Repainting skirting boards - water based over oil

[doneill]

OK I'm sure you've all seen a lot of threads on skirting boards and painting over oil based paint with a water based one... I know I have so I must apologise in advance if this is something you have all been asked to death. I've read so many contradictory things but this forum has always popped up in the past with useful advice from my google searches on various DIY questions so thought I'd ask my question here. Plus I am something of a novice so please be patient...

I want to repaint the skirting boards in my house, they are all somewhat yellowed. This house had been rented out since the late 90's and with a landlord who last visited the country when she bought the house makes me think it wasn't decorated in the last decade or so (plus the fact of the way it looked when I bought it).

I am assuming the skirting boards that are there are currently painted with an oil based paint, I have no idea of how to tell this for sure. They look very glossy and shiny to me and bearing in mind the last paragraph it was likely last decorated a long time ago.

I want to paint over it with a water based satin wood type paint to match what I did the replacement doors with. My assumptions here from what I had read are (please correct me if I am wrong):

1.the gloss paint these days tends to yellow quickly due to restrictions over chemicals and what not (one reason for choosing water based)

2.a water based paint with a satinwood finish would match the doors and is also less shiny and somewhat more in vogue these days.

I have recently found out that you can't just slap some water based paint over an oil based paint, apparently oil and water don't mix, I think I remember my Chemistry teacher telling me about this... I have this somewhat confirmed by some poor workmanship which I had paid for.

Now all the advice here seems to be to sand the skirting boards back to the wood, slap on a few coats of (water based) primer and then finish off with a water based satinwood. I have a family, a job and a life to live and my recent attempt and sanding a bit off gloss paint on a skirting board down to the wood (with my electric sander) took ages... taking the time that took and multiplying it by the total length of all the skirting board in my house I have calculated I will miss my son growing up in order to repaint them...

I need an easier solution. The advice from the old guy that runs my local DIY shop was that I could use an 'acrylic' primer over the current gloss finish, with maybe a quick sand first to get the surface smooth and then slap on the water based satinwood afterwards? Is this true? Does the acrylic based primer stick on the oil but also allow water based paint on top? Seems like a nice solution to me but I really don't want to mess this up.

Also if all my assumptions are correct what brand would you recommend, I'm painting them white... I heard good things about Johnstones satinwood...

Thanks for your patience

 

[misterhelpful]

I want to repaint the skirting boards in my house, they are all somewhat yellowed. I am assuming the skirting boards that are there are currently painted with an oil based paint, I have no idea of how to tell this for sure. They look very glossy and shiny to me and...it was likely last decorated a long time ago.

It is highly likely to be oil based paint as water based glosses are not very shiny today, let alone 10-15 years ago.

I want to paint over it with a water based satin wood type paint to match what I did the replacement doors with. My assumptions here from what I had read are (please correct me if I am wrong):

OK.

Now all the advice here seems to be to sand the skirting boards back to the wood, slap on a few coats of (water based) primer and then finish off with a water based satinwood.

Incorrect. You don't need to sand back to bare wood to use a water based/acrylic primer, but you do need to remove all the sheen from the gloss. This can be done by sanding with 300 grit wet and dry paper, used wet to avoid excessive dust.

I need an easier solution. The advice from the old guy that runs my local DIY shop was that I could use an 'acrylic' primer over the current gloss finish, with maybe a quick sand first to get the surface smooth and then slap on the water based satinwood afterwards? Is this true? Does the acrylic based primer stick on the oil but also allow water based paint on top? Seems like a nice solution to me but I really don't want to mess this up.

He is almost correct but, as above, you need to remove all of the sheen. You will then be able to apply an acrylic primer (primer/undercoat) and finish with the water based topcoat(s).
However, even easier would be to use one of the range of primers available from Zinsser which, theoretically, adhere directly to the existing gloss paint. (My order of preference would be Bullseye, Coverstain or B-I-N, purely by ease of use as all would be suitable. If the existing paint is nicotine/smoke stained then B-I-N or Coverstain would perform better.) The same can be said for Dulux Supergrip primer, although, for all of those products, I always like to give a light sanding first with a nylon sanding pad.

Also if all my assumptions are correct what brand would you recommend, I'm painting them white... I heard good things about Johnstones satinwood...

Personally, I still don't like water based/acrylic/hybrid finish coats but Johnstones or Sikkens are generally regarded as the best.

Thanks for your patience.

No problem.

I think that's enough quoting from me for one lifetime!



Sorry Mods, I don't usually use excessive quoting, but just wanted to see if I could do it.

 

[doneill]

Blimey, thank you for all your help misterhelpful... you certainly live up to your username. Feel a lot more confident about this task now, brilliant

 

[misterhelpful]

Just one more thing to add that I failed to point out previously:

As I have tried to avoid using water based paints (I'm a bit of a traditionalist and prefer the finish of oils), I should point out that most other decorators find that Johnstones and Sikkens paints tend to work better with their own brand primers/undercoats. I was trying to suggest that the high grip primers I mentioned could be used as a bridging coat between the existing gloss and your new water based system, in order to make life easier for you. That said, you can still apply any water based satinwood directly to all of those primers.