Painting furniture?

[Mike Halmarack]

I recently inherited a lovely antique mahogany corner cabinet. It seems to be made from chunky MDF like material with a thin, though rich looking veneer of some kind. I want to paint it avocado and put it in the bathroom. There seem to be 2 main considerations. Preparing the surface for paint (without damaging a possibly super-thin veneer) and protecting the fibre board from airborne moisture. Is there an ideal etching type solvent that would make the surface ready for primer without having to resort to paint-stripper? Is there a specialist primer that would make a good foundation for further painting on this surface? TIA

[pen]

Errm....if it is a "lovely antique", is etching the surface and painting it the best thing to do? Although of course MDF is not normally a feature of antique furniture! If you need a bathroom cabinet, why not sell the antique and buy something more appropriate? Not that I'm trying to dictate or anything, just that your eventual heirs might curse you for ruining a valuable piece.

[Chris Bacon]

It's not an antique. Rub it over with cellulose thinners, Jizer, or WHY, and roller some paint onto it.

[Mike Halmarack]

It's the sort of "lovely antique"that's suitable for this "change of use" treatment, in my fuzzy estimation.

That's what I thought! I suspect it's just pretending to be an antique. I wouldn't want to hurt it's feelings by telling it so though.

Antiques made from MDF don't usually attract top prices. I believe in making best use of what just turns up. My next door neighbor offered the cabinet to me and my adviser told me to never refuse a gift. I guess if I did sell it, mythology would soon have it that it was a genuine Sheraton which fetched thousands at auction.

Surely painting it Avocado to match the rest of the items in the bathroom could only increase it's value? Unless, that is, it collapses like a milk soaked shredded wheat because I got the painting chemistry wrong.

[Mike Halmarack]

Now there's a man after my own heart. :) I might go for a slightly more delicately applied finish though, if the suggestion of one turns up.

[Chris Bacon]

Rollering's OK with gloss, it can be made to leave a very slightly orange-peely finish that hides minor imperfections well. I suppose you could always use a spray can of stopper or some sort of primer, rub it down, and use a spray can of a suitable colour to finish it off.

[Mike Halmarack]

Thanks, i'll put it on my short list of possibilities. I've been thinking of buying an air brush on ebay, mainly for other purposes. I know it would mean lot's of refills, even if an airbrush will spray gloss paint, which is possible I supposes.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Don't ya just hate it when some bloke has gone to the trouble of making a cabinet or something in wood then veneered it and stainded it and someone(particulary women)go and paint it. ;-)

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Mike Halmarack]

I hope so, cus I'm not keen on this kind of painting. I expect I'll end up doing it myself though. I'm getting quite adept at improvising from the lack of a handy woman.

[S Viemeister]

Just use the roller! It works very well, it's fast, and it's cheap.

[Mike Halmarack]

Fast and cheap's my ideal. I can't see many part's of this cabinet that would accommodate a roller. Maybe a tiny toy one perhaps.

[S Viemeister]

That's what I use. Tiny rollers. Brush first, on any bits that a roller won't fit into, then finish everything off with rollers. Chris is right about the orange-peel surface

- it hides most imperfections.

[Mike Halmarack]

In that case I have several jobs for them. Thanks for the tip. Tiny rollers it is.

[Chris Bacon]

What about a 100mm mini-roller? You can also combine brush and roller, brush paing the fiddly bits, and roll over the rest (a bit like the reverse of rollering doors and laying off with a brush after).

[Chris Bacon]

Ooops. I've just re-psoted approx. what you've just said!

[Rob Morley]

Can't you paint the bathroom mahogany instead?

[Mike Halmarack]

There's sometimes a tastefully located mahogany coloured ring around the inside of the avocado bathtub. I suppose I could try to encourage it to spread and assess the result.

[Mike Halmarack]

Hi Chris, using plusnet's news server and Forte Agent, one of your most helpful replies didn't arrive here. I saw the missing message on Google. I'm taking your advice on the painting, thanks.