I was given an old maple workbench with about 12 drawers in the face of it. It wil be a secondary bench and used mostly for tool storage and glue ups.
It is probably 50 years old. It was stained brown and then lacquered over . I don’t really need a fine finish on this. I thought of roughing it up with 120 grit paper and then painting it ( I know- sounds sort of Bolshevick).
Will the paint stick or do I need to srtip it first? What sort of paint should I use?
Not really a fine woodworking question- sorry.
Thanks
Frank
Replies
You can paint over the old finish.
I start by cleaning the piece with mineral spirits, then sand lightly with 220 grit just to remove the sheen. Remove the sanding dust and apply a coat of Zinnser shellac based primer. The shellac primer will adhere to the old finish, seal in any problems, and the paint will adhere to it. Follow with any good paint.
Paul
F'burg, VA
Paul,
Thanks for your response. Can I just use shellac?
Frank
Edited 7/28/2002 10:05:11 PM ET by BISCARDI
Frank,
Sure.
I like the Zinnser because it's got a thick white pigment and one coat of paint is usually all it takes to cover it. Also, the Zinnser sealer sands smooth so easily (I forgot to mention this in the original post - sand the sealer with 320 for a smooth, paintable surface).
Paul
F'burg, VA
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