Painting MDF without primer/undercoat

chamois | 23:29 Thu 10th Apr 2008 | Home & Garden

7 Answers

Can anyone tell me if it's OK to paint an ordinary MDF panel with a bog-standard black gloss paint? My concern is whether this will work without a primer and/or undercoat neither of which I have. If necessary, I have enough of the gloss paint to give it more than one coat.

Thanks.

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monty0703

I painted an MDF radiator cover with white gloss then when out for the rest of the day. When I came back, it was as if I'd never painted it at all! The paint had been totally absorbed. The second coat wasn't much better. In the end, a paint specifically for MDF done the trick.

monty0703

'went out' even..

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chamois

Question Author

Thanks monty0703.

cleversod, there's a simple answer to your question, bearing in mind that the panel I mentioned is nine inches long by three inches wide. I've got an unused tin of black gloss paint at home but only a fool would go out to buy suitable primer and undercoat for something this size if the job could be done without it. Just think about it - 90% of even a 500ml tin is likely to be wasted.

weeal

you need to seal the MDF first, use a coat of diluted PVA and the paint wont sink in

chamois

Question Author

Thanks weeal. Would you have any idea of the ratio of water to PVA?

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