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Painting - Additional

1/4/2018

In recent times I been painting using a roller. So here is a rundown on the reasons why and how to use a roller for painting.

The main reason for using a roller
A roller will cover your work piece be it a door, panel, frame etc with paint very evenly. In my experience there is no better way to achieve this, hands downs your trusty roller is your friend. Having said that, you do need to load your roller with paint well and work the roller nice and evenly over the surface you are painting. Another advantage of using a roller, applying that even coat of paint is fast, it's relatively hassle free with a low level of effort.
This is not the whole story though.
For me, the finish a roller will give once the paint has cured is not very pleasing to look at (this is me being diplomatic because honestly, a roller finish is awful). The finish should be even but it could have a slightly mottled effect or something similar (depending on the type of roller used), which does tend to be quite noticeable, especially if you compare it to a job finished with a brush. Brush strokes that are in line with the grain of the work piece or following the longitudinal lines of the components of the job tend to enhance the paintwork adding to the character of a hand finished project.
So. How do you achieve this??
Simple, once the paint has been applied with the roller use a good quality brush, to brush out the unsightly mottled looking paint, by either brushing with the grain or brushing parallel with the main lines and edges of the components of the work piece. If using water based paint, you may want stop the tip of the brush from drying out too much (especially in the warmer months), because with this method the brush is not in constant use, so just putting it under a damp rag in between the roller/brush cycles is useful. You will also need the brush to get into corners and nooks and crannies that a roller will not reach. I find that the smaller 4'' roller caters for most jobs and strictly speaking the manufacturer's will tell you, you need to use different rollers for different paints/finishes and situations. But if you are painting a smooth surface a sponge roller will generally be fine, or a short pile roller will be ok too. It's kind of academic as we're using a brush which dictates how the paintwork looks once cured.

So all you need to do is incorporate this method into my previous post about painting. Hopefully this is helpful.

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A Quick Guide To Priming/Painting

27/11/2016

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Every now and again I will make an item for a customer who wants to paint/oil the said item themselves, so I find myself giving advice for doing so. Which made me think, what a good blog topic.
So here it is.................

The key to priming and painting in general is a clean dust free work area and and the same goes for the item you are painting, always use a vacuum where practical (preferably a vacuum that has a decent filtration system which will not blow all the really fine dust particles back out of the vent of the vacuum making the vacuum a fine dust pump, not good) as opposed to a broom or dust pan and brush, because brooms and brushes will flick the finer dust particles into the air and sooner or later they seem to jump onto what you’ve spent an hour painting or are about to paint.
If you need to use masking tape, always spend a little more on a decent roll, at least 38mm wide or wider if practical. Never leave masking tape on the job for any longer than necessary, this is the main reason I advise to buy a quality roll. The better quality masking tapes will usually have a ‘release’ window of about 2 weeks (cheaper tapes much less) and if you do leave the tape on for too long, it can be a pain to scrape off.
Always use a good quality primer, I generally use Zinsser Bulls Eye 123
(http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/z/ZINBE/)
which I have found to be excellent for priming just about anything.
A decent brush is absolute must.
I would usually decant some paint out of the tin (especially if there is a lot of painting to do) into a suitable (preferably sealable) container. This ensures your new paint stays fresh and uncontaminated, also if you were to drop/spill your paint, you can feel slightly better in the knowledge that you didn't waste all of it.
Keeping all of the above in mind, you are now ready to…..yep...paint.
Another important point, when priming/painting/varnishing/oiling you want to aim for a consistent, even coat of whatever you’re applying, so no thin areas and no overly thick areas of paint.
When applying your paint you want to run your brush up and down in line with the grain of the timber, or if you painting mdf or something similar your brush strokes should follow the longest edge. So if you were painting a simple cupboard door, you would use horizontal brush strokes on the top and bottom rails and on the left and right stiles you would paint vertically, also vertically on the central panel.
If you're painting a larger area, start by brushing the paint 90° to the direction that you want the brush strokes to finish, but make sure you do finish the whole area in the same direction. This will help you to get an even, consistent layer of paint.
When priming mdf, you will find the edges require a fair bit of primer and some elbow grease to ‘work’ the primer into the mdf nice and even.
Once the primer has cured, you will find that the surface of the material has lifted a little and so feels quite rough. This will need a light sand with 240 grit sandpaper, you will need to sand a prime coat a little more than a top coat to remove this roughness. But be careful not to sand down to the bare material, especially on the corners.
After vacuuming all surfaces, preferably with a brush attachment, you're ready to apply a top coat.
Apply the top coat, 2 coats should be enough but you may need 3. An 38mm wide brush will be ideal for most situations but a 50mm brush is better for larger areas.
After the first coat (paint must be thoroughly dry, usually about 24 hours, but check the tin for this information) lightly sand the painted surface with some 240 grit sand paper. Nothing more than a light sand though, just 2 or 3 strokes of the sandpaper over all surfaces.
VERY important, make sure after lightly sanding, you use a vacuum to remove any dust from all surfaces, I usually use a brush attachment to do this. Also vacuum the work area you are going use for painting.
Apply the second top coat. If you need a third coat, repeat steps 14 & 15 first.

