Type of paint for cabinets in garage

[stryped1]

I have been thinking of making several cabinets for my detached garage. I w as thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised panel s made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned un less I am in there and then only a propane heater.

I need to make several of them and I figured painting them a dark color wou ld be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from woo d to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

I want them to look nice, but I also want them to hold up. I would like to attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a c raftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the cup at the bottom.

What kind of paint would you use? I am concerned with humidity and paint pe eling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fram es with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up p eeling badly.

I am not sure I can spray latex through the sort of gun I am talking about.

What about laquer? I have never worked with it. It seems maybe I read it is prone to cracking, I don't know.

I appreciate any advice you can provide!

[woodchucker]

Did you prime the wood before you painted with enamel? paint requires primer, it's what makes that really good bond.

Latex would work well, enamel, just make sure you prime.

[Dave Balderstone]

I'd use a tinted opaque polyurethane. I like General Finishes products, stay away from anything Minwax. Had a client specify their Polyshades product, and it is the demon spawn from hell, sprayed or brushed.

djb

[whit3rd]

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

Go with plywood or plywood panels; your humidity and temperature changes (c an cause condensation) will not be kind to mdf. A washable finish is good, which m eans you want gloss paint (or enamel), and it won't stick well or hide the woodgrain unless you start with some primer.

Face frames with poplar are a good idea; plywood painted edges are a nuisan ce to hide, and an annoyance if revealed.

[Lew Hodgett]

I have been thinking of making several cabinets for my detached garage. I was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised panels made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

I need to make several of them and I figured painting them a dark color would be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from wood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

I want them to look nice, but I also want them to hold up. I would like to attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the cup at the bottom.

What kind of paint would you use? I am concerned with humidity and paint peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door frames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

I am not sure I can spray latex through the sort of gun I am talking about.

What about laquer? I have never worked with it. It seems maybe I read it is prone to cracking, I don't know.

I appreciate any advice you can provide!

--------------------------------------------------------------- Plywood, poplar & MDF are good choices for shop cabinets.

I would forget about spraying, IMHO, this job is better suited to a brush.

I'd buy a dozen 2" chip brushes and trash a brush when you are done with it.

Trying to clean one is a waste of time IMHO.

I'd use Zinisser Cover Stain primer.

It's white, oil based, and does a great job. (You won't spray, but could roller it it)

You can even buy it in California by the quart.

I'd prime the MDF panels completely, especially the edges, prior to ass'y.

I'd prime the interiors after ass'y. White interiors get rid of the dark cave experience when you are searching for something.

Helps eliminate the flashlight in the mouth experience when looking for something.

A final coat of your favorite water based floor and deck enamel on the exterior surfaces, and it's time for a beer.

Have fun.

Lew

[woodchucker]

I would never use chip brushes for painting something you want to look good. They don't hold enough paint to wet out correctly.

Get the best quality brush, and clean it. I have my purdy for years, it's better when it ages then when it's new. But then it falls off the cliff and needs replacing.

[Electric Comet]

I'd use whatever I have if it's enough. Then I'd go to look for people giving away paint, then I'd buy some if all else failedd.

This just what I'd do.

[Mike]

If you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore in your area you can usually get paint there for cheap.

[chrisring]

I'd use 1/4" plywood flat panels- no MDF. Spray with White pigmented shella c (BIN), clean equipment with ammonia and water. Give cabs a quick sanding with 150 or so. Spray 2 coats of Manor Hall Interior/Exterior 100% acrylic enamel minimally thinned with denatured alcohol. Done.

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

ould be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from w ood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

o attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the c up at the bottom.

peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fr ames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

is prone to cracking, I don't know.

[stryped1]

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

ould be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from w ood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

o attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the c up at the bottom.

peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fr ames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

is prone to cracking, I don't know.

Would you build them out of 2x4, mdf, frame and panel or what?

[Lew Hodgett]

Would you build them out of 2x4, mdf, frame and panel or what?

-------------------------------------------------------- If I were building shop/garage wall cabinets, I'd start here for the doors:

Use rail & stile construction.

Make rails and stiles from 3/4" x 2" poplar.

Make the panels from 3/4" plywood.

You now have a cupboard door that is strong enough that you can mount things on the inside surface.

If the plywood is not a full 3/4", you will need to run the 3/4" x 2" poplar thru the planer to match the plywood thickness.

Select some good hinges and paint per previous post.

Have fun.

Lew

[John McCoy]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:54af5caf$0$11351 $b1db1813$ [e-mail]:

I presume your intention here is to simply rabbet the plywood to fit the groove in the frame - as opposed to a bevel or any other sort of profile on the panel?

If it were me, since these are shop cabinets, I wouldn't worry about matching the frame thickness to the panels. It won't hurt if the frame is 1/8th proud of the panel. If you really cared, offsetting the rabbets slightly would let the front face be flush.

Actually, I'd probably go with thinner ply for the doors, to make them lighter and easier on the hinges. Unless the panels are huge, 1/2 or even 3/8th would be stiff enough to hold a rack of screwdrivers or whatever mounted on the inside

John

[woodchucker]

Hell no.

