A whole house of new MDF woodwork to paint . help !

[QueenVic]

Please forgive me if this has been asked her a million times before ( im new ) Weve had an extension and refurb. I now have the task of painting all the new mdf ( supplied with a light white primer coat) in the entire house. I have naked mdf pantry shelves and some capping on the stairs. This is a busy family house . I need a sensibly priced way to achieve a good durable Finish. Ive debated the oilbased/waterbased pros and cons and currently durability wins ! My initial thoughts are :- Zinsser bin or 123 primer - 2 coats to naked mdf with sanding inbetween. What about skirting for entire house , regular oil based undercoat ? 2 coats ? Oil based white satin finish is my ideal. I would love to get a professional in but funds wont allow. Id appreciate your advice. Many Thanks Victoria

 

[QueenVic]

Right so heres my shopping list so far .. Zinsser BIN for naked mdf
Dulux trade undercoat (solvent)
Dulux trade satinwood (solvent)
Purdy brushes 1/2, 1 and 2"
4" foam roller for doors
A brush mate box
120 sandpaper for between coats ? Any thoughts?

 

[opps]

I used to paint MDF bookcases and wardrobes for a living.

I strongly advise against using BIN as a MDF primer if you want a decent finish. Years ago I painted a 6m*2m bookcase with BIN as a primer. Ordinarily I would have used Leyland Trade acrylic primer but wanted to try BIN as it doesn't raise the grain.

I started off using a foam rad roller and soon discovered that BIN makes the foam expand to twice its size and the roller becomes floppy. I then used a short nap Wooster rad roller, and then discovered that the rapid drying time leaves you with a heavily stippled finish.

The Leyland primer is a dream to sand. I used to sand the MDF until I could see the horizontal machining lines. A unit that size would have taken 1.5 days to sand. The BIN took 3 days to sand (and a lot of festool sandpaper).

I would recommend using the Leyland as a primer and then sanding it with 180 or 220 grit silicone carbide paper (National Abrasives- available in 5m rolls from Selco is clog free- Sait and Caratflex by Mirka blunts quickly and clogs). Then apply one coat of your OB DT UC and two coats of the OB DT Satinwood.

I would also recommend buying some Owatrol oil to help the Satinwood flow. It is not cheap but it is the secret to a flat finish. Terebene will help the paint to dry/cure faster.

I paint MDF with the foam free 170mm Anza paint pads . They aren't cheap but faster than laying off the paint with a foam roller and then running a brush over the top.

Deffo get the Brushmate- they are brilliant and worth every penny. I have Brushmate 4s and 20s. I don't buy replacement pads for the 4, I just pour some of the liquid from the 20 bottle on to the 4's pad.

 

[QueenVic]

Thankyou that's really helpful.
So is the primer this one ? Leyland Trade 264365 Acrylic Primer Undercoat, White, 2.5 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009W68SPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_q0OjCbN94YAJS

Would you use this on all woodwork ? 2 coats ?
I love the idea of a paint pad , is that just for the top coat ?
Would you still use the Dulux trade satinwood over the Leyland acrylic primer ?
Many Thanks Vic

 

[opps]

Yes, that is the primer.

I would apply one coat to all of the naked MDF. Other than spot priming, existing painted (or primed) woodwork will only need the OB undercoat.

I use Leyland primer on naked MDF because it is the only acrylic primer that I have found that doesn't clog the sandpaper. If you apply two coats you will find that the second coat becomes difficult to sand flat, hence I only use one coat.

I omitted to mention Abranet sandpaper. If you can't get the National Abrasives brand, consider Abranet "mesh" sandpaper.

https://www.axminster.co.uk/mirka-abranet-abrasive-roll-115mm-ax851208

I use the Anza pads for the UC/primer and top coats. They are only useful on larger flat areas. I use a 9" paint tray with the pads. Do not overload the pads with paint otherwise the paint will splurt out of the edges. The pads, with the handle removed, will fit into the brushmate 4 (you can put it into a small plastic bag so that it the paint on the pad doesn't end up on the brushes in the brushmate 4. If you are going to be using the pad again the next bag you don't need to use the brushmate and can just bag it up. BTW never put waterbased brushes in the Brushmate.

Stick with a brush for the skirting. I prefer the Purdy Sprig Elite brushes, they are thinner than the Purdy Monarch Elite and give you greater accuracy when painting (for example) the last 1mm on the bottom of the skirtings.

Am running late for work. Any more questions, just ask and I will get back to you later. Ta