To better paint plywood with your own hands, rules and 5 suitable compositions

Plywood, which is thin sheets of wood glued together with an adhesive, is often used in the finishing phase of construction. It is used to decorate facades, sheath furniture, walls, floors. To extend the life of the plywood coating, paint is used. When choosing the best way to paint plywood, consider the conditions under which the wood siding will be used.

Hardware Features

The main characteristic of plywood is its ability to absorb moisture. Due to this, the raw material quickly loses its quality and attractiveness. To protect against high humidity and extend life, plywood should be painted.

Several types of plywood are produced depending on the degree of resistance to external influences:

• FC - moisture-resistant material used in the production of furniture and for interior decoration;
• FSF - a material with increased resistance to moisture and wear, used for roofing;
• FOF - waterproof laminated panels with phenolic film coating on one or two sides;
• Bakelite panels with increased resistance to humidity, flames, chemicals, temperature fluctuations, coated with phenol-formaldehyde resin dissolved in alcohol.

Plywood is divided into 5 grades depending on the quality of the material from which it is made and the amount of preparatory measures needed before painting:

1. The E rating is the highest. There is not the slightest defect on the surface.
2. Grade I. Up to five knots per 1 m are permitted², their diameter should not exceed 1.5 cm.
3. Grades II and III. Depressions, scratches, knots are noticeable. Remnants of dried adhesive on the sides of the plank are acceptable. 1 meter² there should be no more than 20 cm of cracks.
4. Grade IV is the lowest. Any defect not affecting the technical qualities of the board is possible.

The method of finishing plywood is determined by its quality:

• Nsh - untreated;
• Ш1 - one-sided grinding;
• Ш2 - processing on both sides.

Requirements for the coloring composition

When choosing a paint, consider where and how the plywood will be used. If the coating will be on the street, then it is better to paint it with oil paint or waterproof varnish. If the plywood decor will be inside the house, acrylic and water-based compositions are preferable.

The water-based stain is suitable for both exterior and interior paint, including furniture. Acrylic is optimal for painting toys, boxes, small decorative plywood elements. It is recommended to paint surfaces with pentaphthalic enamel where temperature fluctuations often occur.

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The plywood varnish should also be chosen wisely.If you want to create an original pattern on the laminate panel that resembles the texture of wood, you need to add powder paint to the varnish. It is recommended to paint plywood on the floor and other intensively used surfaces with enamel varnish. A transparent composition is used if there is no need to change the original appearance of the coating.

Paint suitable for coloring

The correct paint composition provides an attractive finish with long life.

Oil

Plywood is rarely painted with oil paint, despite its relatively low cost, since the composition has many flaws. Basically, the oil solution is used to paint plywood substrates and household items.

Acrylic

Acrylic is becoming more and more popular, it is optimal for interior decoration, they are recommended for painting plywood parts in a residential building. Acrylic paint should be applied in two layers, painting both the main surface and the final surface.

water-based

If the surface is not exposed to mechanical stress, you can paint it with water-based paint. Painting on plywood is not difficult, it is not necessary to specially prepare the composition.

Enamels

It is recommended to paint the plywood covering the facade with pentaphthalic enamel. Enamel compounds are inexpensive, adapt well to wood, with the formation of a thin film, and create a glossy finish.

Varnish

Varnishes used as alternatives to paints are based on natural or synthetic resins. Forms a transparent or pigmented film that emphasizes the texture of the wood, protects the plywood from external influences.

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Epoxy, alkyd, polyurethane and nitro varnish are suitable for painting plywood.The advantages and disadvantages of the application are determined by the chemical composition.

Alkyd varnish is used for interior and facade decoration, dries in a few days, is very decorative, usually gives the surface a brownish tint. Nitrolacquer forms a transparent film, ideal for covering plywood furniture. Polyurethane and epoxy varnishes are wear-resistant and reliably protect the surface.

Surface preparation rules

Before painting, the plywood must be thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt. Preparatory activities include drying, sanding, filling and priming.

Pre-drying

Only plywood that has dried well can be successfully painted. A wooden board that is not dry before painting will certainly warp. To avoid deformation, the plates are stored in a dry room at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. It is especially important to keep plywood, which has been stored in a damp warehouse before purchase, dry.

Sharpening

The highest quality FK and FSF panels don't need to be sanded, you just wipe the dust off. Other types of plywood require sanding.

First, they are treated with coarse-grained sandpaper, then medium-grained sandpaper is taken. The procedure also ensures good paint adhesion.It is also important to sand the sides of the slab. In some cases, they even have to be cut with a blade first, then sanded. If the surface is large, it is better to use an electric sander. This will speed up the work, make the result of higher quality.

putty

Plywood is a putty to hide seams, fixing areas and visible defects. In addition, putty is necessary if the overlay of wallpaper is planned on the plywood. If grades II, III and IV plywood sheets are purchased, a two-coat application of the putty is required. Putty areas are sanded.

Primer

The sanded tile is primed with linseed oil or an alkyd primer composition. If the plywood for painting is indoors, then due to temperature fluctuations and periodic increases in humidity, its fibers sometimes dry out, and then expand. The primer is designed so that changes in the external environment do not lead to cracking of the paint, so that mold does not appear due to the penetration of moisture into the cracks.

When the primer dries, the plywood is additionally covered with an antiseptic compound and a fire retardant that protects the surface from fire. Antiseptic treatment is extremely important when using a transparent coating that is not resistant to microorganisms.

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Rules and subtleties of painting

Painting plywood is easy. Any painting tool can be used:

1. The gun is optimal if you have to paint a large surface: floor, facade.
2. A roller is handy if you want to paint medium-sized surfaces such as plywood furniture. For plywood, a tool with a layer of foam rubber is best.For enamel and water-based paints, you can use a velvet roller. A furring tool is suitable for applying decorative plaster to plywood.
3. Brushes are used to paint small parts, corners, hard to reach areas.
4. An airbrush is used to apply inscriptions and artistic patterns to a painted surface.

It is necessary to paint the plywood panels in the direction where the wood fibers go. Before work, enamel paint is diluted with white spirit or an analogous solvent, water-based paint - with water. Apply the paint evenly in a thin layer so that no streaks form. The second layer is put on after the first has dried well.

To properly paint plywood with varnish, they act a little differently. After grinding and dusting, the surface is degreased. Apply the first coat of varnish and let it dry. Sand the coat, then apply the second coat of varnish. This creates a matt lacquered surface. To give the plywood a glossy appearance, a third layer of varnish is applied, and it is desirable to do this with a spray gun for an even coating.

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To give plywood a similarity to natural wood, you need to paint it with a stain of a certain tone. To give a shiny appearance after staining, it is necessary to varnish the surface.

Characteristics of painting in white

White color and all light shades are created by adding suitable dye compositions to the primer.

Decoration Options

There are several ways to increase the decorativeness of plywood:

1. Reinforce the texture of the textured tile by coloring it with dye. It is also possible to apply wax, to spread it over the surface in a certain way.
2. Make a pattern or composition on solid-colored plywood.
3. Treat semi-antique plywood. To do this, paint in a dark color, apply a primer and a light shade on top of it, then go over the product with a sandpaper. An alternative is the use of patina formulations.
4. Make the coating shiny, with a mirror finish. To do this, apply 2 or 3 coats of clear varnish over the paint layer.

It is not difficult to paint plywood, the main thing is the exact observance of the technology, taking into account the recommendations. The correct choice of the coloring composition, high-quality sanding and primer allow to increase the decorative effect of the plywood coating and extend its service life.