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Best way for smooth finish on painted interior trim?
I am installing and painting new pre-primed MDF trim in a house. Once nail holes and joints are filled, I'm lightly sanding overall with fine paper for a smooth finish. I'm using an airless sprayer with a tip that provides approximately 6" coverage, spraying a white semi-gloss interior latex. The finished product is smooth, but obviously has dust nibs and some overspray from nearby trim. Remembering a technique from auto painting, I lightly scuffed a sample piece of painted trim with an extra-fine sanding pad and then applied a wax/polish normally used for gel-coat and fiberglass. The result was an unbelievably smooth finish, but very fine scratches are visible when the light hits it just right. Has anyone used a technique similar to "color sanding" with interior latex and if so, what should be used as a final polish instead of the gel-coat polish? Maybe a polishing compound between sanding and wax? Any info is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Are you using a primer before painting or is your MDF pre-primed?
Most of the pre-prime on MDF or any other product that comes pre-primed is not only skimpy, but is usually the cheapest/crappiest prime on the market. (I used to work for a major manufacturer for factory pre-priming materials.) A good quality primer makes a HUGE difference in the finished product. If you haven't primed it with a good primer, get one and try it.
Some people think you can skip the prime if you instead apply two coats of paint, but paint and primer do two disinctly different things. (And you should really apply a primer coat and two coats of paint on top of that since this is your initial application.) Primers have a higher percentage of binders, (kind of like the "glue" that holds things together), and helps to seal the surface and fill in small voids. Paint simply coats those voids, it doesn't fill or bridge them.
Also, are you using interior latex wall paint? If so, look instead for a latex enamel trim paint. They usually have a harder finish and flow out better for a smoother look. Especially with a spray application.
If you want to avoid the overspray from the other trim pieces nearby, you can always use a spray shield. They're fairly inexpensive plastic strips with a handle that's easy to hold. Or you can do what a lot of the pros do...cut up a cardboard box and use that for a shield.
One thing to remember, too. After you scuff sand between coats, use a tack cloth to dust off and catch all of the sanding grains. This will help avoid those little nibs in the finish coat.
When all is done, you shouldn't need any polish or wax. Your one coat of primer and two coats of paint are all that is needed for a beautiful and durable finish. The extra stuff is not only time consuming, but could lead to an adhesion problem if they contain any type of solvent and you're using water-based, (acrylic) finishes.
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