Hi I am building fitted wardrobes out of MDF with sliding doors from B&Q. Want to emulsion the exterior carcass to match the walls and the interior shelves and battons in white gloss as I think it would be more hard wearing.What is the best primer for both sorts of paint? and where would be the best place to buy?Thanks
painting MDF
- Thread starter Dactyl
- Start date
Sponsored Links
As a cabinet painter I use acrylic primer.
It dries quickly and is non toxic/smelly, best of all brush cleaning is easy
I used to use Dulux trade acrylic primer but they kept changing it. One day I got fed up with it clogging my sandpaper and decided to look elsewhere.
I tried Johnstones MDF primer for a while but ran out and had to buy Leyland primer for the princely sum of £8.81 inc at Selco for 2.5l.
It ain't perfect but it is 4 times cheaper and a dream to sand back. No more clogged paper.
Acrylic primer will cause the surface grain to swell, frankly I am not bothered by this as the quality of MDF seems to have got worse over the last year or so and you can see the grain even before applying any paint.
I sand the primer with 240 grit festool titan 2 paper using a Rotex sander and dust extractor. I am guessing that you wont have access to that type of set up- dont worry though as a decent 180 grit silicone carbide paper will suffice- the best is made by Natural Abrasives- available from Selco or many independent decorating merchants- avoid Sait- it is ****e and clogs.
Take your time making sure that you remove the dust generated by the sanding, I use a combination of a dusting brush and vacuum upholstery attachment
Rather than using gloss you will find it MUCH easier to apply oil based eggshell. Almost as durable but less likely to slip/run and the lower sheen will will not show up every bit of dust in the paint.
You will find that the first top coat will be sucked into the MDF slightly, you can use this to your advantage, by that I mean it will enable you to acheive an more even finish colour wise.
I can get away with two top coats but you will probably want to apply 3.
If you want a more durable finish on the outside panels you could consider Zinsser BIN. It is shellac based and very fast drying and very very tough. I dont use it as it dries too fast for me to get the finish that I want but as you are matching the walls you probably wont be worried about the orange peel roller finish. Brush clean up is with household amonia. Do not use foam mini rollers as the shellac makes them swell.
It dries quickly and is non toxic/smelly, best of all brush cleaning is easy
I used to use Dulux trade acrylic primer but they kept changing it. One day I got fed up with it clogging my sandpaper and decided to look elsewhere.
I tried Johnstones MDF primer for a while but ran out and had to buy Leyland primer for the princely sum of £8.81 inc at Selco for 2.5l.
It ain't perfect but it is 4 times cheaper and a dream to sand back. No more clogged paper.
Acrylic primer will cause the surface grain to swell, frankly I am not bothered by this as the quality of MDF seems to have got worse over the last year or so and you can see the grain even before applying any paint.
I sand the primer with 240 grit festool titan 2 paper using a Rotex sander and dust extractor. I am guessing that you wont have access to that type of set up- dont worry though as a decent 180 grit silicone carbide paper will suffice- the best is made by Natural Abrasives- available from Selco or many independent decorating merchants- avoid Sait- it is ****e and clogs.
Take your time making sure that you remove the dust generated by the sanding, I use a combination of a dusting brush and vacuum upholstery attachment
Rather than using gloss you will find it MUCH easier to apply oil based eggshell. Almost as durable but less likely to slip/run and the lower sheen will will not show up every bit of dust in the paint.
You will find that the first top coat will be sucked into the MDF slightly, you can use this to your advantage, by that I mean it will enable you to acheive an more even finish colour wise.
I can get away with two top coats but you will probably want to apply 3.
If you want a more durable finish on the outside panels you could consider Zinsser BIN. It is shellac based and very fast drying and very very tough. I dont use it as it dries too fast for me to get the finish that I want but as you are matching the walls you probably wont be worried about the orange peel roller finish. Brush clean up is with household amonia. Do not use foam mini rollers as the shellac makes them swell.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
