The abbreviation MDF stands for finely dispersed fraction. This material, invented in 1966 in the USA, is a slab of medium-density wood fibers pressed under high pressure.
Today MDF has gained universal recognition, for example, among furniture manufacturers. And if you have pieces of MDF furniture at home, they can easily be repainted - this is an inexpensive and effective way to change the situation. In addition, painting can additionally protect MDF surfaces from negative environmental factors.
Modern technologies and materials make it possible to paint kitchen facades or other pieces of MDF furniture at home quite efficiently.
Why do this?
Many people wonder: is it possible to paint MDF at home, and why is this necessary? The answer to the first part of the question is yes. Indeed, you can paint the panels yourself. But it’s worth making a reservation right away: if you don’t have a spray booth at hand, the result is not always ideal. The coloring procedure is necessary for the following reasons:
- Painted elements become more resistant to high temperatures and humidity. Therefore, they can be used in the kitchen and bathroom, where they can fulfill different roles.
- By decorating, it is possible to diversify a dull interior and refresh the appearance of the room. The shade is chosen based on the design ideas.
- Painting MDF panels is also necessary in order to extend their service life.
- walk over the selected area with a sponge soaked in the mixture;
- leave until completely dry;
- the painted area is sanded;
- proceed to the final stage.
Reasons for the formation of defects
There are a number of reasons why painting MDF panels may be necessary, including:
- Mechanical damage to the surface as a result of impact with a sharp object or other material. The top layer of the MDF panel consists of laminated or plain paper with paint applied to it; when exposed to a hard object, the film breaks, which exposes the core of the entire product;
- Paint fading, loss of color brightness. This deformation is caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays and atmospheric air, which contains a small amount of moisture. Over time, the coating becomes matte, loses its shine and original appearance;
- Temperature changes also negatively affect the external condition of the surface of MDF panels, since the internal structure consists of wood, which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and at the same time swells over the entire area. When the temperature rises, MDF dries out and may crack; moreover, the glue contained in the panel loses its ability due to moisture, which leads to peeling of paper, lamination and shavings.
These causes of deformation lead to an unsightly appearance of the entire surface and disrupt the overall design of the wall. If these defects occur, you can paint MDF panels after first completing a number of preparatory procedures, but you should understand that painting parts with your own hands at home brings a result that differs from processing with paints in production.
Processing value
Lining is a material made from sheet wood . It ignites quickly. Even expensive coatings will not provide a guarantee against fires, but there are protective agents - fire retardants. Their task is to increase the protection of the material. After some time, it begins to deteriorate, become covered with dark spots, and rot. An antiseptic will help prevent or slow down an already existing process. In this case, the material does not need to be painted, but it is necessary to use an antiseptic.
Attention
The paint will protect against any damage. The coating is located on a thick layer of wood. It takes the blow and does not allow the material itself to be destroyed.
In the sun, wood darkens, and the protective coating repels it and preserves the shade of the wood. Colorless varnishes not only shine, but can change the color of the material (what to do if the lining turns yellow and how to avoid the problem?). The best treatment method is to apply an acrylate paint coating. It will renew the material, while the varnished panels will retain their color and decorativeness. The coating extends the service life to 8-10 years (you can find out how to correct defects and repair the lining here).
Painting process for MDF panels
Before answering the question of how to paint MDF panels, you need to understand the composition of this product. An MDF board, wall or facade, consists of several layers of compressed paper and sawdust, laminated with a transparent or colored film on the front side. Most often, it is the top layer that is subject to damage and wear, so when planning to update MDF, you need to prepare the specified types of coatings.
In order to prepare MDF panels for painting at home, you will need:
- Sandpaper for preparing the surface and removing gloss or varnish;
- Solvent for degreasing the surface from glue and liquid residues;
- Dry rags or other lint-free cloth.
These materials are necessary for pre-treatment of MDF panels for painting and sealing cracks and scratches on the laminate.
Priming MDF panels
All work must be carried out in accordance with the action algorithm. The first step is to sand the panel with fine sandpaper; this can be done manually or using a pneumatic tool. It is important to follow the varnish removal technology, to prevent overheating of the surface or the formation of large marks on the laminate. The wood-fiber surface is under the decorative film, so when sanding you need to carefully monitor the thickness of the top layer so as not to erase it completely. After this procedure, the coating will no longer shine and will become rough and slightly scratchy.
