Thread: Paint prep for old vj boards with clear coat

Zinsser BIN should be a suitable primer over most finishes. It's shellac based so it'll stick to just about anything. I've only had occasion to use it once, light sanding to remove flaking and chipped paint, holes filled with builders bog and sanded, one coat BIN, then latex paint over the BIN.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

Zinsser BIN should be a suitable primer over most finishes. It's shellac based so it'll stick to just about anything. I've only had occasion to use it once, light sanding to remove flaking and chipped paint, holes filled with builders bog and sanded, one coat BIN, then latex paint over the BIN.

Thanks Alkahestic, I had forgotten about that product, I looked into it a couple of years ago but didn't end up needing it. Did you use another primer over the BIN or just use the top coat?

first off I suggest the ceiling be thoroughly washed (with sugar soap?) to remove any built up grime cooking oil, fat and smoke.

Ian, yeah I see half a day in my future cleaning the oil residue off the ceiling. I'm going to blast it with turpentine first and then follow up with sugar soap. Do you have any tips for making the sugar soap part less painful?

Sorry for the late reply. BIN doesn't need another primer on top of it. To wash ceiling I use TSP and a brand new sponge mop. Less back breaky than being up on a ladder and faster too. You can get Tricleanium (TSP) from Bunnings. It's stronger than sugar soap and works well. Get a good quality sponge mop so you don't have bits break off.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

Sorry for the late reply. BIN doesn't need another primer on top of it. To wash ceiling I use TSP and a brand new sponge mop. Less back breaky than being up on a ladder and faster too. You can get Tricleanium (TSP) from Bunnings. It's stronger than sugar soap and works well. Get a good quality sponge mop so you don't have bits break off.

Hi Alkahestic, thanks for the additional information. Bad news from my end - I'm paying the price for trying to do things the easy way.

I did a test sand on some of the clear finish and it powdered like oil based PU does, it also didn't become tacky when wiped with mentholated spirits and was otherwise generally in good condition. So on that basis I decided to use an acrylic sealer/primer so I could use an airless spray and get the job done quickly. BIG MISTAKE. This wasn't done on the oil based finish.

The spraying took about 35 minutes, and the prep and clean up took the best part of 5 hours. Within a couple of minutes of spraying on the primer, there appeared to be tannin bleed through and even with repeated coats it just continues to stain. So, now I'm going to do the job again with a brush/roller and BIN and am down a few hundred dollars of paint and spray hire and a whole day. The acrylic seams to have adhered well enough, it just has no resistance to the bleed through.

The annoying thing is that the bleed through is worse where the clear coat is, when compared to where the primer was painted directly onto the timber, but is similar colour on both.

With the wash down, I actually used a stiff cobweb brush so I could scrub into the v grooves, and then did a follow up with a sponge mop as you suggested. half an hour in I was getting annoyed with how long it was taking, so tried the ladder and sponge trick - I quickly gave that up and went back to what I was doing before .

Originally Posted by SPF

Do you have any tips for making the sugar soap part less painful?

The absolute best way to do this job is get someone else to do it and go away for the weekend.

Sugar Soap is a great product, however, I would suggest a product called Tricleanium. A highly alkaline crystal which, when mixed with hot water, does wonders on years old cooking oil residues on walls. Wear gloves, safety glasses, etc. This is strong stuff, I had very good results using it and am happy to recommend.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

The absolute best way to do this job is get someone else to do it and go away for the weekend.