What paint to use on a wood trunk?

[kira000]

I want to paint a wooden storage trunk black, but what paint should i use?

I like the idea of a lacquer finish, but suspect that will be too tricky.

So would prefer a gloss finish rather than matt.

Any ideas whats the best plan of attack?

Thanks!

[The Builder]

It all depends on what there is on it now Kira :o)

[Jugglering]

As The Builder mentions above, it depends on what the finish is at the moment. If it's varnished wood, then lightly sand it down and wipe down with a damp cloth. If it's bare wood, then you'd need to give it a coat of primer or undercoat.

Apply a coat of black gloss paint (either high gloss or satinwood, depending on the finish you want). To achieve a really good smooth finish, I'd recommend you use a little paint roller (say the 4" size, smooth finish) - that way you won't get any brush marks, but you may need to put on several coats so it might be worth trying to find some water based gloss paint (B&Q do these in their own brand range). If the trunk is likely to get a lot of bashes, then you could give it a top coat of polyurethane clear varnish to protect the paint.

International do a lovely Japlac High Gloss Enamel Paint that comes in small quantities (125 & 250ml) that might be more suitable for your trunk.

Another way of painting the trunk would be to use one of those aerosol sprays - you might need several sprays to achieve a good finish (you also might want to do this outside, on a dry day).

[Jugglering]

Forgot to mention above... if your trunk is painted at the moment, just treat it as varnished wood - sand down etc. You don't need to totally remove the old paint, just break down the surface enough so that the new paint has *a key* to adhere to.

[kira000]

Thanks for responses...it is currently au natural.No sign of wax.

K

[Jugglering]

I would sand it down lightly anyway, just to ensure that the next paint layer had a good key - just use medium grade sandpaper, followed by a light rub down with fine grade. In order to get a really good finish, build up the paint in the thinnest layers you can and make sure they are totally dry before putting the next one on.