Next, you need to clean all cracks and chips from dirt and dust, and also clean their edges. All irregularities, if necessary, are smoothed over with a special putty, which forms a single whole with the base of the panel; it also needs to be leveled with sandpaper.
After the surface has been processed and leveled, it must be wiped with a dry cloth and degreased with a chemical solvent, which will displace and evaporate all water and wash away dust and dirt.
The next step is to prime the top coat with a special paint; it has a grainy texture and can be applied using compressed air or a simple brush. It can be used to cover the surface in several layers, with intermediate sanding, until the required smoothness is achieved.
Next, the base paint is prepared, tinted and thoroughly mixed so that all the elements are mixed together. You can paint MDF panels manually or with a special pneumatic gun, but this will require a compressor unit and a moisture-water separator. The composition is applied with smooth movements in two layers: the first - across the main direction, the second - along the entire length of the part. Thus, the formation of smudges and paint sagging is prevented.
The final step will be to treat the top paper-wood layer of the panel with transparent varnish. This procedure is not necessary, but after it is carried out, the surface of the MDF product becomes glossy, its top layer seems renewed, and the appearance of the entire structure is restored.
Primer coating
Before painting, it is highly advisable to treat MDF with a primer. This processing is carried out in two passes. At the first stage, the insulating soil is sprayed using a spray gun at the rate of 90-100 grams per square meter.
Note! If you intend to paint laminated MDF board (LMDF), then you can do without priming and immediately move on to the next step.
The primer should prevent new paint or varnish from being absorbed into the MDF board. The soil gets into all loose areas of the MDF, which means that the paint will not sag in the future. After the primer has dried, the surface is carefully sanded with sandpaper or sandpaper.
To form the second layer, it is best to use white polyurethane primer. Here the consumption should be 150 grams per square meter. And this layer of soil must be given a certain time to dry - up to 24 hours.
If we talk about general recommendations for priming MDF, it is carried out with a spray gun. If you don’t have a spray gun, then you can use a brush. First, the most complex elements of the cutters are processed, then the edge and the rest of the surface. For the first time, the part is coated lengthwise, and the second layer is made across the direction of the strokes of the first.
How to paint and renew MDF panels
For MDF panels, you can use alkyd or acrylic enamel, but when choosing a paint, you should take into account the type of primer, operating conditions of the panels, and the composition of the top layer. If it is laminated paper with a synthetic, weakly absorbent film, then it would be advisable to use acrylic or water-dispersion enamel. These materials are environmentally friendly and are perfect for interior painting indoors, while the surface of the panel will be renewed and also additionally protected from the moisture of an aggressive external environment.
Thus, if the entire painting technology is followed, the question of whether it is possible to paint MDF panels becomes completely solvable at home.
What materials should I use?
Since MDF is a material that consists of wood fiber, it can also be painted with conventional wood paints. However, to get a truly high-quality result and uniform coloring, you will need special formulations, including:
- polyurethane-based primer;
- paint (also polyurethane);
- varnish for MDF (if necessary).
Polyurethane enamel does not contain volatile components and can be used for both interior and exterior use.
Is it possible to paint MDF panels?
The appearance of the existing panels on the walls is annoying. Maybe use a primer and acrylic paint on top? Is it possible?
Is it possible to paint MDF panels with paint?
Yes, MDF panels can be painted, but not everything is so simple; before painting, MDF panels must be prepared.
If you hire people to paint panels, then you need to carefully calculate and weigh everything; very often, high-quality painting and the paint itself, plus the work of craftsmen, are more expensive than buying new MDF panels.
Maybe use a primer and acrylic paint on top?
In principle, this is possible, but I would advise painting MDF panels with alkyd enamel, the choice of colors is huge,
“Walking” with a primer is not enough. Before priming, the surface of the panels must be sanded; the work is done using sandpaper.
The surface is carefully sanded, but at the second stage a primer is used.
But that’s not all; in order for the paint to lay flat on the panel, it needs to be sanded and primed at least twice.
If there are deep scratches on the panels, then the scratches are filled with putty before finishing painting.
The surface of MDF is porous and the task of the primer is to clog all these pores and make the surface smooth.
