[crackdaddy]

I work at a medical facility and we had a remodel done 2 years ago.

All of the doors they put up or painted are now sticky and horrible looking. They get cleaned the best they can and within two weeks they look beat up and dirty again. It's hard to believe this is because of blocking, but my guess is, it has to be. I've tried every cleaner known to man and lots of rinsing to make sure it's not soap residue built up. It might feel a little better initially upon cleaning but within a week, it is sticky again.

All I know for sure is they were painted with a SW DTM paint by the paint contractor, who took some shortcuts that have shown up later on the walls. I do not know if he ever put a finish coat put on the doors beyond the DTM paint. I suspect he just put on 2 coats of the DTM and clearly did not let the first coat dry first. They are Bright White and they are rough to the touch and sticky and they are filthy and very hard to clean and hard to keep clean.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to fix them. Really fix them. I personally would love to pull all the doors, strip them down to bare wood sand them and stain them and put a oil-based poly on it. But that's not going to happen as it's too time-consuming and I don't have the room to do that on that kind of scale. We are talking about 20 doors.

So should I just clean off the dirt, sand it with 180 grit sandpaper, paint with some bullseye 123 primer and roll on a quality semi gloss latex with a foam roller pad? Or what? These are just plain flat commercial doors without panels.. Once they are done, I will be installing kick plates and push pads to help protect them, but that sticky paint, has got to go. I'm sure that's why they stay so filthy. Suggestions?

 

[mark sr]

I'd lightly sand them and apply a coat of SWP's ProClassic waterborne enamel.

 

[woodco]

I think it was a bad batch of paint. DTM, (even Sherwins) has never been problematic, and absolutely doesnt need a separate topcoat. I would take one door, sand one side, and put a coat of a new gallon of DTM, an see if it helps.

Granted, I just reread and noticed that they are wood doors. I dont know why DTM was used on wood, but it still shouldnt matter. Some people use DTM for cabinets with great results.

Actually, before you do anything, you should call Sherwin about it. Have them come figure it out. Even if the painter sucked, that shouldnt happen.

 

[Gymschu]

+1 on not having previous problems with DTM from SW. If the painter was taking shortcuts, he may have skipped priming the doors first, then sanding the primer before applying at least 2 top coats of the DTM. That would be my process. DTM usually is a HARD paint meaning it dries hard to the surface which gives it durability. DTM never stays sticky for that long and should be washable. Wonder if the painter SAID he used DTM, but swapped it out for a cheaper paint. That's what it sounds like he did.

The only way this is going to get better is if the doors are re-done. I'd take one door and sand it down as best you can. Remove the dust. Prime with a good bonding primer. Allow that to dry overnight. Next day apply 2 topcoats of either DTM or All Surface Enamel, or even Emerald Urethane. Let that all cure for a couple weeks. Then you will know what you are up against and how to proceed with the rest of the doors.

 

[mark sr]

Wonder if the painter SAID he used DTM, but swapped it out for a cheaper paint. That's what it sounds like he did.

That wouldn't surprise me any :sad:

 

[crackdaddy]

Thanks for the replies guys, I called my local SW dealer today and told him what was going on, I told him the contractor and the paint used, he said he would pull up the job name and see if he can find the paint and he's going to call the local area rep to come out and investigate but he said it sounds like I may have got a bad batch of paint.

I'm going to look around for an old can of the DTM but I'm not hopeful. This I know for sure, he did not prime it. He claimed the DTM is a paint and primer. Doctor asked a good question today and I've thought about it in the past but kind of dismissed the theory because its happening on all the non-medical doors too. But I'll ask here, Could alcohol based hand sanitizer on hands cause this? Especially if still a tad damp? As the doctor's door is one of the stickiest.

Woodco, the new doors are wood, the older doors are metal, but the thing is, every door he painted or repainted is sticky, and he definately did not prep the wood doors like I would have, I'd taken 5 minutes and hit it with some 180 sandpaper to smooth it out and wipe with a tack rag before I primed and painted them.

I did see the SW DTM can, I believe it was blue.

The shortcuts he took on the walls, is, he did not wipe the sheetrock dust off before painting it and when they pull the chair off the wall, it pulls paint right off the wall. I've pulled what I could and primed and painted the worst areas and put up chair rails and they are holding up ok. It's crazy how the smallest oversight or mistake in the prep can cause such massive problems down the road.

 

[crackdaddy]

I just wanted to follow up on this.

He says the paint may have been too soft to start with, the alcohol based hand sanitizer perhaps is adding to the issue of stickiness.

He recommended just cleaning the doors well and paint it with Pro Industrial Pre-Catalyzed Water Based Epoxy semi gloss pure white paint. He did give me 5 gallons of it to repair it. I've done a few of the doors and so far, they seem to be holding up ok, time will tell.

Perhaps in a month or so I'll follow up on it. Thank you all for your assistance.

 

[woodco]

I just wanted to follow up on this.

He says the paint may have been too soft to start with, the alcohol based hand sanitizer perhaps is adding to the issue of stickiness.

He recommended just cleaning the doors well and paint it with Pro Industrial Pre-Catalyzed Water Based Epoxy semi gloss pure white paint. He did give me 5 gallons of it to repair it. I've done a few of the doors and so far, they seem to be holding up ok, time will tell.

Perhaps in a month or so I'll follow up on it. Thank you all for your assistance.

Who says this?