Painting

[noobofthecentury]

How do you apply paint on MDF?
two things I learned is that for sure it is not stainable
and It need a primer first.

How many coat of primer does it need?

for example:
is this a correct way?

step 1.apply primer
step 2.paint it
step 3.spray polyurethane

can anyone explain in more detail steps to get a slick/shiny color. I'm thinking of white.

[Hoopz]

Here's what one member did and the results are incredible.  And I have officially quoted this enough times to be considered his #1 stalker.   

This is basically what  I did:

1.  Sanded MDF with 600 grit to get it as smooth as possible
2.  Applied OIL-based primer - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (2 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd coat with 220 grit.
3.  Applied water-based pink paint - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (6 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd, 4th and 5th coats with 220 grit.
4.  Sprayed on 25 coats of lacquer straight from the can - no sanding.
5.  Wetsanded like crazy with 1500 grit - I spent 8 hours just on this step
6.  Applied rubbing compound with soft cotton rag (2 coats)
7.  Applied polish with soft cotton rag and buffer (2 coats)

HERE are a few good shots of the difference the rubbing compound/polish makes.

I did not have access to any spraying tools/materials, unfortunately.  The lacquer was easy to apply though - I did it all in one weekend since each coat dried in 20 minutes.  I couldn't get it perfect but the finish still looks 1,000,000 times better than leaving brushstrokes on there with ordinary paint, IMO.  It almost looks like it came from the factory or something.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do - I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can...   

[superart]

You know what I did for my mdf, i didn't paint at all. I covered it all in black contact paper, and used spray on adhesive to make sure it stayed in place. I also found out something interesting, when I sprayed on the adhesive I didn't get any bubbles. That is it was a smooth finish, as if the mdf was just black. I will post some pics on the project announcements forum once I get my camera back.

[Jeff AMN]

I primed with oil based primer with two coats and then used a regular old black (enamel finish) paint. The primer made for an extremely smooth surface for the final coats, and the results were great.

Primed:


Painted:

[FrizzleFried]

This isnt' a sports car.  I think the guy linked above went a little bit overboard...

I simply prime with Kills primer...single coat...then two coats of black oil based enamel.

If you feel you "need" to sand,  do it between coats of black paint...I don't bother.   The games all end up in a darkened game room anyway.