Dumb painting question

PixieFace

I've recently made some bookeshelves from MDF and varnished it with 7 (yes 7!) coats of Ronseal diamond hard varnish, with a really good, fine sand between each coat. Most people who see them don't believe they are MDF.

misgrace

handyman. wrote:

never heard of sealing mdf with pva........ever thought of using mdf primer? I might just be a silly sausage, but i thought this was the right stuff to use

Handyman, a customer supplied this last year when I was painting an MDF shelf unit, it says on the tin, it coveres in one coat, does it heck, I used up the whole tin, then had to use more paint, it was a nightmare, I dont know why I take these MDF jobs on, but I do like to see the end result.


NIX, it is a nightmare to keep sanding down MDF, but it will pay off, just make sure that every time you sand between coats you are using finer sandpaper, or a well used bit, and the more you gently sand the better it will look in the end, like I said, I ended up doing 6 coats, I suppose I could have got away with 5, but after the five I just felt it needed another one, but then again I am a perfectionist.:)

handyman.

do you mean you believed it would do what it said on the tin

Mikeyorks

handyman. wrote:

The primer lifts the fibre (furr) for a reason you know, its going deep into the fibre, whereas pva will just coat the surface.

No - you dilute it at least 3:1, and it sinks into the MDF just as well as primer does. But it's more responsive to sanding. particularly where a router has been used, and gives you a paintable surface faster.

Used this on a bath side / side columns / arch over - some 2 years ago. And the eggshell paint finish hasn't flinched - despite the bath and shower steam the columns / arch, in particular, have been subjected to each day ever since.