Skirting/Architrave question

cubix

I recently bought some moulded Skirting & Architrave to redo a room, as far as I now it is white deal. Once up it looks fine and feels smooth eough to the touch, but once I painted it with some white gloss it looks dog rough. I was hoping to get a smooth sliky finish, but dont think with any amount of sanding filling will hide the knots and grains. Just wondering if anyone else came across this problem or is it down to how I a painting it?

Whats peoples views on MDF Skirting/Architrave as I presume this would give a very smooth finish. IF anyone has used MDF can they give me any ideas of price and lengths it comes in

Thanks

Wertz

Please don't tell me you applied gloss to bare wood...

If you did, that's your problem. Wood needs to be primed and undercoated, sanding and filling in between coats and then the finish (in your case, gloss) applied.

MDF can be a right PITA, unless it's pre-primed. The routed/moulded edges on MDF take a lot of work to smooth off and they absorb a lot of paint. There is as much if not more work involved in getting a decent finish on MDF as there is on real timber.
The thing about wood, is when done right, the final coat should still allow the grain to show through....with MDF all you get is brush marks, and paint tends to "run" a lot more on it...

Builderwoman!

We used this and found it excellent. http://www.balcas.com/site/default.asp?CATID=298

No-one noticed it wasn't real wood and painting it was easy because it's primed.

cubix

Wertz as regards the gloss being applied directly to the bare wood, more than likely. IT was my job to put it up and herself to paint it, as always there was a dead line- Xmas/inlaws. When you put gloss onto bare wood does it react in a way that makes the wood bubble/crack. I noticed in your reply you mentioned primed/undercoated and then final finish, I always thought undercoat was priming?. Would the bigger DIY stores own brands be made for them by the likes of Dulux/crown or would I need to buy a branded paint to get a good finish. Also I have seen solutions where they say its an all in one IE:undercoat and gloss in one, I presume stay clear of these type.
BuilderWoman will check them out, did you find the prices for lenghts hugely different compared to natural wood. Also what made you choose MDF over the normal route, what was your finish like?. I am hoping to acheive a minor like finish on mine, no brush marks etc.

Thanks everyone

Wertz

Ah so it's the wife who's getting the blame

Yeah if you put gloss directly onto wood without a primer/UC it will raise the surface of the timber and react with the oil/moisture in it. It then dries hard and the raised grain and hairs are very diffficult to remove by sanding...most of the time you will remove the paint layer in tryin to smooth it down.
UC is sort of priming. On bare wood you need to apply a thinned out coat of u/c (or preferrably a proper primer)...this pentrates the pores in the wood, raises the grain, then when it dries is easier to sand. You then need to apply a proper undercoat; this is to provide the base colour for the gloss; gloss has very little covering power, it relies on the layers beneath to form the final colour/solidity.
The all in one stuff will still need at least a prime coat on a bare surface...for previously painted surfaces they're fine (still not as good as 2 coat system IMO).
Own brand paint, high in solvents, low in solids, that's why it's cheap. False economy. I imagine bigger paint companies sell on their lower quality batches to them or something.

As for rectifying the problem...either re-hang/re-paint...or else get an electric sander and some sanding pads and rub down the entire job, then UC, sand smooth and gloss. However I cannot guarantee that the finish will be as durable or long lasting as it should be because of the gloss goingon first...

ircoha

Long shot here but if u know a friend with a planer-thicknesser, take off the timber and get it planed down to bare timber again.
This way u will only need to do the moulded edges by hand.
Sanding insitu will be very messy and u run the risk if damaging the flooring.

cubix

As regards blaming the other half for not priming/undercoating she would probably say if I did it when first asked there would have been no push on it:D. Will read through your instructions again and try it out on a few off cuts. As regards sanding what grade would you recommend, you can base it on bare wood please.
Ircoha since the inlaws are gone I will defo take it back off and have a go at sanding it as the look of it is driving me mad. Failing that I will replace it and stard again

Thanks Lads;)

Wertz

Hard to say...depends just how rough the wood itself is...
I would say P80-P120, perhaps ripping it with the 80 and then smoothing it off with the 120...might also be a good idea to get some medium gauge wire wool for the mouldings.
You only need medium/fine pads for rubbing down between coats.

As for whipping off the skirtings...personally I'd just get some of that that silver duct tape and mask up the floors with it and then start sanding...the duct tape will protect the floor should you hit it....it then doubles as masking for when you apply further coats.