Painting over polyurethane coated wood doors

flashme18

Hello everyone. I bought a Dewalt orbital sander for this job and already made one mistake..i didnt buy coarse enough sandpaper. That aside, i definitely sanded it enough that the primer should cover the doors well. I put two coats of Kilz latex primer on the doors, and spots are bleeding through the primer. Im about to put a third coat of primer on and have a feeling that those little spots will still bleed through.

If the latex primer doesnt work, should I use the Kilz oil based primer? What happens if the oil primer doesnt stop the bleeding through. I have started two of 7 doors that must all be the same!


At least this is my own home. I just started up a painting business, and this is one thing I dont have experience in, LOL. Please help me.

slickshift

You never should have used a latex primer for this project
It is the wrong kind for this application
I also should mention that the latex Kilz is also a poor product
A poor stain-blocker and extremely poor adhesion (many failures)
I would not recommend using it in jobs for other people where your reputation is at stake (not to mention your warranty work if it fails)

In addition, you certainly didn't need an orbital for this job
A nice light scuff sanding would have been sufficient
The idea is (was) not to remove any finish, just to give the primer some "tooth"

So...what you should have done was:
1) Wash doors well
2) Scuff sand
3) Wipe off dust (vac, tack, or swiffer)
4) Prime with quality oil-based primer (Zinsser's Cover Stain, Ben M's Fresh Start, or Sherwin W's Prep Rite)
5) Top coat with premium paint, I'd suggest an enamel myself

What you can do now, is coat with one of the above mentioned primers, top coat with your coating of choice, and pray to the Paint Gods that the latex Kilz doesn't fail
The Paint Gods do like the words "I'll Never Buy Paint At Home Depot/Lowes" repeated loudly over and over
I'd suggest that

flashme18

i had no idea that Kilz wasnt highly regarded. I guess thats why its 13/gallon. I have used it in the past with some nasty spot priming jobs and never had a problem.

The poly has a super thick coat. How can you appy primer over such a slick surface and have it not slop around. The orbital sander was to make the sanding go faster and save my shoulders. There is actually 11 doors, i forgot about some closets in the bedrooms.

From your advice, it sounds like I only need to sand the door by hand for like a minute on each side..basically barely sand the door? I didn't remove all the poly..just took a good portion of the shine off the 2 doors i started today.

So my question is how much should i really sand these doors? and i used 120 grit paper which was way too fine(im thinking i need 60 when i go to lowes and buy a coarser paper and looker for that zinser)

the top coat will be a Benjamin Moore Pearl finish super white

and if the kilz fails, its only on one bathroom door and a linen closet door. and it will be new homeowners problem in a few years. The primer is looking like it will be fine, just a few spots with bleeding through..but i will do the rest in oil/alkyd primer.

chrisn

The Paint Gods do like the words "I'll Never Buy Paint At Home Depot/Lowes" repeated loudly over and over
I'd suggest that

Too bad we can't get that quote to the whole world to see!

CowboyAndy

Wow. Even though this is your own home, it is a pretty poor attitude for a "professional" to have.

__________________

flashme18

Andy..your right..it was a stupid thing to say..i was aggravated when typing and i honestly wouldnt want it to be another person's problem. I wouldnt treat a customer that way, nor should I treat my home or someone's future home that way.

Pro Color

Good advice here.....one thing you might want to check on in the future in a "liquid deglosser". It may be an option to save bunches of sanding. But, be careful it's a very harsh chemical.




Pro Color Painting

flashme18

the sanding and zinsser oil primer worked great. The doors are done and looking solid! Thanks for the help

Allison1888

I agree with never buying paint from the big boxes. Establish a relationship at a local paint store -- many give "contractor" discounts to regular customers, so that can save you some money. In the long run, you'll get better products and service! (And, no... I don't work for a paint store... wish I owned one, however!)

slickshift

Thanks for the update flashme18
Sounds good