Rookie question: What causes bubbles in oil based enamel and how does one avoid them?
I’m painting a bookcase gloss white using a foam roller and got bubbles. Two applications of Zinser white pigmented shellac for the undercoat, also applied with a foam roller. No bubbles with the undercoat.
Replies
The foam roller and the application conditions. The roller itself puts a lot of bubbles into the finish. I'd pitch that first. The enamel is skinning over before the bubbles have a chance to pop out. You can get this on days where it is either very warm or dry. You can do a number of things.
Change application to a brush or sprayer, you can apply in cooler temps or someplace humid, but I suspect if you cut the enamel down a little with paint thinner, penetrol, or some other compatible solvent, you'd have better luck. Maybe you don't have the capabilities to spray it, that would certainly yield a better finish, but you can brush it successfully with a good china bristle. If you can get an oval shaped brush, even better.
"The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb " lyrics by Roger Waters
My money's on the foam roller also. Here's another application option though: paint pads. I've used them a fair amount when a very flat, glossy surface is needed. They have a very, very short nap, and glide nicely across the surface. I find them easier to use than a paint brush.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Pads, eh? I was going to use pads until the paint store guy led me to the foam roller. A foam roller did a good job on our front door (metal, latex) and except for the bubbles I'm satisfied with how it's performing on the bookcase. I'll consider pads, though.
Our pro painter used a foam roller on our kitchen--very very fine foam. It looks like it was sprayed it is so smooth. I think the problem is in the thickness of your paint.Gretchen
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