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Thread: Durable paint / pigmented varnish for furniture?

  1. #1
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    Durable paint / pigmented varnish for furniture?

    I need to build some utility grade furniture for a kids room...so for the first time in my woodworking journey I am going to go cheap and fast and use sheet goods with some paint rather than my usual glued up panels and clear varnish.

    i need the finish to be hard and durable but most household paints that I am familiar with are very soft and flexible. Is there a brand of paints that folks commonly use for furniture? Should I attempt to pigment a clear varnish to get what I am looking for?

    thx

  2. #2
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    It's oil based enamel. Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic is good brushable enamel. Use a good primer, such as the shellac based BIN.

    If you plan to use sheet goods, have you considered pre-finished. Really a time saver and a durable coating. Some are finsihed on one side only, but both sides can be found.

  3. #3
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    Benjamin Moore Aura


    Another options is oil based paint. If you can find them
    fine paint Europe..........their hollandlac brilliant
    Last edited by thomas hsieh; 08-28-2014 at 10:06 AM.

  4. #4
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    Thanks. I am guessing these paints would work well on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities as well?

  5. #5
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    I would use General Finishes Enduro Pigmented Poly: http://generalfinishes.com/professio...h#.VBR5nhbQpwQ It can be tinted any color you want. It is very hard and durable and can be sprayed with a standard HVLP setup with little/no thinning depending upon the specific gun/orifice. I really like SW's WB ProClassic, too, but is so thick you need an airless sprayer, unless you plan to brush it on.

    John

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    I would use General Finishes Enduro Pigmented Poly: http://generalfinishes.com/professio...h#.VBR5nhbQpwQ It can be tinted any color you want. It is very hard and durable and can be sprayed with a standard HVLP setup with little/no thinning depending upon the specific gun/orifice. I really like SW's WB ProClassic, too, but is so thick you need an airless sprayer, unless you plan to brush it on.

    John

    +1 for General Finishes Enduro Pigmented Poly....it's highly durable, easy touch up, and they'll match most brands colorwise. I love this stuff. I also recommend the White Undercoat sanding sealer...it's heavy on solids and several coats act as a filler....super easy to sand.

    I've also sprayed Ben Moore Advance.....lays down well, easy sand...very hard finish.
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Schoene View Post
    It's oil based enamel. Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic is good brushable enamel. Use a good primer, such as the shellac based BIN.

    If you plan to use sheet goods, have you considered pre-finished. Really a time saver and a durable coating. Some are finsihed on one side only, but both sides can be found.

    I had some Sherman Williams gloss pro left over from when I painted my woodwork. As an experiment, I painted it on a small piece of MDF. I sanded between each coat. I added Floetrol.

    Despite all this effort, the finish still has brush marks. For woodwork, it would look fine. But for furniture, it looked unacceptable to me.

    On another piece of scrap, I used spray paint, the results looked really nice.

    Am I doing something wrong when I spread the Sherman Williams? I have done quite a bit of painting, and I know to apply the coats very thin.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    I would use General Finishes Enduro Pigmented Poly: http://generalfinishes.com/professio...h#.VBR5nhbQpwQ It can be tinted any color you want. It is very hard and durable and can be sprayed with a standard HVLP setup with little/no thinning depending upon the specific gun/orifice. I really like SW's WB ProClassic, too, but is so thick you need an airless sprayer, unless you plan to brush it on.

    John
    Is the Enduro similar to the targetcoatings?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulh Tremblay View Post
    Is the Enduro similar to the targetcoatings?
    Sorry, no clue; I've never used TC's products.

    John

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    I would use General Finishes Enduro Pigmented Poly: http://generalfinishes.com/professio...h#.VBR5nhbQpwQ It can be tinted any color you want. It is very hard and durable and can be sprayed with a standard HVLP setup with little/no thinning depending upon the specific gun/orifice. I really like SW's WB ProClassic, too, but is so thick you need an airless sprayer, unless you plan to brush it on.

    John
    where Do you get the color match done...do you have to order it?

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Kuzdrall View Post
    where Do you get the color match done...do you have to order it?
    David, GF does retail custom tinting at their Troy, Wisconsin HQ (262) 642-4545. Some of their regional distributors also do tinting...ask them.

    Homestead Finishes also does tinting to their limited color palette (I don't think they do major brand matching but you can ask):

    http://homesteadfinishingproducts.co...terior-paints/ (for some reason they are displaying the GF black pigmented base rather than the white base that is used for tinting.) Homestead charges $15 to ship you their custom color chart!

    Beware that regardless of who does the tinting, it will not be an exact match with the original mfg's color. My experience is exclusively with GF tinting to Ben. Moore colors.....and the match is close enough for me. Make sure you discuss with them so that there are no surprises. I don't believe either GF or Homestead offer pint color samples....only gals.

    If you require exact color matching then you might consider using Benjamin Moore Advance or the Sherwin Williams equivalent. Inferior finishes to GF pigmented Enduro, but with careful HVLP application and several top coats of Enduro Clear Poly either of those acrylics may be acceptable to you.
    Last edited by scott vroom; 11-30-2014 at 12:07 PM.
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  12. #12
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    I do plan on using hvlp and topcoating with the Enduro poly anyway so I may just save some headache and use Advance for the color layer especially if I will need to ship gallons of paint across the country.

    Thx

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Kuzdrall View Post
    I do plan on using hvlp and topcoating with the Enduro poly anyway so I may just save some headache and use Advance for the color layer especially if I will need to ship gallons of paint across the country.

    Thx
    I recommend purchasing a quart of Advance and doing some sample spraying to see if it's giving you a satisfactory finish. Here's an over-john cab I made for daughter, finished with Advance & Enduro Clear Poly topcoat. Kinda hard to tell from the crappy pic but the finish is satisfactory for that application. The Enduro poly topcoat provides a durable and chemical resistant finish.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  14. #14
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    >>>> Should I attempt to pigment a clear varnish to get what I am looking for?

    Oil based paint is nothing more than clear varnish with lots of opaque pigment added. Any oil based enamel paint will be as durable as anything else.
    Howie.........

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