Next comes painting, most likely you will have to paint it twice.
At the last stage, the surface is varnished, but this is optional.
The work of painting MDF panels is quite painstaking and complex; it is extremely difficult to paint the panels yourself and efficiently, but I would still advise you to consider purchasing new panels, especially if the old ones look very poor.
If you meant laminated MDF panels, then in principle you can paint them, but the quality and appearance will be very unique, but let’s say it depends on what you’re painting them for, maybe just to match the general color, for example, the counters in a store, but if you want to get good and beautiful result, then you have to work hard!
You need to start with sanding; it’s better to use a sanding machine, since using sandpaper by hand will be very difficult and time-consuming!
You need to strip and clean everything down to a clean wood body, then you will need to prime, dry and sand everything thoroughly again, it is advisable to use finer sandpaper a second time and only after that you can paint!
It is better to use a primer with a leveling effect, for example acrylic-polyurethane, you need to dilute it to a very thick degree, or not dilute it at all, since MDF can swell, it is best applied with a spray gun, since such a primer is very thick, you will have to use nozzle No. 6, or use paint rollers, work quickly, since the drying time for such a primer is about 30 minutes, very quickly.
Well, you can already use paint as desired, whatever your heart desires - so the answer is yes, you can!
You need to approach painting MDF very carefully, since the surface itself is very capricious both in preparation and in the quality of the material, including the paint. The work of painting MDF is very tedious and expensive, and not everyone is able to paint MDF so that not only the surface is beautiful, but also so that the paint does not crack.
So, if the MDF is not laminated, then it is best to prepare it as follows - sand the surface with sandpaper, then cover it with a special wood putty, then prime it and then paint.
If the MDF is laminated, then it is best to thoroughly sand its surface so as to remove the top layer of lamination and make this surface as rough as possible, but not so that scratches are directly visible. Then you need to thoroughly degrease the entire surface of the MDF and cover it with primer. Now you can paint it.
Choose paint to suit your taste, preferably acrylic.
It is best to paint with a spray gun, especially if the MDF does not have a flat surface, since a brush, sponge or roller can leave a lot of paint on the joints, grooves and recesses and then it will not look very nice.
Dyeing technology
The process of painting MDF with colored polyurethane enamels includes several stages:
- grinding;
- primer;
- direct painting;
- drying.
Grinding
For good adhesion of the paint and varnish coating, it is necessary to sand the products being processed, be it facades or wall panels. For this we use:
- dry sandpaper;
- Scotch Brite - a soft, fine-grained abrasive;
- Underground grinding machines.
If the product is small, then sandpaper on a foam rubber base with a gradation of P220-P280 is used. For flat surfaces, 700 series sanding mats with fine-grained abrasive are used. The same materials will help remove excess primer and fill in scratches before painting.
The surface directly on which the paint will be applied is cleaned. After cleaning, the surface must be degreased with anti-silicone.
putty
MDF is prepared carefully for painting; sanding alone will not get rid of it. If there are visible flaws (cracks, dents), then the surface in these areas must be puttied, thereby leveling the surface.
For puttying, acrylic putty for wood is best suited; it should be applied and smoothed with a special rubber spatula.
Primer
For flat products it is better to use universal white polyurethane primer LBR30. The content of a large amount of resin in it gives a minimal tendency to shrinkage. Suitable for matte and glossy finishes. For the latter, where every defect is visible on the surface, the preparation requirements are an order of magnitude higher. The best results are obtained by using polyester primers.
Before painting the panels, they must be thoroughly prepared. First make a working mixture. To do this you need to take:
- primer LBR 30 – 100 parts by weight;
- hardener LNB 77 – 40 parts by weight;
- thinner LZC 1051 – 10 parts by weight.
All these components must be mixed together and the first layer of primer must be applied to the surface to be painted using a gun with an upper tank. Nozzle diameter 1.8 mm, air pressure 2-3 atmospheres. The material consumption should be 120 g per 1 m2. The optimal thickness of the resulting film is 120 microns. To completely complete the shrinkage process, the soil should be dried for 12 hours.
Before painting the product, it will need to be treated with abrasive again. For gloss, an emery tool with a finer grit is additionally used. After this, the surface will be prepared, and paint for MDF panels can be applied.
