Paint still tacky ....

[willow_16]

I need help! I have painted a melamine bookcase. First I primmed the white melamine bookcase with latex primer and then gave this item two coats of regular latex paint. This was approximately three months ago and the case is still tacky when anything is place on it.

Where did I go wrong? My first attempt and thinking i messed up somewhere and was told at the paint store this was the route to take.

Many thanks for any assistance that might be offered.

[son_of_bluegras]

If you put your hand on it does it feel sticky or does stuff that sits on the painted surface tend to stick after it's sat for a bit?

If the later, I've seen latex still do that after a year or so when primed then painted over bare wood. I think it is the nature of some latex paints.

ron

[nrb]

Did you sand or key the surface or use any keying treatment before you primed it?
IMO unless you treat the melamine before painting, getting it to adhere may be a problem. I don't know if this has anything to do with drying.
There is a product called ESP which claims to work so you can successfully paint glass.
I am sure you can get this in your part of the world,I'm sure I saw it at Home Depot

[Kev Y.]

I think your problem was using a latex paint, latex ( or Acrylic ) paints take a very long time to fully cure and will have that soft sticky feel for a very long time.

Melamine has a hard surface and will not allow the paint to penetrate too much at all. In this instance I would have used a good quality oil base paint.

So from here you have two options... 1 - live with it .. or 2 - strip off all of your hard work, and start again.

Sorry

Oh yeah, welcome to the board....

[soundman]

As has been said, you have been led up the garden path on the water bassed paint.

melamine is a PITA to paint......lots of us use it arround the workshop because paint and glue does not stick to it, and abrasives hardly touch it unless you get very agressive.

Water bassed acrilics at the best of times do not go off hard and are unsuitable for furniture, the stuff can be off for years, if you put somthing hard and heavy on it for a while it will stick and pull big chunks off the stuff off...and that is on timber.

If ya want to get reasonable adhesion on melamine ( it will never be great), you need to get into the agressive solvents.

From memory "white night" do a paint specificaly designed for melamine and laminate.

Personally I'd be sanding well at 180 gritt ( use a machine) and then using my prefered thinners bassed epoxy primer undercoat, then doing whatever probably in thinners bassed paint over that.

even turps bassed enamel will remain green for weeks and not harden properly for over a month.

rather than turps bassed enamel or the proper melamine paint...ya next best non thinners top coat would be polyeurtahane paving paint, like berger jet dry.

I have used it extensively and it goes off hard....just get past the idea that it says paving pint on the tin...its an opaqe poly eurathane.

you should have no problem gettng the latex off with a sharp scraper.


cheers

[willow_16]

Thank you all for the many suggestions. Its still tacky after all this time and sadly sitting empty. I shall tackle this with sandpaper and then follow up with your suggestions. Again, thank you for the many tips. Greatly appreciated.

[dr4g0nfly]

Soundman mentions one primer manufacturer, International Paints also do a Melamine primer.

[soundman]

Thank you all for the many suggestions. Its still tacky after all this time and sadly sitting empty. I shall tackle this with sandpaper and then follow up with your suggestions. Again, thank you for the many tips. Greatly appreciated.

Sand paper after, but a scraper will probably be faster and less frustrating for getting the existing finish off.

cheers

[Kev Y.]

I would go as far as suggesting either a heatgun or a solvent (or non solvent based if you like ) paint stripper THEN sand

[soundman]

Ig ya get hold of one of these carbide blade scrapers, I recon you will find most of it will come off no trouble at all.

they are a carbide spindle moulder knife in a handle.

A serioulsy good piece of gear.

they don't leave much behind.

At one time they where not well knwon or easily available, (I baught my first one from a saw doctor) but most hardwares and paint shops have them now.

The blades are a bit expensive if you buy them at the hardware, but if you buy from a saw doctor or indistrial woodworking supplier, they get a hell of a lot cheaper

cheers

[willow_16]

Thanks to all again. Most imformative and appreciated!

best regards