best finish with polyurethane

[john hamilton]

I'm painting a Formica table top with Ronseal ultra tough polyurethane with the *matt* finish . I'm using an old, but best quality bristle brush.

I'm not the very worse at wielding a paint brush, but it's surprising to me how many brush marks are still remaining, especially since it's a matt finish.

Would I be better using one of the Chinese brushes (with artificial bristles or the 'natural' very *thin* bristles)? I normally avoid them, since the ones I've used before have shed a lot of the bristles whilst using them.

Would I get any better looking results by using a paint pad? If so what one is best to get please? Also would a sponge roller or hairy cloth type roller be a better way to go? Thanks for any advice.

[Jim K]

use aerosols? Jim K

[tiredofspam]

[Jim Weisgram]

I'd try to thin with mineral spirits. And brush onto a test piece first. Most varnishes, poly or alkyd, need thinning out of the can.

The matte finish means there is an additive that reduces the sheen. It is generally a very fine silica (think very fine sand). That's why you have to stir the satin or matte poly before applying, because the silica will settle to the bottom of the can. The matte effect happens when the fine particles at the surface of the poly scatter light bouncing off it.

In short, that matte finish won't affect the brush marks one way or the other.

[stuart noble]

I apply it very sparingly with a rag. You can do several thin coats in succession that way without waiting for the previous one to dry

[geraldthehamster]

Are you rubbing it down between coats? You can also flat off the final coat with 120 grit paper.

Cheers Richard

[Puckdropper]

"john hamilton" wrote in news:i462d5$hkq$ [e-mail]:

*snip*

I've gotten good results with using paint pads. I cut up old shorts and folded the pieces over to make the pads.

I've only tried this with the gloss poly, so as always test on scrap first and see how you like the results.

Puckdropper

[Clot]

Faced with the situation you have, I would not apply any varnish to the surface. (I have to say that I would not have done what you did.)

My thoughts would be to apply either furniture or car polish and re apply as necessary. I cannot believe that any varnish will "grab hold" to the Formica for more than a short while.

I could be mistaken and am willing to learn!

[Morgans]

"john hamilton" wrote

Try thinning out the stuff with a little Japan Oil. Works good on a flat surface, to make it flow out any brush marks. Either that, or a little thinner, but you will have to wait for it to set longer.

[Spamlet]

Artificial brushes are useless. Like nylon sheets they are nasty slippery things that give little control.

I solved the varnish/laquer problem when I saw a frighteningly cheap set of flat 'sable' (very fine hair) brushes in the Works cheapo book and stationery shop. For a couple of quid you get several decent widths, and with the modern varnishes they wash out in water too. Some of them have the odd loose hair, but I've achieved very good brushmark free finishes with them, and compared with 'the proper' brushes, they are almost cost free.

S

[Spamlet]

That's the idea: brush marks implies it is drying before it gets the chance to flow out. On a hot day you may need quite a lot of thinner.

S

[Morgans]

"Spamlet" wrote

I wanna' make sure I read this right; these sable brushes will clean up with water, when using spirits based (non water based) finishes?

Really?

I gotta' find out what finishes will qualify for this ability, and what these brushes are, if that is indeed the case.

More information, please?

[stuart noble]

And yet paint sticks to glass. If anything, more reliably than it does to wood

[stuart noble]

Then you are well on the way to reinventing the french polish "rubber" :-), which IME is the only way to get a really smooth finish on anything. Traditionally used for shellac based finishes, but works well with paint and varnish too.

[robgraham]

"Japan Oil" ? - Mr Google's not helping me on this. I've been a long time in DIY and I've never heard of it. Can you give a bit more info please.

Rob

[Ed Pawlowski]

I wonder if he meant Japan Drier? Grumbacher Japan Drier An oil painting medium that speeds drying, improves flow, and increases gloss. Add directly to color in small amounts. Color should not be thinned beyond a soft free brushing consistency. Adding too much Japan drier to your oils can cause them to crack as they dry! More Info

[Morgans]

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote

[Leon]

No, not really, natural hair brushes go limp when used with water based products, in my experience and as you suspect water does not wash out oil based finishes.

And concerning artificial brushes, different strokes for different fokes. I never use natural brissle brushes and I would be willing to compare finish results to what would be considered a good spray finish. Its all about knowing what you are doing. Contrairy to popular belief I get glass smooth with General Finishes oil based finishes and the recomended "foam brushes", a quality foam brush however, I use Wooster foam brushes.

[Leon]

Perhaps not, paint pads are not like pads for applying shellac or rubbing out a finish. Paint pads typically hold and release a lot of paint.

[Spamlet]

It has nothing to do with the brushes: I just mentioned that as one of the wonders of modern varnishes.

agree with what it says on the tine except where it says use a synthetic filament brush: I bought a 'special' looking teflon fine filament brush and it just left trails of bubbles everywhere.)

I don't know if they are all like it these days, but at least some of the Ronseals I've used do wash out pretty well with water: they look kind of cloudy in the tin but dry clear - and I generally go for the 'diamond hard' and find it excellent: and a little goes a long way so it is not as expensive as it seems. They do tend to drip, so the finer the layer you apply the better, and that is where these thin sectioned artists brushes come into their own. (It is a year or so since I last did any varnishing - though there is still plenty needs doing! - so I didn't stick my neck out here to say whether I thinned my last lot with white spirit or water.).

Incidentally I've also used the same brushes with very thinned gloss paint to get a smooth finish on the fiddly bits of window frames too..

S