Do I really need undercoat??

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  berger on 07/10/2014 - 08:58

  undercoat is thicker. do one coat of undercoat and hopefully 1 topcoat.

  If no undercoat, you may need 3-4 top coats

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    RockyRaccoon on 07/10/2014 - 09:16

    Berger!!!!

    (Keep on keeping on)

    spot on..

    • 

      Baysew on 07/10/2014 - 10:46

      Good thing we got Berger and not the (ex) British Paints spokesman.

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  voiletmay on 07/10/2014 - 09:53

  Ok thank you!! I will go undercoat shopping then. I didn't realise it was thicker. I will be painting right ontop of treated outdoor timber, so definitely need a thick coat.

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  franga on 07/10/2014 - 10:02

  If you are using exterior paint (solarguard etc…) you do not need undercoat as these paints have a primer in the mix.
  No need to undercoat outdoor areas.

  Also if your painting a fence….use fence paint as it's much cheaper.

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  voiletmay on 07/10/2014 - 10:06

  The paint I have is:

  Dulux Wash & Wear - 101 advanced

  It says on the bunnings label that it exterior/interior, but on the paint can it says interior. So I am a bit confused now LOL!!

  It is 5 palings that have to be painted, and 2 posts (which need to end up green). We had a fence repair last week.

  I was hoping because it is such a small amount of painting, that I could get away with just using this paint.

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  c64 on 07/10/2014 - 11:18

  The paint I have is:
  Dulux Wash & Wear - 101 advanced

  i don't think interior paint is going to survive outdoors (no uv protection)

  also, any hardwood (eg posts, rails) should be primed with an oil-based primer/sealer/undercoat to prevent tanin from leaking through and staining your paint work.

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  voiletmay on 07/10/2014 - 12:55

  Ok thanks.. looks like I need to buy all new paint.

  I had a good think about the white paint I had and I finally remembered that it was for my interior window frames.

  So looks like I need to buy cream, green and undercoat. Lots of money for not munch actual paint needed.. sigh.

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  mskeggs on 07/10/2014 - 14:26

  I used some antique White USA tinted interior semi gloss that I had lying around to paint a chicken coop two years ago. It is still looking good. I didn't use primer/undercoat.
  If it were me, I would just go paint it.
  So what if you need to do it again in a few years? It might last fine, so why spend money now?

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  voiletmay on 07/10/2014 - 15:34

  Thanks everyone. I ended up going to Bunnings and had to get a colourmatch of the cream colour of the fence palings. The paint I bought as was Taubmans sunproof exterior which was relatively cheap ($29.90 for a litre) and doesn't need an undercoat. So much cheaper than the three tins of paint I was expecting to have to buy. I also bought the heritage green spray can ($3.40) and can just use this taubmans paint as the undercoat (they said to sand it before). I also bought a pack of dropsheets (will need these when I spray LOL). Should have masking tape, brushes etc in the garage.

  So happy with that.. not quite for free, but cheap enough.

  Just need to get painting now LOL!!

  Thanks again!!

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  GnarlyKnuckles on 08/10/2014 - 01:55

  Nice one V-may, sounds like you've got it sorted, with one of those new-fangled "self-priming" paints…

  Here's a couple of final tips that you may find useful:

  1. IF you end up sanding the palings before painting them (personally I would ensure they were clean, but I would not bother actually sanding an outdoor paling fence prior to painting; but that's just my personal preference), be sure to thoroughly brush all the sawdust off before painting them. You'd need to remove all the sawdust so that the paint 'takes' properly, and to ensure you're not adding sawdust to your can of paint every time you re-dip the brush into it.

  2. Re the actual paintbrush/es, for such a small job I'd be inclined to buy a couple of cheap ones ('2 brushes for $2', that sort of thing) and chuck them out after the job was finished. It's certainly not worth buying a high quality paintbrush, or messing around cleaning the brushes thoroughly after you've finished, given that you'll not use them again anyway (in the next year or two; after which time they'll be stuffed).

  3. When you're ready to paint, open the can (which will be very TIGHTLY shut; don't use a 'good' screw-driver to open it, use something semi-disposable; whatever you use may well get bent/wrecked), then STIR IT VERY THOROUGHLY. A classic rookie mistake is to look at the paint after a bit of stirring and think that because it all looks evenly coloured, it's stirred enough. IT'S NOT. Read the label carefully, and stir it for at LEAST as long/much as they say to. It will be an amount of time that may seem extreme/silly to you, but make sure you actually do it, and make sure you're reaching the bottom of the can with your stirring, not just "swishing" the stuff on top around! I'd imagine that this is particularly important for these new paints that are a 'paint+primer' in one.

  4. You have a tiny amount of surface area to cover, so you can easily do each coat in one brief session. I suggest the following sequence for each coat:
     Paint all the edges of all the palings, starting from the top and working down. Then paint the side you least care about the 'look' of. Then lastly, paint the side that you want to look 'perfect'. Always paint 'top-to-bottom' (if you paint the bottom first, then when you're painting the top, paint can 'drip down' and spoil your good work).

  5. When you've finished the first coat, 'paste' the excess paint off the brush back into the can, then put the bristle-end into a small plastic bag and seal the 'stem' with a rubber-band. Then LIGHTLY tap the lid back onto the can of paint, and move it and the brush into the shade.

  6. After however long it says on the can you need to wait before applying the second coat (1 hour I'm guessing), STIR THE CAN OF PAINT THOROUGHLY AGAIN, then proceed.

  7. After you've finished, if you have a decent amount of the can of paint left and you want to save it, make sure you reseal the lid back on there very tightly. Place the lid on top, then with an old sock or something as a 'buffer', work your way around the rim tapping 'gently but firmly' with an actual HAMMER. So that there's no chance that paint will leak out, or air will leak in, ruining your paint. Then put the can of paint in a couple of plastic bags tied at the top, and chuck it in your garage/shed.
     And if you took my earlier advice to do the job with a cheap paintbrush/es, at this point, throw them away. It's just not worth the hassle of attempting to clean them thoroughly, given that even if you do, they will never be as good as one you could buy again new for $2, the next time you have some painting to do.

  Painting can actually be very rewarding, particularly if you prepare well… Good luck :)