I have a set of 1/8" thick masonite sheets jigsawed, filed and sanded-up to be used as section dividers on my layout. Now I’m ready to paint them a nice, neutral color.
Can masonite warp when painted? I’m wondering if I need to prime the surface with a varnish or some type of primer/sealer paint before I put-down the final color? I’d planned to spray the top coat, maybe a light blue.
Any help from those experienced with this material will be appreciated!
If you can, prime both sides with an oil based primer. Lightly sand when completely dry and wipe down with a damp cloth. After that, you can do whatever you like. You can spray or brush latex or acrylic paint. The oil primer will help to seal it from moisture. Be sure to prime the edges too.
Unless you’re living in the rainforest, simply paint it like you would anything else. I used Masonite to cove all of the corners in my layout room: it got a coat of the same primer that I used on the drywall, then some “sky” colour. I applied all of the paint with a roller.
Wayne
Great! Thanks to all for the suggestions - I’ll stop at Lowe’s on the way to the Twins game tonight.
Ditto^ I did the same with mine and they are NOT in a nice climate controlled house. No problems at all. I would recommend some kind of frame to support the Masonite.
I sometimes use masonite for artwork. I seal it with water based artists binder medium before any gesso or paint is applied. It’s important to do the edges too. Sealing it this way will almost guarantee that no moisture will spoil it, but it can make for an uneven first coat of gesso. A cheap all-purpose primer should be fine for your needs.
Mike
I ditto Mike, I use latex paint, usually Sears coustomer reject, on masonite, artists acrylic paints can be used with latex paint. I’m not sure about using latex or acrylics over oils. As an aritist one rule is never use acrylic over oil, it will crack over time.
Rob
[:)] I ditto g.gage about acrylic over oil. I know some people do it but I would strongly advise against it.
Mike
Thanks again to everyone for their input. My masonite section-dividers project was a success. Now, the geographically-dispersed sections of my model railroad have “time/space portals” through which a train leaving mythical Wautoma, IA suddenly appears in the equally mythical Wolverine, WI, and so on throughout the 8 sections of my empire.
Thanks guys!
[tup]
It’s a house painter’s rule too. There is a special primer for putting latex over oil. Depending on the brand, it may be called Plastic Primer. When I repainted my basement floor, I didn’t want to use oil based paint, having had a bad experience with it in the past, so I went to the paint store and explained that I wanted to paint latex over oil. The clerk sold me a can of this special primer. It worked just fine. The floor is holding out well after two years and I’m building my layout on it. Just go to a good paint store, one that sells only one manufacturer’s brand, the type of store that the pros buy their paint at, and tell them you want a primer to let you paint latex over oil. The directions on the can also say it’s good for sealing hard to seal surfaces like masonite.