Which paint for shelves?

[NoSpam]

Just about to paint some new shelves, is there a type or brand of paint that is tougher than others?

D

[Stuart Noble]

They're all much of a muchness unless you go to the trouble of sourcing specialist paints. Oil based eggshell is quite a good finish for shelves but I haven't seen that in the sheds for a while. Certainly still available from trade suppliers.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Farrow and Ball do an excellent range of oil based eggshell. I've used that over acrylic primer and occasionally their undercoat for 'perfect' finishes.

[fred]

That's certainly what's on mine, Dulux Trade Eggshell, available from B&Q (certainly the warehouses anyway). The water based is distinguished by the Quick Drying label, oil based by the small High in VOC caution label on the back.

[no spam here, thanks]

You don't say if these are raw wood, faux wood finish, melamine or whatever. I haven't painted raw wood, but have painted a variety of shelves and cupboards of various finishes, and I have had good to excellent results.

IMHO the key is preparation: keying the surface, using proper primer (e.g. melamine primer for any faux finish) and I've used simple satin finish paints, including the Dulux 'made up to a specific colour' ones (whatever they're called). I have and have not used undercoat, sometimes painting straight over the primer (I can't recall if that's recommended or not - read the tin) and - provided the undercoat is thinned, I've had these good to excellent results.

Apart from good preparation, they other key, I think, is not to apply too much paint (of all coats combined) thereby reducing the likelihood of a chip. My shelves have stood up to a lot of hard knocks and are now in use as tool shelves in the garage and still haven't chipped - scratched of course, but little or no collateral damage.

[Simon Stroud]

Slightly similar to "eggshell" is the Dulux Satinwood type. I have found this very satisfactory for shelves - it goes on lovely and smooth after suitable preparation (I always use a water based acrylic primer/undercoat - previously Dulux but now exclusively Permoglaze, which I get from my local specialist shop). However Beware - Dulux also do (or did last time I looked) a "quick drying" satinwood, which is water based, and which is rubbish compared to the very nice Satinwood range. The water based one is nastily thick so does not go on as well as the solvent based, and I have found it also seems to chip off far more easily. Satinwood is available at the Dulux "mix to your choice of colour" machines in your local B&Q I think.

Good luck! Simon.

[NoSpam]

Now thoroughly sanded, primed, sanded and undercoated (with the Dulux "professional" range) and I've bought some of the Farrow and Ball oil-based eggshell.

Thanks to all for the advice.

D