Question about Painting

[OnionPatch]

I'm painting the bases of my kitchen cabinets. (The doors are on order and I will paint them too, when they arrive.) I've sanded and prepped and am applying the undercoating. I've almost finished with a coat of undercoating but I notice that the undercoating dries very unevenly. I tried to get it even but it seems every brush stroke shows and the coverage from the rollers is uneven. Is this normal? I'm a little worried. Should I just go ahead and start painting with the top coat now, even though it's probably going to take a few coats? Or would you want to put another coat of undercoating on the first if it seems that it didn't cover well?

FYI, I'm painting sanded wood with latex enamel. White.

Thanks for any advice from veteran painters.

[Kolesar]

1. The streaks and strokes showing in the primer won't come through in the top coat...

...so don't worry about that if you only put on one coat of primer. You are going to have to make a judgement call as to whether it has sufficient coverage as it is now.

I have done projects where the primer looked really streaky. This was on material that was glossy, weathered, or otherwise not ideal. I put on a second coat of primer. The second coat looked great and the final end result was fantastic! So, I would advise a second coat of primer. It's cheaper than regular top coat and dries fast so you can probably top coat in the same day.

I have also put on second coats of primer when I was trying to cover a bold color or other effects/defects in the surface. Well, those results were fantastic too !!

I usually coat with glossy oil based enamel because it levels better (the brush strokes flatten out due to the high surface tension of the oil paint). I have not tried latex in a long while. I understand that there are some modern latex paints that do have good leveling. It is important to maintain a "wet edge", which means that you want to set the loaded brush down in the existing paint and stroke outward. If you set the brush down outside and try to brush back in you will get some odd, dried out looking effects.

Good advice at www.sherwinwilliams.com

[OnionPatch]

2. Thanks for the good advice

I think the coverage may be sufficient because it's all well-covered. It's just that it's streaky looking and I wasn't sure if that's OK. The wood is pretty dark, even though I sanded it thoroughly, so maybe it's just a matter of the darker color showing through the white.

I thought about using oil-based paint. I'll have to read up on it a little more. If I decide to use oil, I hope I can use it over the primer I'm putting on now. The fine foam rollers seem to leave a nice, smooth finish. I only use the brushes for corners. But if oil will look even better, maybe I'd better read up on it and see if I want to change. I haven't opened the can of latex yet....

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. add Flotrol to your enamel... and plan on doing at least 2 coats, maybe 3.

I happen to paint for a living at the moment. :) Ask at the paint store, they'll know what I'm talking about. It helps the brush strokes disappear and lengthens the drying time of the paint.

The trick with enamel is to keep all your brush-strokes going in the same direction as the grain of the wood, start at the top working down, and work fast. Enamel starts to dry quickly, and if you go over paint that has started to dry, the brush marks won't smooth out and you ruin the finish. (if this happens, you have to sand out the rough spots and put a new coat of paint on the whole piece of wood. If you just touch up a spot, it will stand out.)

:)

[OnionPatch]

4. Now I'm really getting nervous.

I had read that you should use those small, fine, foam rollers for a smooth finish. I'm not sure I can use a brush well enough to get that kind of finish. :scared: I was reading about spraying, too and thought about that. What do you think about spraying? I've had some nice results with spraying before. I could rent one and spray the doors outside or in the garage. :shrug: Then I'd only have the frames to worry about getting the nice finish on. The doors have beadboard panels. I'm guessing that doesn't make them easier to paint.

Would you use oil or latex enamel? I may change my mind and use oil but I just read it takes two weeks for oil enamel to cure! I don't have that much time to leave my kitchen untouched!

Thanks about the Flotrol, I'll ask about it.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. the rollers will work fine on flat surfaces

(and the Flotrol will help there too)

Don't get nervous, it's not as hard as I made it sound. :) Just practice on some scrap wood until you get the hang of it.
If you are comfortable with the sprayer, go for it. It does create the best final product. The only thing to be careful of is spraying too thick and getting drips and sags. Many very light coats is the ticket. Let each coat dry completely before putting on the next one.

Oil based will be a little more durable, and stands up better if you're a 'greasy cook". (when grease gets on latex, it breaks it down). There is a flow product for Oil paint called Penetrol if you decide to go that route. Oil paint does take longer to cure, and is a lot smellier. You'll be able to use your kitchen (gently) after a few days of drying, but it will take about a week to harden completely, and for the smell to dissipate. If anyone in your house is sensitive to chemicals, latex is the best choice.

[OnionPatch]

6. Good

because my husband freaked out at the idea of me doing some serious spray-painting in his beloved garage. :eyes: I guess I'll just use rollers and brushes.

Not a greasy cook here. Not at all. I do have a seven-year-old, though, so I expect some jelly stains and that sort of thing. :) The smell of oil-based paint did bother me the last time I used it, I hadn't thought about that. I'm thinking I may just stick with the latex.

Well, I'm done with the primer coat and am ready to start the tops coats tomorrow. I'll definitely pick up some of the Flotrol and follow the tips I picked up here, thanks! I'll have to post some before and after pictures when I'm done.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Consider acrylic enamel instead of oil or latex

Latex, in my opinion, is not good for any surface in the kitchen, other than the walls. It always seems to have a 'sticky' quality to it. I used acrylic enamel on some bathroom cabinets and some book shelves in our den. The bathroom cabinets are great. Easy to wash and VERY durable. The book shelves have held up well, too. When they were latex, the books would sort of 'stick' to them .... almost as if they settled *into* the pain. You had to wiggle them to get them loose. No such problem with the acrylic.

Best of all, the acrylic dried relatively fast ..... maybe overnight for dry to the touch, as I recall, although I waited a week to load up the bookshelves. I put the bathroom cabinet doors on again in less that 48 hours. And the smell is not as nice as latex, but nowhere near the stink of oil/alkyd paint. And it dissipates pretty quickly.

[OnionPatch]

8. Acrylic enamel?

Wow, I had never heard of that. But I will definitely ask them about it at the paint store. Thanks!

[Kolesar]

9. I bought this tub of "odor absorber" from the paint store and it worked great.

It is as big as a tub of margerine. You open the lid and set it in the room where you are painting. It's oxygenated, whatever that means. No more headaches from the fumes.