Priming and paining mdf and foam board
- Thread starter Joe Scrivens
- Start date
LaughingAndroid
New Member
For MDF one of the best tips I have gotten is this
The edges of MDF are like sponges!
Use drywall compound on the edges, it is looser than wood filler and really fills it in nicely
I use a cheap meat injector (a plastic spoon works also) to run a thin line then use my finger to smooth it . Easy to sand once dry.
NEVER USE WATER BASED PRIMER ON MDF
the wood swells and is not fixable
I use lacquer-based white paint. Sand it first
My first MDF project went horribly wrong very quickly lol
I love insulation foam
I use acrylic paint, 2 base coats so your color will show true
I did a couple gloss acrylic coats on some foam and spray painted it with regular cheap spray paint no problem
Just test a small piece first
The edges of MDF are like sponges!
Use drywall compound on the edges, it is looser than wood filler and really fills it in nicely
I use a cheap meat injector (a plastic spoon works also) to run a thin line then use my finger to smooth it . Easy to sand once dry.
NEVER USE WATER BASED PRIMER ON MDF
the wood swells and is not fixable
I use lacquer-based white paint. Sand it first
My first MDF project went horribly wrong very quickly lol
I love insulation foam
I use acrylic paint, 2 base coats so your color will show true
I did a couple gloss acrylic coats on some foam and spray painted it with regular cheap spray paint no problem
Just test a small piece first
Gattaca
Well-Known Member
I work at a museum and we use MDF all the time, and we use acrylic or water based paints on it all time, with out any problems. Now maybe the board we get in Canada is different than what you get so do a test before you go with anything else. We also use something called agualente (usually sprayed) it can be bought tinted or clear, which you can spray over a colour coat. A few coats (it dries very fast) with very light sanding between coats and your MDF will be smooth and tough.
LaughingAndroids tip about sealing the edges is perfect, a really good way to fix the edge absorbing issues.
LaughingAndroids tip about sealing the edges is perfect, a really good way to fix the edge absorbing issues.
You can buy MDF primer from most paint suppliers, but it's generally for brush / roller application.
Toolstation sell it at £7.60 litre and its water based, Toolstation > Painting & Decorating > Primers & Undercoat > MDF Primer
We paint standard MDF all the time with emulsion and it's absolutely fine to do so. What you definitely don't want to do is to saturate standard MDF with water as you will definitely end up with twice as much material as you started out with!
I don't know of any aerosol based MDF primer.
We also spray a white MDF primer but it's a cellulose type product and therefore should really only be used in a booth with extraction.
How much do you need to cover?
You don't have to seal the cut edges of the board, but it just takes longer to get a decent finish if you don't!
We sometimes brush the edges with sanding sealer or wipe a layer of superglue into them and spray with activator.
Toolstation sell it at £7.60 litre and its water based, Toolstation > Painting & Decorating > Primers & Undercoat > MDF Primer
We paint standard MDF all the time with emulsion and it's absolutely fine to do so. What you definitely don't want to do is to saturate standard MDF with water as you will definitely end up with twice as much material as you started out with!
I don't know of any aerosol based MDF primer.
We also spray a white MDF primer but it's a cellulose type product and therefore should really only be used in a booth with extraction.
How much do you need to cover?
You don't have to seal the cut edges of the board, but it just takes longer to get a decent finish if you don't!
We sometimes brush the edges with sanding sealer or wipe a layer of superglue into them and spray with activator.
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