Finish for 100% acrylic latex paint


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Old 08-27-06, 11:56 AM
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Finish for 100% acrylic latex paint

I have made a small upstairs office in our house and now I'm in the final finishing stages. My question is in regard to the final finish for the bookcase and desks made of MDF, birch plywood, and poplar. Initially I applied a single coat of primer and have followed that with 8 coats of Behr 100% acrylic latex semi-gloss. (I think I only sanded between 2 or 3 coats.) I was getting ready to apply another coat of semi-gloss when I started thinking that this is getting crazy and that I need to seek some advice from someone more experienced. My wife says the current finish looks fine to her but I can see what appears to me to look like small streaks of light grey. It may be the light playing tricks on me or a sanded undercoat showing. I don't know but don't feel that I'm going to improve the looks by applying 8 more coats of paint. I've read articles on rubbing out poly finishes. Is there a similar technique for rubbing out an acrylic latex paint?
 
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Old 08-27-06, 02:26 PM
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What color are you painting it? Some colors, particularly darker reds have terrible coverage, and require a tinted primer, as well as multiple coats.

If you're getting an uneven looking finish after 8 coats, it could be a flow-out or leveling issue. Make sure you're using the best paint you can, and the best polyester brush possible. It could be the case that the paint just isn't making itself uniform during the drying process, this can create brush streaks and odd variation in sheen under different lighting angles.

There's really no technique for rubbing on paint that I've heard of; brushing should work fine assuming the paint is of good quality. I am a big fan of alkyd melamine paints for cabinets and desks, it dries super hard and levels out beautifully. Very harsh to use compared to latex, but worth it for wear and tear.

Edit: Don't change to alkyd paint now, that was just a suggestion for next time
 

Last edited by hmack; 08-27-06 at 07:53 PM.
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Old 08-28-06, 05:03 AM
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Sometimes it is hard to get a quality job out of the lesser quality paints. Also latex enamels seldom dry any where near the hardeness that oil base and waterborne enamels have.

Personally I would stop and see how it wears. If you get good wear out of it, great, if not I would recomend sanding it lightly and repainting with either a waterborne or oil base enamel.
Paint stores sell better paint products than you will find at any big box store. They also brush and cover better/easier.
 
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Old 08-29-06, 02:54 PM
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Thanks for you replies! I'm mulling the situation over and I still havent decided what to do. The color is white and I did use a brush and I can see that there are brush marks....I think. I used KILZ 2 latex primer. I'll try and get a good quality digital photo tonight when I get home and then I'd like to post it here for you guys to see. What do you think? I'm considering a No nap foam roller for a final coat to see if it makes a difference. If I do add one more coat what kind of paint do you suggest? Also since my wife isn't complaining, (she's eager to move into her new scrapbooking room/office) I'm thinking of just moving on to the next project. "Get R Done!"
 
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Old 08-30-06, 09:55 AM
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Acknowleging the fact that I've not seen your paint work I believe once your wife has all her stuff into the room the minor imperfections won't be noticable.
 
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Old 08-30-06, 06:29 PM
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Originally Posted by cwilliams321
... If I do add one more coat what kind of paint do you suggest?
In hoping that this project is done, but wanting to let you know for future reference, the better furniture paints would be the waterborne enamels from Ben Moore (Impervo) and Sherwin Williams (ProClassic)
Neither would need 8 coats and will last even under duress

I'd also ditch the Kilz2
The Original Kilz (oil) is great (for some projects), but the other products from the company leave much to be desired
 
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Old 09-03-06, 02:26 PM
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The pain of using cheap paint lasts exponentially longer than the euphoria of the cheap price.

The above statement applies pretty well here.
 
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Old 09-03-06, 02:36 PM
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Originally Posted by slickracer
The pain of using cheap paint lasts exponentially longer than the euphoria of the cheap price.
POST OF THE DAY!!!!
 
 

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