Painting over Sikkens

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paulw
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by paulw »

I have several quality hardwood doors which I finished some years ago with several coats of Sikkens in mahogany.
I now want to paint them with water based satin in a light colour.
Should I use an oil based or water based primer/undercoat? The doors are in perfect condition. I would prefer water based if possible.
Thanks
OchAye
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by OchAye »

1. You must key the surface with some fine paper around 180 or higher grade[1]. Clean/degrease etc.
2. The most important step is to use an adhesion promoting and stain blocking primer. It is difficult for paint to stick on varnish and then the mahogany thing may/will leak colour[2].
3. If you want water based then use that. Decide about sheen level (gloss, satin or eggshell) and go from there.

For the primer there are many. Non smelling water based zinsser bulls eye 123 plus [The Plus bit is important for blocking]. Zinsser BIN (shellac based) and a new shellac based primer Blockade that some of the professionals seem to like a lot. There is also Zinsser coverstain and the list goes on. I would opt for 123 plus x 2 coats (1 coat if there is no colour leaking).

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[1] Check the specks of the products some claim they will stick on glossy surfaces, so should you key the surface? I would. Also check carefully how tight the doors close against the frame (esp. on the hinge side). If you end up with 3-5 coats of paint (see below) you will not be pleased when you shut the doors and the paint gets scraped off.

[2] I changed a friend's mahogany or some similar dark varnished door frames and skirting boards to white a few years ago. I keyed but to the day I cannot tell if the keying made the colour leak more than it may have done. The sequence was key surfaces, 1 coat of Crown trade Extreme Grip primer (oops it was not a stain blocker at all, lesson learned), next coat 123 Plus to block the stains ... would have needed another coat but I chanced not to do that as I went on with Crown Trade oil based undercoat and x2 coats of also Crown Trade oil based Satin. On the final and fifth coat I lost the stains :-(
paulw
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by paulw »

Thanks for that, very useful. The doors were only stained producing a semi sheen finish (nice finish) They were not varnished,just 2 coats of Sikkens (I think "Cetol" )
OchAye
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by OchAye »

paulw wrote: Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:32 pm Thanks for that, very useful. The doors were only stained producing a semi sheen finish (nice finish) They were not varnished,just 2 coats of Sikkens (I think "Cetol" )
I have no idea what had been used in what I painted over, live and learn. Keying is irrespective of the previous sheen level but much more necessary to be done well with higher sheens. Check out 123 Plus and if you are lucky one coat does it (then the biq question if two more coats of the paint you want to use manage to cover what is there). The reason I mentioned the tightness of the doors to the frame, if you are going to paint the frame as well, you would end up having too many coats of paint adding thickness, so you might need some advance sanding instead of just keying the paint.
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bitzz
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by bitzz »

I am going through a similar process to this I have 12 stained doors to do that have been previously done in Sadolin Jacobean Walnut,
my plan of attack is
1/2 coats Blockade
1 coat tinted Benjamin Moor High Hide
1/2 coats Benjamin Moore Scuffix eggshell tinted to customers choice of colour
paulw
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Painting over Sikkens

Post by paulw »

bitzz wrote: Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:19 pm I am going through a similar process to this I have 12 stained doors to do that have been previously done in Sadolin Jacobean Walnut,
my plan of attack is
1/2 coats Blockade
1 coat tinted Benjamin Moor High Hide
1/2 coats Benjamin Moore Scuffix eggshell tinted to customers choice of colour
Thanks,I'll have a look at Zinser and Blockade
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