Can You Paint Over Drywall Without Primer

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From the cabinets in your kitchen to a piece of piece of furniture to a fun arts and crafts, there are plenty of wood items yous tin can paint. And one of the best things about wood is that it accepts a multifariousness of paints well, whether yous opt for something that'due south acrylic or an oil-based formula. Painting wood is an like shooting fish in a barrel way to change its await and requite information technology some new personality, but it'south not ever clear what paint to use for different projects and applications. Here's what you need to know near the right paint to utilize for wood.

What's Your Project?

First, it'south essential to figure out the nature of your projection, significant you'll need to decide non only what yous're painting simply besides where it's located or going to be used. Are you painting shingles on the outside of your home? Or are y'all painting an outdoor deck that'll see a lot of foot traffic? How about kitchen cabinets that people will touch on often, or a bathroom shelf that'll be exposed to high humidity from the shower?

Knowing things like whether or non it's going to get wet, how often someone's going to employ it or touch it and what overall consequence or look you want to achieve are all essential for determining what paint you should utilize for the project. Wood accepts a very broad range of paints and stains, but each of those tin take differing levels of durability and protection. Some paints are better than others in certain situations, and you'll need to know your particular situation before you lot make your choice.

Paint Types and Formulas

The great thing about forest is that, equally long as you lot employ primer to it in nigh cases, any type of paint works well on it, depending on what function you need your project to serve. By and large speaking, paints to apply on woods are water-based or oil-based. Acrylic and latex are the two most common types of h2o-based paints, while oil-based paints fall into 2 categories: synthetic or natural. Each of these is better than others for specific applications.

Latex pigment is quick-drying, piece of cake to make clean and improve for the surroundings than other types. It's also less probable to discolor over time. Yet, it's not the almost durable pick, as it tin scratch and chip easily. Information technology's best for indoor wood items or surfaces that you won't impact or use very often, such as rarely used furniture, storage cabinet doors, stair spindles and movie frames. Latex paint is oftentimes the well-nigh affordable type.

Acrylic paint is ideal for habitation exteriors, although yous can also use oil-based paint hither. If the exterior is fabricated up of different materials, such as stone and woods, you're better off choosing acrylic. Materials like stone and masonry need breathable paint to allow wet and water vapor to pass through, and oil-based paint prevents this. Acrylic arts and crafts paints are likewise widely bachelor and easy to utilise and clean upwardly if you're doing a elementary DIY craft project using forest.

Synthetic oil paint, which is also chosen alkyd, is the best selection for applications where you need a lot more than durability. Recall everyday piece of furniture that'll get used and jostled often, kitchen and bath cabinets, interior trims like baseboards and door frames that'll get kicked and touched often, and flooring indoors and out. Oil-based paints are more than rigid than flexible, water-based types and then they're less likely to flake — even when people are walking on them — and they're also easier to launder make clean because of this.

Natural oil paint, called linseed, is best for craft projects on which you desire to create a warm, anile patina. It'due south typically much more expensive than the synthetic multifariousness, which is why information technology'south all-time for smaller projects.

Prepping for the Project

To help the pigment adhere well and to ensure the finish looks its best when everything is dry out, it'due south important to prep your forest to become it ready. If y'all're painting an exterior surface or detail, give everything a thorough wash to make sure there isn't any dirt, grit, moss or algae, all of which can keep the paint from sticking to the surface. If you're painting woods deck furniture, a table or something else for the outdoors that people volition bear upon frequently, information technology's a wise idea to sand it earlier painting to give the paint something polish to attach to. Splinters and cracks tin can also keep the finished production from looking its best, and they're uncomfortable to sit on. Permit the surface or or item dry out fully earlier applying the paint, and give it a few days to dry out and showtime curing before you utilise it. It's best to do outdoor woods-painting projects while the conditions is squeamish.

If you're repainting an interior surface or piece of furniture such as kitchen cabinetry or a dresser, take a look at the existing paint or finish. If the item's current paint isn't chipped, cracked or bubbling, y'all can commonly pigment right over it; just sand the wood areas briefly to give the surface more texture for the paint to stick to. If you don't need to remove cabinet pigment, it'due south still a skillful idea to clean the doors with a heavy-duty solution like TSP to eliminate all traces of grease and grime. If you do demand to remove a little bit of paint, such as a few chipped areas, you tin sand them down. Yet, you may demand to utilize paint stripper for items with paint that'southward very damaged. This is a product that softens the sometime paint then y'all tin can scrape and wipe it all off.

A word of caution here: If your cabinets or other painted dwelling surfaces were last washed in the 1970s or earlier, they may incorporate lead-based paint. If you employ a testing kit and determine in that location'southward lead in your paint, call the National Lead Data Center or your local wellness section to find out how to proceed.