Rail and Stile and 1/2 ply. You don't need 3/4.

1/2 ply will allow you to mount things, you get enough purchase in 1/2 And that's good enough. it will keep the weight down which keeps the doors aligned better.

It's a lot less weight and a lot less $$ for 1/2.

For the cabinet, 1/2 or 3/4 inch ply. You don't need much there as it is an vertical structure which will be plenty stong if built tight.

Don't over build it, and don't underbuild it. Build it right.

it's not hard to put together carcasses.

[dadiOH]

Or, one could use 1/4", ply or masonite. Still lighter and cheaper and things can be easily mounted to it by fastening a piece of 1x2 to the back with screws from the front.

[chrisring]

I build paint grade cabinets using soft maple instead of poplar. Its more s table and it looks and smells better. I dosn't cost much more. 3/4" D3 mapl e for carcasses and shelves, 1/2" baltic birch for drw boxes, 1/4" baltic b irch for drw bottoms and door panels. I usually build my doors and drawer b oxes first, even finish them. I store them out of the way while I assemble and finish the carcasses last. I usually talk the client into clear lacquer on drawer boxes and interiors when they want painted cabinets because I fi nd a good lacquer finish inside is easier to achieve than a flawless paint finish.

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

ould be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from w ood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

o attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the c up at the bottom.

peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fr ames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

is prone to cracking, I don't know.

[chrisring]

On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 2:38:00 PM UTC-6, [e-mail] wrote :

stable and it looks and smells better. I dosn't cost much more. 3/4" D3 ma ple for carcasses and shelves, 1/2" baltic birch for drw boxes, 1/4" baltic birch for drw bottoms and door panels. I usually build my doors and drawer boxes first, even finish them. I store them out of the way while I assembl e and finish the carcasses last. I usually talk the client into clear lacqu er on drawer boxes and interiors when they want painted cabinets because I find a good lacquer finish inside is easier to achieve than a flawless pain t finish.

I was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised p anels made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditione d unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

would be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from wood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

to attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the cup at the bottom.

t peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door frames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

t is prone to cracking, I don't know.

(use pre-cat lacquer)

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------------------------------

Lew Hodgett wrote:

----------------------------------------------

"woodchucker" wrote:

------------------------------------------ "dadiOH" wrote:

------------------------------------------- Didn't realize the design goal was to go cheap.

This is a garage/shop area, not a bathroom vanity or similar soft application.

Guess that means 2" chip brushes and the cheapest primer are also in play.

Lew

[chrisring]

I use pre-cat lacquer from Sherwin-Williams. Never had any cracking problem s. Its actually quite flexible. I use this Harbor Freight Sprayer for all m y jobs.

html I have several of them, I use them for contact cement, preservatives, shell ac, lacquer, oil base, and water based paints. I like to tell people I can shoot contact cement all over something, and the next day finish a grand pi ano with the same gun. I have several because I clean them to varying degre es. Lacquer dissolves fluid hoses in time, I replace them with 1/4" fuel li ne which only lasts a bit longer than the original hoses. Set your main reg ulator at about 70 psi, have another regulator at the gun set at about 10 o r so, fluid pressure at the cup 7-15 depending how thick your material is. Always strain your paint. Recently, I have started thinning acrylic enamels with denatured alcohol be cause it drys faster than water. I used to insist on oil enamels, but they are making good quality acrylics now. The Manor Hall Interior/Exterior I me ntioned can be sanded with 320 in a few hours without pilling and polished to a high degree after a day. Using water base acrylic paint, a sealer is really important because the wa ter will keep raising the grain even after repeated sandings. White pigment ed shellac is still the finest base coat money can buy. Thin with denatured alcohol and clean up with ammonia. It is sandable in half an hour. Don't w orry if you can still see the grain through the sealer, you don't want a bu ild up of the shellac, just enough to seal and stabilize the wood fibers so they will stand up to being cut down leveled with sandpaper.

n Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 7:31:26 AM UTC-6, [e-mail] wrote:

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

ould be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from w ood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

o attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the c up at the bottom.

peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fr ames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

is prone to cracking, I don't know.

[woodchucker]

Again, chip brushes are not painting brushes. They are used for removing chips on machinery. They don't hold enough paint.

[chrisring]

Also the standard for door rails and stiles is 2 1/4". 2" would be too narr ow, especially if you are using european hinges.

was thinking plywood carcass, but maybe poplar face frames with raised pan els made out of mdf. The garage is insulted but not heated/air conditioned unless I am in there and then only a propane heater.

ould be best as they will probably get dirty. I work with everything from w ood to cars. My shop is a 30x30.

o attempt to paint them with a sprayer. I have a large air compressor and a craftsman gun which may be siphon fed or HVLP, I am not sure. It has the c up at the bottom.

peeling. When I built the house around 97, I painted all my outdoor door fr ames with enamel. Every single piece of wood I painted with enamel ended up peeling badly.

is prone to cracking, I don't know.