paint?

fashionfeverish

Has anyone got any experience of painting mahogany furniture and if so could they recommend a type of paint? I have a mahogany table and chairs which , while not my style is a good size and I think would look great painted a different colour.Would I need something non drip for an even surface perhaps? Anyone any thoughts? thanks moneysavers

danmurray

If it's real mahogany, first question I have to ask is are you sure you want to paint it? By this I mean like a gloss white.

If you stain it (i.e. with a woodstain) it will keep the richness of the wood and revitalise the colour. If the colour is fine, a clean satin woodstain; if you want to renew the colour then a coloured woodstain will do. Hickson Decor or Sadolin are the best - in my opinion. Ronseal is water based thus not as durable and not as accurate in the colour representation.
You can bleach the wood with a wood-bleaching agent to make the wood really light so you can change from a Mahogany to, say, Light Oak. It's easy enough to use; I know Rustin's do a Woodbleach.

However, if you really want to paint it you'll have to prime it all first. I personally wouldn't bother with the traditonal method of prime, undercoat then topcoat. Instead, use a primer/undercoat (an all in one jobby). If you can use Zinsser BIN primer, if not any brand will do (i.e. Crown's primer/undercoat). As for your topcoat, a oil-based satin or eggshell? Choice is yours there, but I'd recommend either Johnstone's Trade or Crown. Dulux is good enough, but you'll pay more for their retail stuff that what it's worth.

Sorry I've babbled on....
Good luck!

Atelier

The problem you are going to have is deciding what sort of finish you have. It could be french polish, oil, wax or a modern varnish. If I remember right then you need to test it first by rubbing with white spirits and test again with metholated spirits. If either of these two tests remove the finish them to do the job properly then you should remove all of the old finish before painting.

If the finish is a varnish or you just wish to get them painted and not worry about the longevity of the finish then give everything a good sand down before applying multiple layers of undercoat and whatever top coat you wish. Gloss or silk finish will make things wipeable but even if you choose something like the chalky farrow and ball paints you can still varnish over them to give a tough finish.

Hope this helps.

danmurray

With the risk of sounding a little haughty, you shoudn't varnish over paint. The varnish will never key properly to the gloss; this will become evident if there's a lot of traffic.

Gloss, Satin and Eggshell are all washable. If they're oil-based they'll all be durable and more knock-resistant that their water-based counterparts.

If you wish to add a clear protection, then use a proper clear coating - something you will only get at a Decorator's centre. The likes of Leyland Trade Clear Floor paint is ideal. It's tought, durable and is designed for such jobs.