Painting MDF?

[laserpistol76]

I'm going to paint some MDF. I know I need to prime it first but is there anything else I need to do?

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Seal it with poly first to keep it from swelling from the paint and you should be good to go.

1-2 coats of poly, sand, paint like anything else.

 

[Weaselhammer]

I've used shellac with good results also

 

[Jsimon999]

If you poly you should do both sides or you may wind up with a bowed piece that might be hard to deal with (depending on what you're doing).

I poly-ed one side of some 3/4" cabinet boards last year and they took on quite a bow. I hit the other side a couple times and they straightened out.

Jon

 

[Michael Bergeron]

If you poly you should do both sides or you may wind up with a bowed piece that might be hard to deal with (depending on what you're doing).

I poly-ed one side of some 3/4" cabinet boards last year and they took on quite a bow. I hit the other side a couple times and they straightened out.

Jon

Good advice for any finish. :thumbsup

 

[laserpistol76]

Seal it with poly first to keep it from swelling from the paint and you should be good to go.

1-2 coats of poly, sand, paint like anything else.

Never painted MDF before, little experience with paint,

What's poly?

Also: I'm painting a MDF piece metallic silver. Should I use a certain type of paint like acrylic paint? Will that type work?

 

[tamplain]

Never mind question answered.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Never painted MDF before, little experience with paint,

What's poly?

Polyurethane. This stuff:

Minwax® Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors | Hardwood Floor Finishing

Also: I'm painting a MDF piece metallic silver. Should I use a certain type of paint like acrylic paint? Will that type work?

Once you've sealed the MDF you can use any paint you like.

 

[laserpistol76]

So I went to Home Depot today to get paint. Will this kind work?

 

[cavx]

The result will depend on the finish of the surface. The smoother the surface, the better the result. I used to send a workshop MDF right off the saw and they would send it back glossy with 2 PAK with no sign of the seams or end grain. They used a special primer filler and then the top coat. They charged me for it too, don't worry there, but worth it for an excellent result.

 

[Dark]

Take a look at this link. It has good tips about painting MDF including the edges.

Tips for Painting MDF - Fine Woodworking Article

 

[thekillerklown]

Excellent tips and thanks for the link Dark.:thumbsup

 

[hdtheater]

I have always used shellac for primer and been very pleased with the results. Checking that link, I'll try lacquer and see if I get better results.

-Eric

 

[Oldman]

I use 1 or two coats of epoxy resin as a sealer for MDF and plywood. It's a bit labor intensive because of the sanding but produces a smooth surface. Usually 2 coats of epoxy resin, 1 coat of latex primer, 2 coats of latex paint. I prefer to use the System Three brand of resins, but there are others.

p.s. in the attached photo the vertical surface near the camera and the slightly sloping horizontal surface are MDF, everything else is hardwood plywood.

 

[Rebelscum]

Take a look at this link. It has good tips about painting MDF including the edges.

Tips for Painting MDF - Fine Woodworking Article

I do this all the time. You can go through all kinds of different processes to finish the edges, and they all work for people, but this is by far the easiest method.