Hope this helps.

http://www.zinsseruk.com/how-to-guide/ A useful resource.
http://www.zinsseruk.com/product/perma-white-interior/ The paint I use for top coating.

Thats about it.

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Converting rough sawn timber.......

31/3/2016

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Turning this

and this
Both pictures are of rough sawn oak.
This is how I buy my timber from my timber merchant, in it's rough sawn state.

Into, this

and this
Both pictures are of planned oak.
Once I start to make an item, one of the first jobs is to plane the rough sawn timber.

& eventually something like this

This is something I don't really give much thought to as a rule.

But on the odd occasion a customer has seen the timber in it's rough sawn state before I have had a chance to plane it, I have had quite a few remarks mostly borderline amazement that this timber will turn into a flat, smooth and generally gorgeous looking piece of wood which will then in turn, be used as a component in their new wardrobes or kitchen etc.
One of the comments as I recall was along the lines of 'are you using packing crate or pallet wood'...... So we had a little chat.
So here is a basic explanation of what I have to do to convert rough sawn timber to smooth, straight usable wood.

You can buy timber planned from some timber merchants, but I always buy the rough sawn version as I know that I can make a better job of converting rough sawn, to flat, square and parallel wood. I also make a point of going to the timber merchant to choose the timber I am buying, which can involve sifting through stacks of timber to find planks that are relatively flat on both faces and as free as possible from defects such as, knots, twists, shakes, splits, sapwood etc. The reason for this, I know that if I can select reasonably flat and defect free timber the finished product will benefit and be of a better quality, and the planning process will be a little more straight forward.
Having said all that, you have to go with the flow somewhat, this is not a perfect world and neither is a plank of timber, and therein lies the beauty of natural materials. No plank I buy is perfectly straight and defect free, and this where I have to earn my keep, because it's how you plane and cut the joints and generally utilise the timber that makes the difference.

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What finish is right for me?

1/12/2015

3 Comments

Left is - Walnut Polyx Original. Middle is - Oak Polyx RAW. Right is - Oak Polyx Original.

Here at Thorne Woodworking I like to offer a choice if I can.
Choice is good, choosing is good and ignorance is not bliss……
So being informed and being able to make that choice is……..well….if not quite bliss, we’ll settle for good.

There are many finishes on the market produced by many companies but as general rule of thumb if it’s timber and it’s not a painted finish I will offer 3 types of finish.

Wax Finish.

The first is clear wax, this is mostly used on wardrobes because you cannot use wax in a kitchen or a bathroom, or anywhere there will be moisture, wet hands, damp towels or splashes of water as splashes of water will leave behind faint white marks where the water made contact. Also wax will not provide a good barrier from sticky fingers or hot cups of tea etc. So wax is more suited to less harsh environments like a bedroom or perhaps a living room. Having said all that, wax will seal the timber to a degree and really does enhance the look of wood, it brings out the grain in a very natural way, and once the wood has been waxed and buffed, you can touch the wood and it feels like you are still touching the timber as opposed to a heavily lacquered finish which almost feels like touching a piece of glossy plastic. Also if a waxed piece of timber acquires a mark or discolouration around a handle for instance, then it is possible lightly sand the problem area and rewax.

Osmo Polyx oil Original.

The second (and third) option is from a German company called Osmo, they produce environmentally friendly products which are based on natural oils. Osmo Polyx Oil Original is an easy to apply oil that after 2 coats gives the wood a nice level smooth finish, and really picks the grain of the wood out and gives it depth. On light coloured woods it darkens the tone of the wood somewhat, so appears to have a permanent ‘wet look’. It is also microporous, so the wood can absorb and release moisture, essentially breath. I use the satin version.

Osmo Polyx oil RAW.