In the video: priming and sanding MDF.
Painting
You can paint wall panels with a brush, roller or spray gun. The room temperature should be about +20°C, air humidity - within 50-80%. Can be painted with matte or glossy enamel. But first you need to prepare working compositions. For matte enamel take:
- 100 parts by weight of enamel;
- 50 parts by weight of hardener;
- 30 parts by weight of thinner.
For glossy enamel, 70 parts of hardener are taken. The remaining components are in the same quantities. For gloss you should always use a slow thinner that will ensure good flow.
Painting of MDF panels should be done in a relatively spacious room, if these are internal structures (for example, facades or wall elements). The outside of the house should be finished in the warm season. The enamel consumption should be approximately 150g/m2. Medium density fiberboard or MDF dries completely in 24 hours.
To obtain a glossy finish, polishing should be done after 3 days. By this time, all polymerization processes will be completed. Using special additives on the surface of the product, you can create mother-of-pearl, metallic effects, and obtain corrugated waves.
Wet
MDF panels can be painted with alkyd or polyurethane enamel, as well as powder mixtures. Wet technology involves the use of a sprayer with appropriate pressure. If the paint is applied in two layers, intermediate sanding is necessary. The thickness of the layers is no more than 120 microns.
Painting surfaces must be free of small debris, dust, and insects. If they get in, they should be removed in a timely manner using a tool such as tweezers. Smudges formed on the painted surface after drying are removed with a stationery knife or fine-grained sandpaper.
Powder
Is it possible to paint MDF in another way? Yes, there are special powder mixtures that are applied to the work surface with a sprayer. After this, the product is subjected to high temperatures until the paint completely melts. This method provides for obtaining an almost perfectly smooth surface.
Powder coating technology involves spraying dry microscopic particles onto the surface.
Drying
You can paint MDF panels using any method. Drying completes any finishing process. It is carried out subject to certain conditions:
- ambient air temperature no more than 50°C;
- relative humidity less than 80%.
The duration of the final stage depends on environmental conditions. Can range from 5 hours to a day. Painted MDF board will dry faster at lower temperatures and air humidity.
Regardless of what you can use to paint wall panels, following the steps and conditions of the technological process will allow you to get a rich color, a smooth surface, and will save time and costs. It is better to automate all the work using special paint and varnish equipment.
How to paint MDF correctly (2 videos)
What you need for work (20 photos)
Painting MDF boards is a very labor-intensive procedure that will require compliance with technology and many rules. It is immediately worth noting that such work takes a long time, it may take more than one week. In any case, you can do everything yourself and still get the necessary decorative surface.
Why do this?
Many people wonder: is it possible to paint MDF at home, and why is this necessary? The answer to the first part of the question is yes. Indeed, you can paint the panels yourself. But it’s worth making a reservation right away: if you don’t have a spray booth at hand, the result is not always ideal. The coloring procedure is necessary for the following reasons:
- Painted elements become more resistant to high temperatures and humidity. Therefore, they can be used in the kitchen and bathroom, where they can fulfill different roles.
- By decorating, it is possible to diversify a dull interior and refresh the appearance of the room. The shade is chosen based on the design ideas.
- Painting MDF panels is also necessary in order to extend their service life.
Selection of materials for painting
In principle, all paints for MDF are selected taking into account the composition of the material. And this is, first of all, a fine wood fraction, which means that paint solutions for wood are suitable for the job. But to obtain a truly high-quality coating, it is advisable to use special mixtures.
When choosing materials for painting MDF, you should pay attention not only to the color, but also to the purpose of the paint
Polyurethane enamels
This material should be preferred for the following reasons:
- The coating is wear-resistant and can withstand exposure to household chemicals.
- The solution does not have an unpleasant odor, which makes it possible to carry out work in cramped home conditions.
- The mixture can be applied using a sprayer, roller and brush.
- Painting MDF with enamel is done independently; this procedure does not require professional skills.
Naturally, when choosing this material, they pay attention to the manufacturer. It should be a well-known brand that is sold in specialized stores. When purchasing a product from an unknown manufacturer, there is a high probability of getting a fake.
Advice! If it is not possible to select a polyurethane composition, then pay attention to alkyd enamels and paints (oil and acrylic).
When choosing paint, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer
