My wife wants me to build a buffet for the dining room, and paint it black. (I am loathe to do it, but a happy wife makes for a happy workshop). My question is this, I was thinking of making it out of pine since it will be painted and finished with probably a poly. Should I go with a hard wood instead? or maybe make the body out of pine and the top out of a hard wood? Thanks for any help.
If you're painting it, how about cabinet grade plywood and MDF? Since you can't see the wood, using more stable materials could make the job easier.
MDF takes routed profiles nicely and plywood is strong and stable.
Barry
Painted ? Make it out of sheet stock instead, ply or MDF - saves you a lot of joinery complexity.
As it's relatively small, well-supported and won't be carrying an enormous load, I'd go with MDF. If you don't already have one, now's a good time to get a biscuit jointer.
How about using poplar instead (that is if you don't want to use ply or some other sheet good)? Even if you paint it, the problem with pine is that it's soft, just look at it wrong and it's going to get dinged or dented. Poplar also takes paint pretty well. Other cheap hardwoods you might look at include soft maple (that's really not all that soft, just softer than hard maple).
Poplar takes paint better than pine, although white pine is lighter. If you decide to go with pine, use a good underbody/primer. Douglas fir is not too bad either.
Ditto what Ph-man said. A high-gloss black paint job is only going to look as good as the primer job you do on the bare wood.
And _don't_ cringe at your wife's choice quite yet. Although it's not my cup o' tea, I have seen black-painted casework that was just stunning. Very classy. We rag, (no pun intended), on paint all the time around here but wrongly so, imo. Concentrate on the primer job, and your black paint job is going to look really elegant. Scrimp on the primer, or hurry the application, and your paint job is going to look hacked.
Take your time, and post pictures. Best of luck,
Michael
In 1976 I bought a Bennington pine dining room set. It is used most every day. The table has a couple of small dings, but is otherwise just fine. Heavy chars are still rock solid. The table top and chair bottoms are a full 2" thick, the chair arms (Admiral's chairs) have 1" thick arms.
In 1981 we bought a Bennington pine kitchen table. It is also used every day. Still looks good. Based on my experience, pine is a good wood to use.
May I make a suggestion? Before you go ahead and paint it, take a scrap of the pine, invest $2.00 in a small can of Minwax Jacobean stain. It is very dark and perhaps your wife will accept it over black paint. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
Why would you put the Minwax stain over the black paint, Ed?
(g,d&r) ;-)
Patriarch
How do you "rag on paint"? Specifically, what kind of paint (oil, latex) do you use and how thin do you make it? Do you have to use a brush for inside corners, etc?
Thanks.
Charles
Have I missed the comical nature of your post or did you miss Michael's?
He was saying that wRECker's look down on painting wood (hence the "no pun intended") and that we shouldn't.
Cheers,
Andy
I guess I did miss the joke - I thought when he said "no pun intended" he implied sincerity rather that sarcasm. Anyway, I sometimes do paint wood furniture and had never tried to apply the paint with a rag, but it sounded interesting because I always end up with some brush strokes.
(I'm still not sure if Michael was joking or not - even after rereading his and your posts.)
Charles
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Charles Lerner) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:
Forty years ago, at least in my part of the world, there was slang phrase "to rag on", meaning, roughly, to harrass, demean, disrespect, look down upon, etc.
"She was ragging on him all day to cut the grass". "Mom ragged on me until I got my homework done."
In those days, paint went on with a brush, a roller, or, if you were really a pro, an airless spray rig. Faux finishes were only for the rich and famous...
Or something like that.
Thanks to all. Great advice, I will seriously consider the MDF since I have 3 sheets in my garage, I just never thought of using it for making furniture.
O.K., I reread all the messages again and finally get it! (now, i'm embarassed)
Charles
Don't be. We won't rag on you. :)
Michael
While you are testing these other options you might try test spraying a flat or matte clear finish over black paint instead of a gloss. Glossy finishes show every nick and dent and are somehow always look like children's room furniture to me. Prime and paint away but use a can or two of matte spray finish as your top coat and furniture will have a more sophisticated look. I usually use acrylic paints in glossy or matte or however I find the paint color I like and then use matte finish spray as the top coat. Works out as if the original paints were matte or flat as well.
Josie
If its going to be painted then MDF would my choice cheap and will take paint very well.
I always find odd the postings I read for the people who do not recommend using pine for furniture. Where I come from people a pay premium to get antique pine furniture and reproductions also do very well.
Daniel
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.