The third option (as mentioned above) is made by Osmo as well, Polyx oil RAW. The ‘RAW’ is the important bit, as it maintains the natural look of the timber, and Osmo state that it is almost invisible once applied with no ‘wet look’. It achieves this by using small amounts of white pigments in the oil to neutralise the permanent 'wet-look', and infact when you open a tin of Polyx oil RAW it looks like white paint. It is quite tricky to apply and needs to be spread out super evenly and quite thinly, and even then you will get very faint dull white pigmentation here and there. But I see this as part of the charm of this product which gives a nice modern feel. It has all the same characteristics as the Original oil except, obviously the ‘wet look’. It comes as a matt finish only.

Polyx RAW is on the left.
Polyx Original is on the right.

I hope this is a useful guide, but if you have any thoughts or questions just just get in touch.
Paul

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When mdf is preferable...

17/1/2014

1 Comment

When mdf is preferable..

I have come across this situation often. The potential customer wants a...... 'fitted wardrobe say' and, might like a hardwood wardrobe, but doesn't want to spend too much or they maybe on a budget, and who isn't.

So when the question of which material arises, the customer will usually ask if I can use pine to make said wardrobe. My usual answer is to ask them a question in reply, which is, do you require a pine/wood finish or, is a painted finish required.

The reason for answering a question with a question is, if a pine/wood finish is required then pine (or redwood as it is commonly known in the trade) is most likely the cheapest option. Although I am confident in saying that, cheapest is almost universally never the 'best' option, in any given circumstance, as there are usually a number of negatives with 'cheap', more on pine/cheap later.

But if a painted finish is required, then pine is not the only cheap option, or best option.

Yep you guessed it, this is where Mdf can be preferable.

But let's consider the pine option some more, pine or redwood is readily available and relatively cheap and works/machines ok but, it can be problematic while machining, if there are a lot of knots or a high degree of resin present.

I should say that at this point that, any trades person worth their salt will do their upmost to pick timber that has the least amount of defects as possible. So as a rule when I pick my timber I am mostly looking out for knots, twists, shakes or cracks, resin bleeds and misshapen or bent timber, there can be other defects, but these are the main ones to be aware of. The problem here is that you cannot always see these potential defects on the surface of a rough sawn piece of wood, but I know that if I can avoid these pitfalls I will have fewer problems making the wardrobe. Even with the best will in the world there will be knots present, and you only really find out if these knots are 'dry' or 'wet' after the machining has been completed.

As a rule, any knot or dark zone on softwood should be treated with two coats of knotting solution, once it has been sanded, so in theory this will stop any resin bleeding through the finished paintwork. But there is no guarantee this will be successful, and after a period of months the paintwork may well discolour where seemingly dry knots are located.

Knotting solution applied.

Even if knotting is applied, after a number of months the knots can still 'bleed' through.

Although pine is relatively stable, it can still move.

What do I mean by 'move'? A common term in the trade, which means the movement of timber by the swelling and contracting of spindle shaped cells along the grain of the wood. Which might mean a door would start to get difficult to open in the winter as it expands across the width of the door or twist slightly so you get one corner of the door slightly proud of the door frame, which will often mean the door refuses to shut. So all timber is likely to swell in more humid conditions and contract in dry hot conditions, and sometimes the effects can be quite noticeable which require action.

Going back to mdf, generally I use 22mm thick MR mdf for all my frames and door frames, this results in nice solid doors and frames, the 'MR' bit means Moisture Resistant. Which it is, and also MR mdf is a tad denser than normal mdf and because of that the 'end grain' (as it were), sands to a better finish.

There is no planning to do, only the machining of the joints, which work just as well as a pine joint or oak joint, but machine easier and with zero break out.

Obviously there are no knots to contend with, nor cracks or shakes, resin bleeds and as long as the mdf has been stored flat, there is no twisting or bending to worry about. Mdf excepts paint very well and once the job is done you have no fear of those knots blemishing your paintwork six months later. Mdf sands the same as any wood, I sand all the sharp corners off just like I would, if I was using oak or softwood, and once sanded mdf gives a very smooth finish, ready for painting.

So thats when and why Mdf is preferable.

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The finished (unpainted) wardrobe.

2/6/2013

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This is the last in a series of blog posts covering the making and fitting of a wardrobe.
All materials are moisture resistant mdf. The frame work and doors are all 22mm thick, so nice and solid.
A bespoke design which fulfills the needs of my customer.