Painting over emulsion coated hessian panels

jenny-wren

My mother has a built-in wardrobe with doors that have hessian panels inset into them (I believe that they were fashionable in the 70's :shocked:).
The panels were painted with pale blue emulsion and, as part of a bedroom refresh, I'm painting them in neutral colours. The idea was to use Dulux Endurance paint on the walls and the doors but I'm up to four coats of paint on the panels and they still look quite blue. The panels were cleaned with sugar soap and allowed plenty of time to dry before I came at them with a paint brush.

Do I:
1. Persevere with the paint I have (Mother likes the colour and the slightly shiny finish) ... but really, how many coats is it going to take?!
2. Spend lots of money on a Dulux Diamond Matt trade paint (at over £40 a tin) and hope another 2 coats will do the job?
3. Try a different brand of paint such as Crown? (however will it stick to the Endurance as, being hessian, the panels can't be sanded)
4. Enter a competition to win new fitted wardrobes and throw all of the paint in the bin!

The wardrobe framing is painted with Crown Non-Drip Satin (which only needed 2 coats).

Any advice or experience welcomed.

ST1991

Not sure how much hessian there is... but could you instead cover the panels with wood and paint that? If you got panels of lightweight MDF you could probably glue it on for a nice paneled door effect.
Or perhaps cover with mirrored panels?

jenny-wren

There are 3 large doors (about 6 foot high) and then 6 small high level cupboards above. Covering the hessian was my original thought but the hessian sits slightly proud of the frame which could be problematic and I'd need to finish the edges of the MDF to give them a more moulded look. The frame was built around the hessian panels so I can't take them out.

seashore22

I would try Zinsser Bin as a base coat and then cover with the paint of your choice. Zinsser Bin adheres to just about anything and is a great basecoat.

theonlywayisup

Another vote for Zinsser Bin. If you have a Screwfix nearby, they sell it.

jenny-wren

Any suggestions for what to use after the Zinsser Bin? Do I use a different paint?

The Dulux colour I'd been using is 'Timeless'.

The reason I'd gone for the Endurance paint is that it would be easy for her to wipe clean (she has one badly behaved cat likes to spray on things when he doesn't get his own way). :eek:

Kiran

Once its primed your Dulux paint will be fine

jenny-wren

I went to Screwfix and they do the shellac based Zinsser BIN but also a water-based version called Zinsser 1-2-3.

Given that I've used a water-based satin on the frame and the Endurance is water-based would the 1-2-3 be a better option (and it's £7 cheaper!)?