How To Make Wood Grain Show Through Paint

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From the cabinets in your kitchen to a piece of piece of furniture to a fun craft, there are plenty of forest items y'all can pigment. And one of the best things about forest is that it accepts a variety of paints well, whether y'all opt for something that's acrylic or an oil-based formula. Painting wood is an easy mode to change its look and give it some new personality, only it'southward not ever articulate what pigment to apply for dissimilar projects and applications. Here's what you need to know about the right paint to utilise for wood.

What'due south Your Projection?

Outset, information technology'southward essential to figure out the nature of your project, meaning y'all'll need to decide not just what you're painting but besides where it's located or going to be used. Are you lot painting shingles on the outside of your home? Or are you painting an outdoor deck that'll see a lot of foot traffic? How most kitchen cabinets that people will touch frequently, or a bathroom shelf that'll be exposed to high humidity from the shower?

Knowing things similar whether or not it's going to become wet, how often someone's going to utilize it or impact it and what overall result or look you want to achieve are all essential for determining what paint yous should use for the project. Woods accepts a very wide range of paints and stains, but each of those can have differing levels of immovability and protection. Some paints are ameliorate than others in certain situations, and you'll demand to know your detail state of affairs before you lot brand your choice.

Paint Types and Formulas

The great thing about wood is that, as long as you lot apply primer to it in most cases, any blazon of pigment works well on it, depending on what office you need your project to serve. Generally speaking, paints to employ on wood are h2o-based or oil-based. Acrylic and latex are the two almost mutual types of water-based paints, while oil-based paints fall into 2 categories: synthetic or natural. Each of these is meliorate than others for specific applications.

Latex paint is quick-drying, piece of cake to clean and better for the environment than other types. Information technology'south too less probable to discolor over time. Withal, it's not the almost durable choice, as information technology can scratch and bit hands. It's best for indoor wood items or surfaces that you won't touch or use very often, such as rarely used article of furniture, storage cabinet doors, stair spindles and pic frames. Latex pigment is frequently the most affordable type.

Acrylic paint is ideal for home exteriors, although you can likewise apply oil-based paint here. If the exterior is made up of different materials, such as rock and wood, you're better off choosing acrylic. Materials like stone and masonry need breathable paint to allow wet and water vapor to pass through, and oil-based paint prevents this. Acrylic arts and crafts paints are likewise widely available and easy to use and clean up if you lot're doing a simple DIY craft projection using wood.

Constructed oil paint, which is also chosen alkyd, is the best choice for applications where you need a lot more immovability. Call back everyday furniture that'll become used and jostled often, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, interior trims like baseboards and door frames that'll become kicked and touched oft, and flooring indoors and out. Oil-based paints are more rigid than flexible, water-based types so they're less likely to chip — fifty-fifty when people are walking on them — and they're also easier to wash make clean because of this.

Natural oil paint, chosen linseed, is best for craft projects on which you want to create a warm, aged patina. It's typically much more expensive than the synthetic variety, which is why it'south best for smaller projects.

Prepping for the Project

To help the paint adhere well and to ensure the finish looks its best when everything is dry, it's important to prep your wood to go it ready. If you lot're painting an exterior surface or item, give everything a thorough launder to make sure there isn't any dirt, dust, moss or algae, all of which tin continue the paint from sticking to the surface. If y'all're painting wood deck article of furniture, a table or something else for the outdoors that people will touch often, it's a wise idea to sand it before painting to requite the paint something shine to attach to. Splinters and cracks tin can also keep the finished product from looking its best, and they're uncomfortable to sit on. Allow the surface or or detail dry out out fully before applying the paint, and requite it a few days to dry and start curing before you use it. Information technology's best to do outdoor wood-painting projects while the weather is squeamish.

If yous're repainting an interior surface or furniture such equally kitchen cabinetry or a dresser, take a look at the existing paint or cease. If the particular's current pigment isn't chipped, cracked or bubbling, you can unremarkably paint right over information technology; just sand the wood areas briefly to give the surface more texture for the paint to stick to. If you don't need to remove cabinet pigment, it's withal a practiced idea to clean the doors with a heavy-duty solution similar TSP to eliminate all traces of grease and grime. If y'all do need to remove a little bit of paint, such as a few chipped areas, yous can sand them downward. However, y'all may need to use paint stripper for items with paint that's very damaged. This is a product that softens the old pigment so you can scrape and wipe it all off.

A word of caution hither: If your cabinets or other painted home surfaces were last done in the 1970s or earlier, they may contain pb-based pigment. If you use a testing kit and decide there'southward atomic number 82 in your paint, telephone call the National Pb Data Center or your local health department to find out how to keep.