How do you achieve a decent paint job

[QuarterJunkie]

I'm having a hard time getting a nice finish with my paint job.. I'm using 3/4" MDF and have sanded it very smooth and used a tack cloth so I'm starting with a very smooth surface. I'm using Glidden grey latex primer



and Rustoleum "painter's touch" gloss black latex paint. I sand in between coats and am using foam rollers and brushes but my results are still very poor. What do you guys do to achieve that nice glassy finish on your cabs? Do you use gloss black or a flat black with poly, or laquer???

[javeryh]

I used 3/4" MDF and put an automotive finish on there (sanding a laquer finish up to 1500 grit and polishing with rubbing compound and wax).  It was a TON of work and it took forever but the results were totally worth it.

[ChadTower]

You are going to have to be almost perfect to get a great finish on gloss black with a roller.  There is pretty much zero margin for error there.

[Minwah]

I think the key is getting the MDF sealed with primer...it seems to soak up a lot of paint to begin with.  You can usually see some fibres of MDF standing up like hairs once you have painted the surface.  When you can see these lightly sand over to smooth it off.

I got a really smooth glossy finish on two of my control panels, just from aerosol cans, and fairly minimal preparation.  I think it is easier to get a good finish using spray cans than rollers/brushes...these methods are much harder, for me at least.

[mountain]

I use Rustoleum Satin Finish black.  It's not glossy but it has a nice shine to it and it hides brush marks and touchups.

Agreed. The same stuff is available in a can and is what I used on my admin panel.

[Xiaou2]

 Well, when I had to Roller work, it never seemed anywhere near the smooth results of
sprays.   

 
 However, recently I have had to do touch ups on artwork... and I have chose to use
acrylics.   I had found that when I used paints straight up,  they usually went on too
thick and caused a lot of bumping.

 Later, I thinned out the paints with a good deal of water,  and basically pushed the
water bubbles and spread them to a set height.  As the water evaporated, the paint
would be flat - and there was no brush strokes at all.  I have no idea if this would really
work on large scale,  as the stuff I was doing was pretty small.   It also needed a lot
of coats to accomplish.

 Interesting enough,  its surface was able to be buffed very lightly to create a decent shine.


 A friend of mine painted one of his cabs at his work, which he used a pro spray gun system... and the
thing was godly.   Ice Smooth, glossy, perfection.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

You know what they say:


If at first you don't succeed, sand it off and laminate.

[RetroACTIVE]

thinned paint...lots of coats... lots of sanding... and you can achieve darn near spray quality... I decided to do it with rustoleum enamel after I saw what this dude did with his car:

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html

...and my defender came out with a mirror finish

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=65938.0

[javeryh]

thinned paint...lots of coats... lots of sanding... and you can achieve darn near spray quality... I decided to do it with rustoleum enamel after I saw what this dude did with his car:

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html

...and my defender came out with a mirror finish

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=65938.0

Awesome!

[Afterburner]

I concur.  Thin the paint.  Basically you want it thin enough that the paint runs together and the brush strokes disappear in about 30-60 seconds.

I spray everything now, but when I do have the occasional boo-boo, I'll touch it back up with a brush while it is still wet.

In fact, I just finished spraying this huge storage cabinet I just built for my wife.  When I was moving it around, one of the trim pieces came off.

I glued and nailed it back on, filled the nail holes, sanded briefly, then hit it with a topcoat of the finish paint.  I used a foam brush and I had to thin it just a hair, but it dried mirror smooth.

Almost any paint you buy, including the expensive "quality" stuff is really thick.  Yeah, you get complete coverage in a single coat, but it looks like crap.  Thin it out and it looks a lot better.  It may take you two or three coats, but it is worth it.

I usually apply two coats primer and sand after both coats with 220.  Then I hit it with the topcoat.  I usually sand with 800 or finer.  Then another topcoat.  Then I rub it down with steel wool.  Then the final coat.

Sometimes I get a little orange peel texture where I did a crappy job with the sprayer, but I usually just apply a little polishing compound and buff the whole thing.  Glossy stuff looks like glass when I finish.

[ChadTower]

Thin it with what?  I hate brush strokes.

[javeryh]

Mineral spirits should work, I think.  I'm not sure the ratio though... 50/50?

[RetroACTIVE]

Thin it with what?  I hate brush strokes.

For me.. I tried 2 different thinners...  the first one was mineral spirits (recommended by rustoleum) but since I was  using high gloss paint... it seemed to pollute the finish... so then I tried acetone... which worked perfect... the only problem with acetone is that you have to work quickly since it evaporates so fast.  I think it was a 2/3 acetone/paint mixture... basically keeping the paint thin enough so the brush ripples+bubbles will be able to dissipate.... too thin = runny.

[QuarterJunkie]

I use Rustoleum Satin Finish black.  It's not glossy but it has a nice shine to it and it hides brush marks and touchups.

Agreed. The same stuff is available in a can and is what I used on my admin panel.

So then do you follow with Laquer or poly, or just leave it satin?

[Xiaou2]

thinned paint...lots of coats... lots of sanding... and you can achieve darn near spray quality... I decided to do it with rustoleum enamel after I saw what this dude did with his car:

http://www.rickwrench.com/index79master.htm?http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html

...and my defender came out with a mirror finish

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=65938.0

 Dude... that is Awesome!       My car could use a paint job...  maybe this summer I will attempt
this   hehe 

   

[QuarterJunkie]

Tonight I tried thinning the paint down with a little water and what an improvement! 100X better than it was before. Thanks for the tip...Sanded real good with 220 before and used a tack cloth too.

I don't think I'll try to acheive the same quality as the guy with his $50 paint job on his car (holy..$!*&#$..), but it won't look like a big orange peel either...

[ringram]

Don't use "painter's touch" paint. It is a cheap quality paint. If you've used good quality paint before, you won't be happy with the results of painters choice.

Think latex paint with water. Thin oil based paints with paint thinner. Thinning the paint allows it to settle better when applying. If you make it too think, you will require many more coats of paint, plus on vertical surfaces you run the chance of the paint running.

You can roll on the paint, and the go over it right after with a foam brush. This will greatly improve the appearance.

Make sure to prime MDF first. It will soak up the paint and the paint will raise the fibers. After primming the MDF, sand it down smooth. Than if you want a really smooth surface, spray it.