Paint Sealant For Wood

CommMajor101

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the board. My question is, I bought a desk from Target. It's that "picket fence" "beach cottage" white color. The sealant that Target put on it is not very good and all I need to do is spill water a scrub and the paint will come right off. I love the matte finish, so I was wondering, is there a paint sealant for my wood desk that won't make the paint shiny? Also, what would be the best way to repair/repaint/fix messed up spots in the paint? Thanks so much in advance for any help.

Kennedy

Typically matte finishes are not very washable and definately not scrubable, especially a factory finished painted peice. My guess is that there is no sealant on top of the white-wash. To protect the paint you could put a coat of satin urethane or I believe I have gotten cans of a flat (or at least very low luster) spray lacquer from a home center in the past. But with more "shine", you will get more water and scratch protection.

CommMajor101

Thank you, that's the best advice I've heard so far, but shiney would really ruin the look of the desk I think. It's that sort of Martha Stewart white, you know. Does that satin urathane have shine to it?

Any other ideas?

What about to repair spots in the paint?

slickshift

Without the exact paint used originally, they would tend to look...well...spotty

It is an inexpesive white wash that is coming off when you spill on it, there's not much you can do
You can try and seal it, but yes, it'll make it shinier
I would gamble that trying to seal it would also remove/affect the finish
(if it is affected so easily by water)

I'd either refinish with a quality finish, or put a piece of plexi or glass on the top surface

CommMajor101

Ok, how do I refinish it and what types of finish do you recomend?

If my computer wasn't on this desk, I'd LOVE the plexi glass idea. That was a really good suggestion.

Kennedy

A satin sheen is somewhere between a matte and a semi-gloss depending on the product. I think the plexi-glass idea is so simple its brilliant.

Jonesey

You can get plexiglass (Clear Acrylic sheets) in most home stores, as well as plate glass. It might be a good idea to step up to double-strength plate glass because Acrylic is quite easily scratched. Most home stores will cut plate-glass to your requested size, and rubber nibs are avialable to place between the furniture piece and the glass.

Benjamin Moore & Co. makes a Poly-Acrylic in low lustre that would suit your needs on this piece of furniture. It dries clear and has very little sheen. Water clean-up means less hassle and low odor would serve you well. This is something you could use in your garage with the door open and not be too bothered by the fumes.

Be warned, all the Poly-Acrylic finishes are a little difficult to work with. They tend to cloud if you try to apply too much. I'd recommend a foam brush, and work in a systematic way to complete small, adjoining areas at a time. The top I'd leave for last. The durability of most Poly-Acrylics is decent and will protect your investment in your furniture if you don't have small kids like I do. If you do, ban the Kool-Aid and save your carpet!