600 sand paper to sand each layer before apply next.

So is Urethanes, Varso and Turpentine can be used as one group of thinners, interchangeable?
Mineral spirit use as a thinner for Varnish?
This is the kind of question I want the chart to help remind myself when I am doing projects.

Chris

[vpharris]

All those questions are good ones, and although I usually get good results, I'm far from an expert. I have a book that I am quite sure will answer all those questions. It is perhaps the best "how-to" book I have ever seen. Bob Flexner "Understanding Wood Finishing, How to select and apply the right finish" Rodale Press $14.95 "price higher in Canada"

Maybe later I'll try to help more directly. Right now I should be raking my leaves before it rains.

[Ken L]

The only way I know to get a really good high gloss finish is with multiple coats of Laquer-

On a car, if you wet sand the coats and keep putting on layers you wind up with a very deep rich high gloss -

you can probably make some version of that work.

Ken

[Ken L]

woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Duplicating_a_black_lacquer_finish.html

Ken

[Kram]

Ok this might not be too applicable to finishing off wood but it might be of some use to someone. The finish this guy gets on his pc is quite good. Mine turned out ok too after following his instructions.

http://www.pc-workshop.net/articles/...int101-1.shtml

Kram

[peranders]

Originally posted by Schaef
Roll, I wouldn't. Rolling goes on a wall, not on my speakers.

Roller works very nicely if you have a roller with short hair (lacquer roller). The surface gets very smooth! Try it!

[PassFan]

I use that type of finish on the oak bases I build for my tube amps and have experimented a lot with primers and paints for that one.

1) Forget the grey primer. Every time I attempted to use it I wound up taking it back off.
2) Lacquer is the finish of choice. It dries quick and hard and can be sanded and reapplied quicker than oil or enamel. Ace Hardware has their own brand that has the perfect viscosity for what you want to do. You can buy different brands to find one that is thin enough.
3) Use multiple coats of a sandable sealer first. This seals and fills the grains in the wood and cuts down the number of times you will have to coat and sand with the black.
4) Sand smooth between every coat of black. It will take a while but you will see it start to come together. I usually start out with 320 grit and go to 400 and finally to 600. You will see all the grains and tiny scratches start to fade and the surface will get really glass like. Be very careful with moving them at this point because any chip or ding and back to the start you go.
5) Time is the key here as someone said previously. This is not going to happen in a day. I usually spend a week finishing a small oak base and have zillions of coats applied. It is either perfect or not, yes or no, there is no in between.
6) Always use a test scrap of wood to see how any fillers or primers or sealers will react to the finish paint. Some don,t play well with others and you don,t want this to happen on the cabinets you worked so hard on.

Good luck and have fun