It has been awhile since I posted anything, but I am now in the process of designing a television console. I am unfortunately fairly poor when it comes to wood working and I am thinking that I will build the console using mostly plywood panels and poplar. I am considering using MDF for the cabinet door panels and for the drawer fronts. You have probably already guessed that I am planning on painting the console. My wife, bless her heart, really likes the black painted distressed pottery barn look, so even if I could afford expensive veneered plywood to stain, she would still want me to paint it. My question is two fold: What is the best type of plywood to use to build the console, and how do I finish it? I researched some Thomasville and Kraftmaid kitchen cabinets and the finish they use refers to a “heavily pigmented stain” which has been “rubbed-out” I never considered laquer to be a “stain” per se but I can’t imagine that a production finish would be anything but a laquer. I understand the “rubbed-out” process but I am still trying to figure out the “pigmented stain” issue. It is very cold where I live and I don’t have a laquer spray booth. Is there any product out there that I can wipe on to prevent brush strokes, that can give me complete coverage with no grain showing, and if there is do I need a clear topcoat?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also can anyone recommend a good instructional book about finishing that includes a lot of information about painting? I realize it is a deadly sin to paint wood, but as I am poor and still want to woodwork, I will be building a lot out of plywood and mdf in the near future, and that will require me to paint my work instead of stain it.
Edited 12/8/2009 1:16 am by robinwi2
Edited 12/8/2009 1:19 am by robinwi2
Replies
They sell lacquer toner in spray cans (in a variety of colors), although at $8 a can it isn't cheap.
http://woodworker.com/search.asp?search=lacquer+toner&gclid=CJe__J7lxp4CFRXxDAodUyo6yQ
You might research milk paint. It's a flat finish but sticks to just about anything. It ships in a powder form so it can be bought online without a lot of hassle.
Since it's going to be a console you might want to put some inexpensive wheels on it. Makes getting to things later on a lot easier.
Greg
Robin:
A stain is basically a thin paint, i.e., coloured particles (pigments) suspended in a liquid. If the particle count is high enough, it's a paint, low enough, it's a stain.
Commercial stains such as MinWax also use dyes as well as pigments. "Heavily pigmented stain" would, I suspect, be a stain that has very low transparency.
Thinning your paint a bit with distilled water (I'm presuming you'll use a latex base) will help with brush strokes, but you'll probably have to use two or three coats over your primer. Sand lightly betwixt coats.
Use the best-quality brush you can afford, buy paint and brushes from a dealer instead of one of the borgs. Pittsburgh Paints (PPG), ICI/Azko-Nobel (Dulux & Devoe) and Sherwin-Williams are three of the largest suppliers that deal with contractors and individuals.
I happen to despise MDF, so I won't comment on it. A paint-grade plywood should work well, I would use Baltic birch, mitre the joints or sand the edges smooth and fill with two or more coats of thinned Titebond III to minimize absorption into end-grain. Alternatively, you can use veneer strips.
Half or quarter-inch plywood in a frame-and-panel configuration will weigh less than MDF, moreover, plywood will hold screws where MDF won't.
Good luck,
When I'm doing paint grade projects, I use either birch or maple ply and poplar for the solid wood parts. I've heard that apple ply is also good, but I've never used it.
I'm not fond of MDF for doors because of its weight - and its softness makes it pretty easy to scratch and ding.
Build your project, then fill (Bondo works great), sand, and prime. Give the primer coat a light sanding with a medium or fine sanding sponge, tack it off, and lay on your paint. Most paints are available in a formulation that gives you a very hard, durable, surface. If you buy your paint at a "for-real" paint store, they can advise you on the right brush to use and the use of additives such as "Floetrol"(?) which help eliminate brush marks.
Since you live in a cold area, you might need to come up with some kind of temporary heat so your paint dries.
Edited 12/8/2009 9:50 am by Dave45
Just wondering-------In many episodes of The New Yankee Workshop, Norm would use a pre-finished plywood for the interior of his cabinets, but I have never been able to find any in Texas. Does anyone know of a source for this stuff, or is it a product that you find only in the Northeast????? WW 57-------
My local hardwood supplier orders prefinished ply for me and I'm in Oregon so it's not just an east coast thing.
Thanks,,how much does that stuff cost??? I know that prices vary from area to area, but what are we talking about??? also, what thicknesses are available???? WW 57------
It's not outrageously pricey -- I remember paying only about $15 more than for an unfinished sheet of equivalent material. Worth every penny. Only drawback is you can't glue directly to the finished part, but there isn't any real need to do that anyway.
At the little place I got mine, they had 3/4" (boxes) and 1/4" (backs). Should be available at any shop that specializes in plywood for cabinet shops. You might want to ask in at a custome cabinetmaker in the area for the names of who he buys from. Or, check http://www.woodfinder.com for local distributors. I have seen it at one of the big boxes, but I DO NOT recommend buying plywood from such a place.
Edited 12/8/2009 10:46 pm ET by SteveSchoene
I would use medium density overlay (MDO) plywood. It has a thin veneer of waterproof paper on both sides and is made for paint. Our highway dept uses it for road signs. Any good lumber yard can get it for you.
You will need to fill the edges but you can do that with drtwall mud and then prime.
Dick
Thanks guys, sorry it took so long to get back with you. I appreciate all the suggestions. So it sounds like I should avoid mdf, the big box stores and stick with ply. Also there is a sherwin williams by my home, I will talk with them. I can definitely bring the thing inside to paint so it can be a little warmer. Is there something I can do to knockdown any brush strokes? I am planning on using latex paint. Does it make sense to seal the woos first? Also does latex paint need a clear top coat? If so what is recommended and can it be rubbed out to get that pottery barn look that the wife is wanting?
There are some acceptable water borne paints, but avoid any paint with the word "Latex" anywhere on the latex. You would NEED to use 100% Acyrlic enamel, and ONLY the very top of the line enamel would be minimally acceptable for any project that will have objects set on them.
Oil based enamel brushes on much more easily, and doesn't have the problem with "blocking" where objects stick to the paint even after it is long dried. Blocking can affect all but the very best water borne enamels.
I use 1/2" prefinished birch or maple for drawer boxes and cabinet backs. It runs about $43 finished one side and ~$50.00 both sides. It's cheaper if I drive 45 miles, but then I've burned the gas and taken a couple of hours of my time. I get it delivered and stored in my rack for $10.00 more.
I realize it is a deadly sin to paint wood...
Since when? Folks have painted wood for eons!
If your wife likes paint.. then paint it with a smile on your face... I would suggest that if she like paint have her search 'Milk Paint'.
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/facts.html
and others..
I would get some unfinished cabinets from the local BigBox or other suppliers and then paint it and use whatever for the other parts. I have never made a cabinet at less cost than one I could buy!
And then the REAL woodworking gets into fitting it all together to fit the surrounding walls!
Just a suggestion - if you're
Just a suggestion - if you're building furniture out of ply wood and you don't want to see the grain -
there are many brands and colors of formica that can provide a durable laminate exterior.
SA
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