Paint Finish for the Wood Furniture

Paint finish, solid color finish, or opaque color finish is the type of finishing when the finishing layer totally covers the underneath color. The paint is the finishing material in the liquid and thick form finishing material that has a specific color. The paint application in the wood will produce an opaque color or solid color that covers the wood base color. In this finish, the wood base color is totally covered and blocked by the paint, and the finishing color is fully determined by the color of the finishing material.

The finishing process of paint finish is similar to the finishing process of the transparent finish, but of course with different material. You need the "paint" material to make the paint finish. If the transparent finish you want to show the wood's beauty, but in the wood paint finish, you have to close and cover the character of the wood.

 high gloss white paint finish

 

The finishing process to make the paint finish on the wood furniture.

• Preparation on unfinished wood.

Every wood finishing process must be started with good preparation for the unfinished wood. The wood surfaces must be sanded properly to obtain a flat and smooth surface. Choose the suitable wood if possible. The wood with less and shallow pores and grains, such as maple, ash, jabon, etc., is the better choice to make the paint finish. The wood with large pores and grain, such as oak, mindi, mahogany, and teak, are not good choices. The wood with big pores and grains needs to be filled to produce an even and smooth paint finish.
Paint finish does not require wood with beautiful grain and base color, since the final finishing color and look are determined by the color of the paint. The wood with a varied color base can be used as long as it has a smooth and even surface.

The paint finish is not a good option for the oily wood, such as teakwood, pine, cocobolo, rosewood, etc. The oil from the wood will emerge and ruin the finishing color. If you have to do a paint finish on the oily wood, then you need to stop the oil bleeding from the wood. You may need to apply oil b-blotting sealer to coat and block the wood oil.

• Paint application.

There are many types of paint that can be used to do the paint finish. The paints that are most widely used for wood finishing are base coat paint, oil paint, and water-based paint. 
Water-based paint, also known as latex paint, is a water-based finishing material. The material can produce a thick layer of paint finish with a wide range of color choices. But he needs a relatively long drying time. The drying is highly affected by the weather conditions at the time of application. In the hot air and low humidity, the drying process can occur quickly, but when the day is cold and humid, the drying will take a long time.
Oil paint is an oil-based finishing material. It is available in many colors and with brighter colors. This material is usually diluted with mineral spirits or naphtha. This material is not sensitive to the weather, but it also needs a long drying time.
Base coat is the thinner base paint. This material is made from a mixture of organic pigments and clear coat. This material dries quickly and can be sanded easily. It is the coating that is designed to make paint finish. This material is available in various types, depending on the type of binder used. The NC base coat and PU base coat are the most used. The other type’s base coat, such as AC, Precat, or UV base coat, is also available.
All paint material needs to be applied correctly to get the best result. The application by spray is the best option for the wood furniture finish. The spray application will produce a smooth and even paint finish. The other application techniques, such as roll or brush, can be used if the texture paint finish is needed, but it will leave marks and doesnt give a smooth result as the spray application. 
Almost all types of spray guns can be used to spray paint. The air spray gun, airless, HVLP or LVLP spray gun can produce a good coating with the proper adjustment and spray techniques. Whatever type of paint is used, it should be adjusted according to the spray specification to produce a perfect coating. The paint usually needs to be diluted to reduce its viscosity according to the desired viscosity of the spray gun.
The viscosity around 14 seconds (measured with an NK 2 cup) is usually required to make perfect atomization. The HVLP spray gun works at lower viscosity (about 12-13 seconds). While the air spray and airless spray gun can operate at a higher viscosity, the recommended paint viscosity is in the number about 14 seconds.
Spray the paint in 2 layers of wet coat evenly to the overall surface and wait until the paint is dry. The drying time will vary depending on the type of paint used. The NC base coat usually needs about 15 minutes to 30 minutes to dry, while the PU base coat may need 1 hour of drying time. The drying time for water-based paint will be affected by the room air humidity and temperature. In dry air conditions, the paint can dry for about 30 minutes or even less, but if the room is cold and humid, then a longer drying time is needed. If thick layer paint is layered in the humid and cold air, then you may need 1 day to let the paint dry.

sanding the white paint

• Sanding the paint.

Once the first paint layer is dry, usually a rough surface results. The first coat also will display all the wood defects, such as cracks, dents, holes, unevenness, etc. To produce a flat finish, you need to sand the paint layer until a smooth and even surface is obtained. You have to fix all the defects to make a good finishing result. The cracks, gaps, and dents should be filled with putty. A proper sanding is required to produce a smooth and even surface. The stearate sandpaper with grade #240 or #280 is used to sand the paint surface. Then you need to apply another layer of paint. You need several layers of paint to make a smooth surface and even color. Usually 2 or 3 layers are needed to make the consistent finish color.

• Clear coating applications.

After the color of the finishing is obtained, then you need to coat the paint layer with clear coat. You can apply sealer then top coat, or just apply the top coat without any sealer. The sealer layer will help to build a thicker film, but the thick sealer layer will affect the finish color. For the white paint finish, the color of the film layer may change the color a little bit.

Use the top coat and sealer, which is compatible with the paint. The same type of top coat and paint is highly recommended since it will give the best interface. If the top coat or sealer with a different type is used, then it must be ensured that they completely fit with the paint underneath. See our previous article: compatibility of coating application