Hi all --

I am embarking on a project to paint an Ikea expedit shelving unit. I plan to take it apart, sand it with 220 grit sandpaper (I plan to borrow an electric sander), prime with an oil based primer and then use a foam roller to paint it with Sherwin Williams Proclassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel. I am totally new to this and I have several questions:

1. Which oil based primer should I use? Should I use white-pigmented shellac based primer instead (I'm not even sure what that is . . .)?
2. How much primer should I buy? The unit is 58" by 31" by 15".
3. How many coats of primer?
4. I'm going from dark brown to apple green; will that be a problem?
5. Do I also need to sand after the primer and before painting?
6. What finish will look most like laminate? Semi-gloss, gloss, or eggshell (I don't know if SWP Pro classic even comes in eggshell).
7. Should I add in Floetrol to minimize brush strokes? I was also hoping that using a foam roller would also minimize the brush strokes.

I would very much appreciate any tips anyone could offer. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Welcome to the forums.

I was curious if it was wood or metal so I visited the site and grabbed a picture of it and a few details. Is this the correct unit ?

Photo: Ikea products website

 

The folks at SWP should be able to direct you to their primer that would be best for your job. Pigmented shellac is the ultimate primer as far as adhesion and stain blocking primers go. It dries fast and is extra stinky Generally 1 coat of primer is sufficient. It will probably take 1 coat primer and 2 coats of finish.

I've never cared for foam roller covers but there are those that like them. One of those small rollers [5"-6"] would work best for you. I've never used floetrol with SWP's ProClassic and don't know for certain if it's compatible the paint rep will know for sure

 

That is the exact unit, size colour and all, I am going to paint. Thanks so much for posting it, PJmax.

 

Thanks for your help Marksr. Do i need to sand after applying the shellac? Any ideas on the finish (semi-gloss, gloss, or eggshell) that will look most like laminated wood when you buy it from a store (even though I'm not spraying)?

 

You always sand between coats of paint [or primer] it helps both with adhesion and producing a better looking job [minimizes roller or brush marks]

Hard to say what sheen will look the best, I don't think there is a standard sheen level on laminates. I've always preferred gloss enamel but it is more likely to show any defects in the finish. Satin is less likely to show defects. I'd base the sheen level on your personal choice. The folks at SWP might have a better answer for you

 

Mark..the shelf unit looks like a paper coating over particleboard. Do you think paints will attack that ?

 

It might be a good idea to test the primer on the underside of one of the shelves, if it's a problem, pigmented shellac [BIN] might do ok as it dries fast. If that doesn't work - it probably shouldn't be painted

 

Just when I thought I was doing so well that last exchange went straight over my head. . .what should I be looking for when I test? What would I see that would demonstrate that this is a bad idea? I was hoping that this would work because a lot of people on design blogs claim to have painted Expedits ( of course, they never give the details. . . .)

 

Sorry to cause confusion. When I read the construction information on that unit it said paper over particleboard. I was just concerned that the paint you were using might eat the paper, for lack of a better word, or cause it to lift from the particleboard.

 

Ya, if you prime the bottom side of one shelf and it looks good when it dries - you're good to go. If it looks like it has either dissolved the paper veneer or wrinkled it up - it's better to not try and paint it.

 

Oh ok, thanks so much for the explanation and all the help. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

Here's an idea if the paint does eat the paper... get rid of the paper and work directly on the particleboard. Anyone have an idea about how well that might work?

 

Particle board is paintable, I've probably painted miles of it over the years in the form of closet shelving. A trained eye can notice the difference between the painted PB and PB that has a faux wood grain over it, probably not a big deal. I don't know how hard it would be to strip off the paper veneer.