Thinning oil based paint

Leif

I've some Sikkens Satura Plus oil based paint, and it is a pig to apply. Adding white spirit helps it spread and prevent drips. Roughly how much white spirit shuould I be adding? I'm doing the painting in a cool (unheated house) which probably does not help it spread. Please don't say thin until it feels right, as I have no idea what that would be!

ormus

somewhere in the region of 5% should be ok. it really is a matter of feel.
add say an eggcup full at a time and test it.

10% is probably the max in most cases. all depends.

DVardysShadow

Leif wrote: »

... Please don't say thin until it feels right, as I have no idea what that would be!

Obviously it feels wrong at the moment. Continue until it stops feeling wrong.

keystone

Thinning Satura Plus is not recommended. In what way is it being a pig to apply?

Its a high build coating anyway. As with all Sikkens coatings its best to apply with long flowing brush strokes rather than dabbing at it. If you feel that it is dragging then stand the can in hot water for 10 minutes or so before using it. That will appear to thin it because it will make it more runny. But remember that heating it up a bit will release more of the VOCs so don't get your face right over the can or you'll make you eyes water.

With what did you prime the timber and what did you use as an undercoat?

Cheers

Leif

The substrate is MDF which has been primed with Dulux difficult surface primer, as well as the original primed surface, as there were bare areas after sanding. It is self undercoating, so I am applying two coats on top of primer. Also on painted wood I've rubbed down, and then two coats of Satura. I think I will have to prime any areas that went back almost to wood, and any filled bits.

The paint is too thick and sticky to spread out adequately and I cannot draw it out across the surface. I'm using a Purdy Glide Elite brush, which makes cutting in a doddle. Okay I'll try the heating trick, and pour some into an old can to warm.

Leif

ormus wrote: »

somewhere in the region of 5% should be ok. it really is a matter of feel.
add say an eggcup full at a time and test it.

10% is probably the max in most cases. all depends.

Thanks again. I tried warming the paint, but that is a no goer. It started out too runny, became just right, then soon became too sticky as it cooled. So I tried thinning between 5% and 10%, and it goes on okay. It still needs a lot of work to lay off, but I think my painting is not too carp now.