Second coat of shed paint 'splitting'

[larkim]

Wife bought a shed a few weeks ago, and is setting about making it look 'pretty' with a sage paint. On recommendations here we got cuprinol shades which went on beautifully on the first coat.

However the second coat seems to be separating when being applied - almost as if there's some contaminant like white spirit which helps it to split a few seconds after it has been applied.

She hasn't used anything other than water to clean the brushes and the shed isn't in direct sunlight.

Any experience of this; is it normal?

Cheers!

Matt

[Chris Hogg]

A bit of a guess here because I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'splitting'. Possibly the paint she applied is a dilute emulsion of an oil(1) of some sort in water. When applied to raw wood, this goes on evenly and soaks in a little, then dries to give a uniform water-repellant surface. If you then apply a second coat, it is 'repelled' by the dry first coat, like putting water on a greasy surface. As I said, a bit of a guess. Were there any instructions on the tin about applying a second coat, like applying it within a certain time after the first before it has time to dry fully?

(1) using the term loosely.

[larkim]

Yes, that's the sort of effect. I've actually just taken time to read the= ir website about the second coat and it says "Cuprinol Garden Shades will b= e touch dry in 1 hour under normal weather conditions. Where a second coat = is required, allow up to 8 hours in between coats." Unfortunately she coul= dn't get the second coat on within 8 hours due to weather / kids etc, and I= suspect she's mis-read it as "allow up to 8 hours for drying before applyi= ng second coat". It would be helpful if it said "it is essential that the s= econd coat is applied within 8 hours" as she might have done fewer panels w= ith 2 coats instead of the whole shed with 1 coat.

We'll just have to put up with it looking odd when it is applied, and hopef= ully it will dry out just fine anyway..

Thanks!

Matt

[Another John]

Hmmm -- personally I'd have read their instructions as meaning "you may have to allow up to 8 hours before you can apply a second coat". That is, "you can apply a second after at most 8 hours".

If I'd been doing this myself, it would *definitely* have been more than

8 hours before I applied a second coat, i.e. before I could bring myself to start painting again!

J.

[stephen.hull]

It is possible that the shed still contained moisture, this happened to my new shed, I had to wait a few weeks for the wood to completely dry-out before attempting painting. Even with a water based treatment it can still lift the new paint when dry as the wood starts to emit moisture.

[Roberts]

I had no trouble with a second of paint on my shed using the same paint and even the same colour but mine was not new and previously been painted with old engine oil ('cos I was skint and that came free!) So I think Stephen must be right. He obviously knows more about paint than me of course there are other amongst us who know everything!

Robbie