I'm doing a job with 180 individual letters that I cut on my CNC in MDF....Your video and the one and only can of Zinners Shellac I could find at Home Depot(Canada) saved my life!!
Never would have thought of this. I always used rust-oleum lacquer rattle can and do heavy coats, don’t even have to sand your piece then as long as the side your spraying is laying face up. But the edges are still thirsty doing it this way so I appreciate this video
I use water and wood glue 50/50 and it works pretty well. It only takes 1 coat with a foam brush and dries quickly and then a quick sand. I originally put it on the edges but where I got it on the top you could see a difference in sheen so I just started putting it on the top. I think the water helps pull the glue in and makes it a little more durable. I normally use kilz odorless spray and then you can topcoat with about anything. I like the kilz oil based odorless but the spray cans drip which is very annoying.
Just 2 years later and the price of that can has nearly doubled. Still glad I found this, though, because I've always used their shellac primer. It's amazing for MDF, and other tough-to-paint stuff like particle board and laminate (think cheap furniture). But that shellac primer is like $70 a gallon now, so $26 for this, while not $13, is way better! The sanding sealer in your other video, interestingly enough, is cheaper at my store, so I'll probably go that route for now.
I've used Elmer's glue for years to get a pretty nice finish on mdf. I brush on a decent coat or two, then sand it after letting it dry for a full 24 hours. It'll give you a glossy finish as smooth as plastic when you spray paint it. I've also seen really good results with spreading a super thin coat of Bondo on MDF, then sanding it.
Oil based primer+sealer in one works just fine on MDF too. Water based won't work as well because it will soak in and cause swelling, but the oil based works just fine.
I use sanding sealer. I always get a specific Brand. I ONLY use Old Masters, which is kind of hard to find around my area. But it works AWESOME! A nice even coat. Sand with 400 grit lightly until smooth then apply a 2nd coat. Sand with 800., Then apply top coat. That's just my method. I've had GREAT results on numerous Subwoofer box & amp rack projects.
I made the same mistake with mdf years ago put up so shelves in my bathroom after what I sprayed it with a weatherproof sealant sucked it up like a like a sponge same issue no I didn't have the same issue for plywood I treated a shelf I have in my dining room I put my bonsai plant on it's holding up fine
You need an NDF or neutral density filter for your camera. It cuts down the amount of available light and you would have been able to pick up all of those imperfections in the MDF. You can rotate them to adjust the amount they effect the light also.
Hello, I just purchased a computer desk online, and it's made of MDF boards. Yet these boards have a wood patterned wallpaper on top of it. Can I still use an Acrylic sealer to seal this?
If you actually sand the mdf properly you get a much MUCH better surface to paint. You can easily get an almost polished finish using 120 then 240 or 150 then 320. Use 400 or 600 between coats. Use anything you like to seal the mdf but it will look terrible like this does, if you don't sand it before you start painting.
First I want to thank you for your great videos, for me have been very usefull!! I want to ask you a question: when I remove the masking tape from the painted mdf I notice sometime like a masking glue residue over the paint how do you remove that without damage the paint?
Buy better masking tape, not the cheapo stuff. I had the same problem for the longest time, buying better tape made a huge difference. Edit: Also, make sure the paint is cured enough before you tape it. If the paint is still green, you're gonna have issues (even if it does feel dry to the touch)
Any suggestions for a couple of bathroom & kitchen cabinet doors that are MDF covered in that glossy white laminate? There are places where water has dripped onto them, causing peeling & bubbling out of the MDF. Thanks for any ideas you might have.
One trick to doing the edges is to sand them to 320 grit, this greatly decreases the amount of paint or primer that is absorbed. I don't think that I've tried shellac on msg but it should work.
So I dig the ideas I saw your other video too. but... I've painted things that had a high gloss poly on it. or like you enjoy saying shellac ! and the paint chipped cracked throughout the years. and trust me my prep work was amazing vacuumed wiped down with spirits painted in a controlled environment little plastic room I made with circulating air. So has anyone had any issues with that using the SHELLAC !
The only reason you use clear (or blonde) shellac is for finish coats (especially french polish) on fine woodwork with real wood. As a primer, you don't care what it looks like, and amber shellac is both cheaper and much easier to find. I even use shellac as a primer for real wood when I want to paint it and I want as good a surface as possible without the grain poking through. It dries fast, is cheap, and just needs a touch of sanding (tho I usually use 320grit on a sanding block).
