What is the best way to prime laminated particle board before painting?
Question:I'm talking about the common (usually in white) furniture and accessories that you find at Target or Walmart--bought in a box and you assemble yourself.i.e. shelving, over the toilet cabinets, etc...I want to paint some storage cubes I have, but i'm guessing they need to be sanded at least first, or ? KILZ? I need the paint to adhere really well because they will be used in an office for books so there will be constant "scraping" by pulling the books on and off the cube.
Answers:
You have the right idea prep wise. Sand with fine sandpaper (at least 180 grit), clean well. Prime with Kilz or similar. Valspar Stain Block is another good choice. I would use this kind of product over the oil primer in this case because you do not need the sealing or smoothing properties it would provide, but rather something that will give you grip to the melamine surface on the particle board. The Kilz or Stain Block has it beat there.
You are also correct that the "scraping" will be a problem. Start with a good waterborne paint with a high acrylic content. Paints with a high acrylic content usually do not cover as well, so you will need at least 2 coats. The acrylic makes a much harder surface, standard latex paint will not survive much of this kind of wear.
Just to be sure, allow it to dry completely -- not just dry to the touch. At least 48 hours, a week would be better. Sand very lightly again, clean well. Coat with a waterborne polyurethane. The waterborne polys are much more scuff resistant than oil based products and will not change the color of your project.
Before someone questions this one, water based polys are generally not specified for use on floors because their impact resistance is not as good as the oil products. On this project, the surface abrasion resistance is the key, and the water based is usually better.
KILZ is actually a low quality primer in comparison to what other companies have come up with over the last couple of years. Try using Valspar/American Tradition's All-Purpose Primer. Oil is messier and cleans best with mineral spirits, but it will soak into the wood better and hold up a lot longer, paint will look better, etc. Lot more durable. But use a higher quality primer, as they're typically just a few bucks more, and it's worth the extra you will spend. You can still paint with latex on top of oil primers.
I used a very good spray paint when i did this, and didnt need a primer! Sanding is a pain the the well you know where good luck
Kilz is a good choice. You can also use a 90/10 mixture of your final coat, mixed with the appropriate solvent of course.
No need to go crazy sanding on OSB(wafer board) but rough corners will cause chinks in the armor your trying to put on them. Think "barrier film" or "skin", cause that's what your trying to achieve when you paint these poreous woods of any kind. Especially in a non climate controlled area. To heck with spills, the humidity will get 'em if they're not sealed. If your not worried about moisture it's not so critical. Shoot, you can paint after they're installed if you want!
They need to be dust free. Sanding will loosen the dust so you can do that first, using 120C grit. Then an OIL primer (alkyd primer is just fine) Latex primer is water based and water on bare particle board has a negative effect on the board(it becomes very rough as the wood swells up and stays up) Next day, you need to sand the surface lightly so that it is velvety to the touch. You can use the same paper(the used part is just fine as the very sharp sand is worn down so its sanding effect is more like 150 sandpaper.) Blow off and wipe off the dust and repaint with your paint.
No need for Kilz. It is used more for areas that bleed(like when there is a ceiling leak ring that won't cover with a coat of paint(it bleeds thru the new paint.) Putting Kilz on the stain and letting that dry will make the surface paintable and coverable too as it seals the stain.
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