Having undercoated a couple of doors I have realised just how much the others, finished in Dulux Trade Satinwood, have yellowed in the 2-3 years since doing them. Since I am coming to like the water-based undercoat that I am using I was wondering if anyone had any experience of water-based non-gloss top-coats. I have found Dulux Trade Diamond Satinwood but feel sure that there must be others around.
I'm not one to believe all the advertising hype but the product datasheet does say '...10 times the durability of many solvent-based satin finishes' so it can't be that bad. Besides there are no children in the house most of the time so it is not going to get that much of a thrashing anyway.
Given the lack of aggro you intend to give it, I'd say try it. I've used Dulux quick dry Satinwood in a few rooms and find it OK. If you're a perfectionist who likes a mirror gloss finish, on the other hand, don't touch it. However careful you are, brush strokes will always be visible.
Not quite a recommendation - more a suggestion. I assume you are talking about interior doors?
We were disatisfied with the general paint work in the house - especially on flush doors. So I sanded them down thoroughly (almost bare), then applied emulsion paint in the desired colour. Put a few coats on (maybe 3 - can't remember) with a roller. Finally, applied some water-based varnish, again with a roller. Pleasant (to my eyes), very slight orange-peel effect. Very satisfactory.
Some other areas were painted by brush - but wherever possible we used a roller for the varnish coat.
The choice of varnish/lacquer is critical. We bought some from Screwfix but they no longer stock it. It was described as being suitable for floors. It *might* be the same as their No Nonsense stuff - Quote No:
10708 - but ours came in a plastic container more like a plastic milk container.
When we had done this in other areas, the varnish always seemed a touch soft even years after being applied. But this stuff was excellent and much of it has been washed many times with virtually no signs of wear. Effectively no colour change despite some smoking when first applied. The varnish might very slightly affect the colour of the emulsion. Test before committing!
Hmm, the doors in this house are finished in a water-based paint which was then covered with a water-based transparent glaze. No problems so far and the last time they were painted was eight years ago.
The colour seems much more stable than the oil-based paints we have used in the past.
So many varnishes seem to stay tacky for ever and just act as dust magnets. Then when you finally have had enough and want to redo, they prove almost impossible to sand down or remove any other way!
The 'Diamond hard' varieties look terribly expensive, but varnish does go a long way, and when you come to sand it for a freshen up in the future, you will be very glad it is not tacky. (Never occurred to me to try putting it on with a roller though: does it really stop the runs that are so difficult to avoid with varnish?)
In my experience - yes, it does prevent the runs. (Of the varnish sort!!!) I do put on a very thin coat - and maybe a second or even a third if I am not happy.
The last major job - all the doors - I took the doors off and processed them one after another in the garden - horizontally. Now that really does prevent runs almost however you put the varnish on. :-)
Colour stability is the main advantage of acrylics. The disadvantages have always been the limited range of colours and the softness of the film. There are extremely tough acrylics but AFAIK they don't lend themselves to brush-on paint formulations.
Hmm, must give it a try - though how you then clean the thing... My current technique is to paint stripes down the wood and then join them up by painting them across without dipping the brush (this is how I observed the pros doing amazingly shiny finishes on old motorcycle petrol tanks), but I still get the odd nib.
Yup: been there, done that. Additionally, change all doors hinges to rising butts for easy removal and laying down of doors. You get a lovely mirror finish if you've been good with the sanding... ...And some curious sideways runs across the edges to amuse house guests, once you've put them back!
Hmm, 'polygonum': do I detect a dock enthusiast, or is this from the many angled approach necessary for the determined DIYer ? :-)
The thing is, with a roller and the lacquer/varnish I used, you can do the whole door in very little time - rolling back and forth as you go - until you are happy. Not high gloss though.
Rising butts are not much good if you like living in a house with most of the (internal) doors open most of the time!
I have a tendency to accumulate geological specimens which come in handy... It's also nice to have doors that lift off the carpet as they open too.
Or 'Arsemart' (quite useful in these forums - if it gets past the moderators!) :-)
Hadn't heard it called Smartweed - though the gradual burn on the tongue certainly can - before, but the good Mrs Grieve has a couple of pages under that name: I'll have to give it a try next time I have a toothache, or fleas - mind you, probably just gives one a bigger pain to think about!
Happy season's botanising - the orchids are upon us already!
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.