I am preparing for an industry night at our manufacturing facility in novameber and have to paint a bunch of sign foam pieces we have routed. Any suggestions?
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Melanie, you don't need primer, but we need more info. Is it supposed to be a smooth surface? What are the items? 5 Alive need INPUT!
Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :
She don't need primer?
Hmmmm. What did I miss Johnny Five. "No disassemble"
[ October 23, 2001: Message edited by: Joe Rees ]
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
I just finished a hand carved project on which I primed with Coastal Enterprises (Precision Board) "FSC 88WB" primer. It filled all the holes in the HDU (Sign Foam)and after sanding with 400 grit, it ended up smooth as a baby's behind. I was really impressed with this primer.
But, if you don't need such a glass smooth finish, I've heard that you don't need a primer at all. You can paint Urethane with anything: Laquer based, oil based, Waterborne. I prefer acrylic latex myself.
[ October 23, 2001: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
What about Jay Cooke's primer? I was wondering the same.
A
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Guys, I've been making these large murals for three years now with no primer. Unless you want a glass smooth surface there is literally no need for it. Precision Board and Signfoam both are porous enough for the paint to get an excellent grip. Just make sure you blow it completely as free of dust as you can. No problem at all. No primer! No disassemble!
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Adrienne, We have found the Jay Cooke's primer to be very nice stuff. It's also a "high build" primer that sort of reminds you of "Kilz" or "Zinsers" but it covers better and is a lot smoother to paint. It does seem to be a bit slower to dry than the FSC-88 WB (from the makers of Precision Board) primer.
Posted by Dave Draper (Member # 102) on :
Hi Heads,
Yes Joe, you don't need primer! Yes Adrienne, Jay Cooke's Primer is good, but not needed for HDU.
Ya see, its like this....primer doesn't do anything on HDU like it does on wood. It just sits on top. It doesn't soak into any fibers that are going to rot. So, why use it?
Now the architecural renovators and artists that I hang with on occasion have showed me how they use acrylic laytex enamel to lay down a wet looking sheen on moldings. I was really impressed. Their process leaves the finish smooth as glass!
The trick is: They spray the latex paint on, but they have a little trick they use to make the paint flow out so it looks absolutly gorgeous! In other words, there is absolutely no orange peel, not even a hint of it...it looks like a laquor finish when they are done.
I never thought I would be learning my tips and tricks from house painters..er I guess I should call them arcitectural artists...they do both
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Dave, Could you elaborate more on that "little trick"? Sounds interesting.
Posted by bronzeo (Member # 1408) on :
Hi Melanie, Just talked to you on the phone a week or so ago. I prefer the use of the high build primers, which you can get from you hdu source. It works like very thin plaster. Keep coating until well covered. You don't want any hdu color leaking through at all, or you will have a rough spot. I fill a couple of coats going different directions with a brush and with my finger in the carve-outs. Then use a trowel to fill the brush marks, like you would do with drywall. Sand up to 400. You only want enough for full coverage and no sand throughs. This will give you a slick surface that you can lay a coat of enamel on so shiny that you can see yourself in. Its not the law, but just the way I like to see it. It can look just like an auto finish, and that attracts some real attention. Good to see you posting. Bronzeo (Jack Davis) P.S. I would try some finish on some scraps to really see what you want......
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
I do it the same way the Bronze man do it.... High build primer (XIM) 2 coats, sand 600 grit, enamel finish, ultra glossy. I have never used latex paint on a permanant sign, just a personal opinion
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
UnLESS...............you coat it with Pelucid, Cap. Makes water based paints permanent.
Posted by Joe Rees (Member # 211) on :
My bad, I was saying primer when I meant surfacer. I have painted directly on raw HDU before but I personally don't like the effect after it's dried. But you're right, it will not peel. I havn't had any good luck laying on heavy latex like Draper describes either. (Maybe if I played around with multiple coats more...)
My preference is a rock hard, glass smooth finish which I have only been able to achieve with two coats of Coastal FSC88-WB followed by two coats of hardened enamel.
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
Pierre, I have yet to get a batch of your miracle in a can, seems like it does everthing I have done some stuff with HDU and west system also did some fiberglas resin on top of hdu with no problems
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Hey, Kenny. Sounds hi-falutin', but I've only found one single situation where it won't work. The really cool part is that it's a one part system that cures quickly and gets rock hard when fully cured. It stays permanently glossy and clear. Every time it gets wet it gets harder and harder, but not brittle. We're in year number 5 now with it on our large exterior murals. It's an absolute encapsulating sealer for virtually any paint or substrata. If you don't like gloss, you can use DuPont flattening agent. It'll keep your dog's coat glossy and keep him dry as a bone all year long.
We almost use more than we sell. That's not going to be the case much longer. Thanks to the write-up in Sign Builder Magazine by Jerry Matthel we've been sending more and more to sign shops. We're just now starting sales to trucking companies. It stops sand and rocks from harming paint on semi undercarriages and cabs. Once coated with Pelucid a paint job is permanent.
