Painting and Primer

[Tom M]

I recently made two bathroom vanities (18th century style - of course). They are painted poplar. For the first one we bought paint at Sherman Williams and they recommended we use enamel and prime first. I bought a can of S_W shellac based primer. The primer was terrible to work with. I used milk paint once before and it seemed similar. It then took me three coats of the top coat to not see though the enamel paint (which was a dark grayish green color). I would brush it on and the next brush stroke would seem to "cut" through what I had just put down. So I ended up having to paint the stupid vanity four times. And several weeks later the enamel still is somewhat sticky feeling.

For the other vanity I used the same primer, but this time (my wife bought it) they sold her latex - even though she told them it was for a bathroom vanity. The top coat went on much easier, but I still needed two coats due some molding that I didn't get a good coat on the first time. Couple hours after painting the latex felt dry as a bone. Much easier to apply than the enamel.

Now for the questions:

1) Did I just have a bad experience with the primer or is this common?
2) Does enamel always behave this way or was it because of the primer?
3) Enamel vs latex for this application?  Bathroom? What about if I was painting a book case?
4) Do I really need to use a primer if the wood is clear - no knots? What's the point?

My next honey-due project is bookcases for the family room, which will be painted. Much larger surfaces, and I think I would go crazy if I had to paint them 4 times!

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Antiquity]

Tom,

Paint stores always say you must prime and they are wrong. I once used S&W paint on a cabnet in my shop and it was terrible paint. It took 3 coats and you could still see thru it. I threw the can out.

We sell Olde Century Colors latex paint. I never have to prime the wood and it always covers completely in 2 coats. I lightly sand inbetween coats just like you would for varnish. Three coats does makes a smotther finish to the touch. I've used this paint for over 10 years in our house and on many painted pieces of furniture for customers. Never any complaints.

I'm not suggesting you buy our paint but I am stating that there are paints that do work great without a primer and with just 2 coats.

What is the top surface of your vanity? I hope it is not wood. Latex paint takes forever (years) to cure. If you wash a painted surface your rag will pick out some of the paint. Oil base is better for a vanity top.


Dennis Bork
Antiquity Period Designs, Ltd.

 

[MarkHochstein]

I have painted quite few pieces of woodwork over years and these are the things that I found work very well for me. First of all, use 100% acrylic paint, which is often sold as "latex" but doesn't actually have any latex in it. The acrylic paint won't block (stick to itself or other objects) like latex. I've had very good results from Benjamin Moore and General Finishes paint. BM has several paints that are 100% acrylic and GF Milk Paint is a high limestone content 100% acrylic paint that has a satin finish.
As for priming, I do prime. I know that some pain manufacturers say it's not required (read carefully and their literature says it's self-priming on fresh drywallonly ) and I've done test pieces with their "self priming" paint vs a coat of primer. The primed side is always smoother. You can sand the 100% acrylic paint, but the primer sands much better and dries much faster - plus, it's cheaper than the finish paint so why use twice the expensive paint. I get the primer tinted to match the finish paint color and I can often get away with one coat of primer and one coat of paint for a surface that will see little use. For heavy use surfaces I'll apply additional coats as required for the desired protection.
As for the "enamel" you applied, was it and oil-based enamel or an acrylic enamel? The SW shellac-based primer is just their version of BIN. I like that too, but I spray it because the cleanup is such a pain. When you use it it won't cover like a traditional primer and doesn't need to. It seals and will allow the first coat of paint to go on nice and smooth. But I would only use it when you need the sealing ability of the shellac, and poplar doesn't normally need it.

I hope some of this helps.