# Quality gloss paint



## wobblycogs (26 Sep 2011)

Sorry, not quite your usual woodworking question but...

After much work fixing our old house I'm finally in the position where I need to start glossing the vast areas of woodwork (doors, skirting, picture rails, dados, etc - the list goes on forever) this place seems to have. In the past I've always used non-drip gloss but I've never been completely happy with the finish, it seems to lack whiteness, not dry to a mirror finish and at least appear to be a very thick coat of paint.

So, last time I needed some gloss I bought a can of Dulux professional liquid gloss to give that a go. The finish is amazing, extremely white and mirror like in apperance. After it's been on for a while it's also surprisingly tough which is good when you've got kids ramming toys into the skirting all the time! 

The problem I'm having though is that it's a real chore to apply to mouldings and other bits of fiddly woodwork. It's like trying to paint glass with water! To stop it beading up in sharp internal corners of mouldings I have to brush it out so thinly that I end up applying multiple coats but even then the sharp external corners still show through in places. Clearly I'm doing something wrong but I can't figure out what. Can anyone help?

Cheers


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## Steve Maskery (26 Sep 2011)

What brush are you using? I find that a good quality (FWR expensive) brush makes a big difference to the job.
S


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## jasonB (26 Sep 2011)

Don't buy the DIY paints the non drip and even the "professional" are both DIY ones. Go to a proper decorators suppliers and get either Dulux Trade oil based gloss or Leyland is not too bad. And while you are there get the trade oilbased undercoat to go with it and if its bare wood the Dulux trade quick drying primer undercoat.

You should be looking a 4 coats total, 1ct primer/Undercoat, 2 ct Oil undercoat and then 1ct oil gloss. Any external corners should have been knocked off with sandpaper first and don't forget knotting.

Also get Brilliant white as plain "white" is not so bright.

Jason


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## wobblycogs (26 Sep 2011)

Cheers guys, there's a trade supplier just round the corner so I'll pop in and see what they have. Most of the time I use Harris brushes which seem to give a good smooth application. I've long since given up even trying to us budget brushes for anything more than PVA'ing a wall.


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## Steve Maskery (26 Sep 2011)

Another couple of brands you could consider are Johnstone's and International, both have a reputation for being good quality, as well as the Dulux Trade aforementioned.
S


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## cornucopia (29 Sep 2011)

sorry a bit late to this one-- but as has been said get a quality brush with a quality paint but my advice is if you want white and want it to stay white avoid all oil based paints- oil based paint has always yellowed but since the voc regs in 2010 it now yellows twice as fast- it also take allot longer to dry sometimes staying open for 16 hours. I would recommend Caparol aqua enamel in either gloss or satin or sikkens rubbol bl satura which are both water based and will never yellow and will be touch dry in 1-2 hours- with both of them my spec would be: 
on new linear work wood: 1x zinnser bin- 1x zinnser cover stain 2 top coats on broad areas drop the zinnser bin as it’s a pain to apply and if there's any knows spot prime with it instead.
on pre painted wood: thoroughly de-gloss with 120grit and either 1x zinnser 123 or zinnser coverstain then two top coats.
with acrylic paints I would recommend a purdy monarch elite or wooster alpha brush- acrylics take a bit of getting used to but they are by far the best choice at the moment


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## condeesteso (29 Sep 2011)

Hi - may be far too late!! - but for high gloss the oil-based are probably best. BUT when you have a lot of area and detail - please try waterbased. I use Sadolins Supadec opaque. First, oil-based will be virtually banned in the EEC over the next few years, second it is a complete pain to work with. The only upside is a high gloss, but apart from that the water-based beat oil-based on every level I think: clean, fast drying, self-priming, flows well without runs, re-coats years later really fast (almost no prep.)...
I too have a 'mother' of a house (fussy details inside and out) and I would NEVER go back to oil paints. Just give it a try - 1 litre Sadolins Supadec white (satin or gloss, which is a low gloss by the way) - £20... and I think you may be converted.


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## wobblycogs (29 Sep 2011)

You've sold me, I'll be giving water based a go just as soon as I've finished the last of this oil based nightmare. I had to re-touch a bit of skirting I painted about 6 months ago the other day, I couldn't believe how much the oil based paint had yellowed.


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## Dibs-h (30 Sep 2011)

wobblycogs":39mkdx2f said:


> You've sold me, I'll be giving water based a go just as soon as I've finished the last of this oil based nightmare. I had to re-touch a bit of skirting I painted about 6 months ago the other day, I couldn't believe how much the oil based paint had yellowed.



And it sprays really well with a HVLP - especially Sikkens.

HIH

Dibs


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