Just so you know: shellac is made by mixing lac flakes with alcohol. Lac is a resinous product obtained from the secretion of the female “lac bug” (Kerria lacca) on trees, mostly in the forests of India and Thailand. I've seen a video on youtube that shows how they produce it. Shellac is one of the oldest finishes still in use. Most furniture was finished in shellac until the invention of varnishes. One of the finest finishes of all still is "french polish". Which is a labour intensive process using shellac. As a finish, it's not very tough, labour intensive, and doesn't like water much, which is why you normally see fine furniture done with polyurethane, various varnishes and lacquer these days.
@@johnnyh64 Not just a light coat, but a thinned one. Shellac "strength" is rated in pounds of shellac per gallon of solvent (usually ethanol/denatured alcohol). Typically use a half-pound mix for pre-stain, 1 pound for priming, and 2 or 3 pound for finish coats (eg: french polish). This sort of work is usually done by making shellac from lac flakes and alcohol in the desired ratios. Though, good quality pre-mix shellac should tell you what the mix is, and you can thin it to the desired ratio yourself by adding alcohol. [Lac flakes are a specialized product, so you'll likely have to pre-order from Lee Valley or Woodcraft or someone like that.] The best thinner is denatured ethanol. You can use methyl alcohol, but it dries faster (which can be a bit of a pain), and is considerably more toxic (in liquid or vapor form)) so make sure you have GOOD ventilation. Unless you're a stickler for the stuff, you're just as well buying pre-stain (or pre-conditioner) from Minwax or whomever.
Thanks for the Video!! I just ripped the crappy Vinyl covering off my FISHMAN GUITAR AMP! The vinyl was as good as my crappy school bag when i was about 12!! Fair bit of adhesive still left behind seems to have sealed the MDF .. plus i smeared some watery TITEBOND into the edges!! I think i´ll try a bit of sanding Sealer like in previous video - not much SCCHELAC in Madrid! I plan to spray sides with REd Hammerite & aybe use black car bumper paint for back & base!! Let you know how i get on!! GO THE SCHHHLAC ATACK
Nice video but honestly I just don’t get the fuss about MDF painting. First : it does NOT suck to paint - it paints beautifully. Seal edges with 50/50 glue water mix. Just paint faces with non water based primer and then paint normally. Comes up beautiful.
Skip the shellac. Sanding is important, yes. But for a shiny plate-like appearance then try applying the paint with an airless sprayer. There is something about the atomization and/or aerosol that mdf doesn't like.
PSA -- This is misguided information. MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is compressed wood fiber, which is a porous surface. The purpose of Shellac (or similar products) is to seal the surface by creating a barrier between the paint and the MDF. Essentially, you are painting over the Shellac, which isn't porous, instead of the MDF, which is porous. Do not skip this step. The method by which the paint is applied is irrelevant. Certain methods might produce better results, but I would advise against this suggestion. It's not the atomization, or aerosol that MDF doesn't like, it's water. -- If you are using water-based paint (the most common choice), especially in an airless sprayer where dilution is typically required, the MDF will react to that in a negative way. It will raise the fibers of the wood and create a rough texture. (I'm hoping this will prevent someone else from making a mistake, or wasting money on an airless sprayer.)
@@jessewyllychuk8516 All I can tell you is that I achieve a porcelain appearance on MDF using the application I mentioned, with zero shellac. I am lucky enough to have at my disposal every piece of equipment and plenty of shellac (if need be) and I've tried them all. Sanding, painting, sanding, painting (with WB paint) will give me a gorgeous appearance. Two coats. 15 minutes in between.
@@jessewyllychuk8516 Your first paragraph is correct. The was a "well, i think..." type of response. Mine was a step-by-step explanation of my own personal demo's with this. I wasn't suggesting an experiment. Rather, I'm reporting on my positive findings. Also, typical airless sprayer pressure is 800-2000psi. So regardless of substrate (mdf, steel, etc), if you can't get proper application without thinning, then the problem is on you and/or your process/equipment (smaller tip, inexperience, etc). Airless has more than enough power to push many coatings of super high viscosities. ***Lastly, I understand the shellac method and I've seen its positive result. However, it's not simply the silver bullet. There's another way to skin this cat. Once you've tried what I have explained here AND FOUND FAILURE, then please call it misguided. Contact me and we'll compare notes on what may have gone wrong.
@@michealrobinson OSB and particle board are pressed wood chips. Painted OSB always looks like crap even when freshly painted and there ain't no way you can make OSB edges look good. Particle board is considerably worse than MDF and most grades look like crap when painted no matter what you do to seal/prime it. Once you've treated MDF this way, it'll stand up to moderate amounts of water quite well - as long as it's not continuously soaked. Oh you think that OSB stands up to water? I've been using 4x8 sheets of 3/4" "weatherproof" (snicker) OSB as a "floor" in my trailer because it's cheap. A couple of years it's mush. Threw the third generation of trailer OSB floor out a few days ago. It was so soggy that I couldn't slide out more than a foot before it broke off under its own weight - if I tried to grab it, the piece would break off in shreds. Finally gave up, and the new floor will be marine grade plywood. Painting the edge of ordinary plywood always looks like crap. You have to cover the edges with wood, plastic u-channels, veneer tape, or fill it with spackle. Tho, with care, you can get away even with clear finishes on baltic birch if you want to pay that much.
