Painting MDF

[sedge]

Hi all,

I am constructing a shelving unit out of MDF (well, the shelves are going to be either 25mm or 32mm MDF supported on 1/2" threaded rods - shelves will be adjustable even though it's going to be a great pain to thread all the nuts on!) and I wanted to get a really smooth and glossy finish on the MDF.

I was wondering if there were any tricks to obtaining this kind of finish (sanding between coats, using a roller v brush, any particular products to look out for etc)?

And hints or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[Bitnchips]

Hi sedge,

I have just stained and varnished MDF. I sanded the MDF before applying any stain because a test I did beforehand showed me that sanding gave me a much better look with the stain.

I used Antique Walnut (waterbase) stain applied with a brush, sanded then applied a second coat of stain.

I then sanded again and applied a coat of waterbased varnish, with a brush, sanded then applied a second coat of varnish.

The link below should take you to my thread (My Bookcase) showing pics of the end result. I hope this is of some help to you.

Cheers

Nick

https://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=96515

[Old farmer]

Nick, somehow I have missed your original post showing your book case, lovely.
Thanks very much for this information, too. I am trying not to work with MDF nowadays, no disrespect to you, Sedge, and shall try your methods on ply.

[sedge]

Nick your bookcase looks fantastic.

What I've just realised that I omitted from my post is that I was thinking of painting, not staining/varnishing. Sorry for the confusion!

[Manuka Jock]

Sedge , lightly sand the surface to key up the 'wax' sealer in the mdf.

And prime and sand the edges as many times as is needed to achieve the same finish as the face .

Enamel paint is a better option that acrylic , and spraying give a smoother finish than brush or roller .

[MadeInTheShed]

I recently built an MDF bathroom vanity carcase, and finished it in Automotive 2 pack Used the recomended primer filler on it first, light sand with 400, then 1 coat of white over the top. Came up really well.

[mac_man_luke]

2 pack automotive paint shouldnt be used unless you have a proper spray booth and appropriate safety gear, its rather toxic.