High Tide Aquatics

getting a nice clean finish painting a stand?

phishphood

phishphood

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I'm not sure if it'll be on ply or on a solid board, but I'm going to need to paint my stand black. Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of semi-gloss. Doesn't matter too much if it's flat or semi-, since I'm hoping for a few coats of polyurethane as well. So what's the best method? I have an air compressor of sorts, but not sure if it's enough to justify buying a HVLP gun or anything of the sort. Also, I'm not sure how often I'll be painting things after this, so low investment would be fine. Ideas please? Thanks. Oh, and it's going to be about 18 sq ft.
 
Hi Mitch

I did poly on one stand using a brush, you need to get a high quality one and lots of patience. Not sure on how a spray gun would work applying poly but I did not want to risk it since I have no air dryer connected to the compressor nor filters to let pure air push the paint through the nozzle. I'd prefer by brush either bristle or foam.
Don't know if you saw the basement where you picked the lights but lots of dust down there so using the compressor is not such good thing and outside is subject to a really calm day but still lots of tiny bits of something flying around.
 
Hey Mario. Yeah, I saw the basement and talked with your brother about it a little. The clearcoat isn't what worries me as much. I managed to get a nice coat on my previous stand via brush just fine. It's just getting a good paint job that worries me. Maybe it's just the paint that I picked up to practice with, being latex and all, that kept drying with brush lines or drips. I'll go pick up some oil or acrylic paint tomorrow and see how that goes.
 
I'm in the process of my first finish and I used pre-mixed polyurethane. I started with the cabby doors and sanded them down with a 80 grit, applied the first coat, let dry, sanded again with 220, applied another coat, sanded with xxx wool then applied the last coat. Finish looks great, but I'm afraid it's too shiny.

I'll try and get some pictures, but my camera is cheap and the shine would just make the door look better than it really is. I may try a small bucket of regular black paint and compare the difference.
 
Mitch there´s an additive to prolong paint´s setting/drying time; I can´t remember if is available for both, oil and water based.
I also think a small foam roller can leave a nice finish too.
 
Do you want your stand to have a completely smooth mirror-like finish or do you want to see the wood grain? If you want a smooth finish then you will have to go with MDF boards. Keep in mind that if you spray wood the grain will raise. You will have to lightly sand it down after you lay down the primer coat and spray again. You can rent a HVLP gun at home depot pro.
 
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