First step, throw out MDF..😂 you're spending more money to save money it seems. And how much time are you spending applying multiple coats of shellac so you can simply paint it...
I'm doing a job with 180 individual letters that I cut on my CNC in MDF....Your video and the one and only can of Zinners Shellac I could find at Home Depot(Canada) saved my life!!
Awesome 👊
Never would have thought of this. I always used rust-oleum lacquer rattle can and do heavy coats, don’t even have to sand your piece then as long as the side your spraying is laying face up. But the edges are still thirsty doing it this way so I appreciate this video
I use water and wood glue 50/50 and it works pretty well. It only takes 1 coat with a foam brush and dries quickly and then a quick sand. I originally put it on the edges but where I got it on the top you could see a difference in sheen so I just started putting it on the top. I think the water helps pull the glue in and makes it a little more durable. I normally use kilz odorless spray and then you can topcoat with about anything. I like the kilz oil based odorless but the spray cans drip which is very annoying.
But it's adding water to MDF which would cause selling after sometime
Just 2 years later and the price of that can has nearly doubled. Still glad I found this, though, because I've always used their shellac primer. It's amazing for MDF, and other tough-to-paint stuff like particle board and laminate (think cheap furniture). But that shellac primer is like $70 a gallon now, so $26 for this, while not $13, is way better! The sanding sealer in your other video, interestingly enough, is cheaper at my store, so I'll probably go that route for now.
I've used Elmer's glue for years to get a pretty nice finish on mdf. I brush on a decent coat or two, then sand it after letting it dry for a full 24 hours. It'll give you a glossy finish as smooth as plastic when you spray paint it. I've also seen really good results with spreading a super thin coat of Bondo on MDF, then sanding it.
Oil based primer+sealer in one works just fine on MDF too. Water based won't work as well because it will soak in and cause swelling, but the oil based works just fine.
I use sanding sealer. I always get a specific Brand. I ONLY use Old Masters, which is kind of hard to find around my area. But it works AWESOME! A nice even coat. Sand with 400 grit lightly until smooth then apply a 2nd coat. Sand with 800., Then apply top coat. That's just my method. I've had GREAT results on numerous Subwoofer box & amp rack projects.
Oh yea!!! I use shellac as a base for almost anything i make
Yeah buddy! Thanks for the feedback brother 💪👊👊👊
God damn.... the way you say Shellac is hypnotic 🤣🤣 you get my like just for that!
Cheers for the tips my man
Hahahaha, thanks Rush 🤣🤣🤣
I made the same mistake with mdf years ago put up so shelves in my bathroom after what I sprayed it with a weatherproof sealant sucked it up like a like a sponge same issue no I didn't have the same issue for plywood I treated a shelf I have in my dining room I put my bonsai plant on it's holding up fine
Awesome info brother. Thanks TC👊👊👊
You need an NDF or neutral density filter for your camera. It cuts down
the amount of available light and you would have been able to pick up all
of those imperfections in the MDF. You can rotate them to adjust the
amount they effect the light also.
Hello, I just purchased a computer desk online, and it's made of MDF boards. Yet these boards have a wood patterned wallpaper on top of it. Can I still use an Acrylic sealer to seal this?
This same can of Bulls Eye Shellac is 118.90 on Amazon right now. Insane how much stuff has gone up in 3 years. Need a revolution ASAP
Wow, that's insane. They can keep it for that price 👊
What finish would u use over the paint? For like work bench or extension wing for table saw??
In an Arizona summer one side is dry by the time you finish another side
You forgot to put the other method in the video at the end Brother you can always add a Card to the other video as well Broski @ToolReviewZone
Sealing your MDF is much like crumb coating a cake first. The final coat looks polished.
Shellactastic video TRZ😁. Nice to have options for painting MDF
Hahahahaha, I'm adding Shellaslctastic to my vocabulary brother lol
👍
Just use Montana black spray paint and full send it. Works every time
If you actually sand the mdf properly you get a much MUCH better surface to paint.
You can easily get an almost polished finish using 120 then 240 or 150 then 320.
Use 400 or 600 between coats.
Use anything you like to seal the mdf but it will look terrible like this does, if you don't sand it before you start painting.
I'm still finishing up the video but from what I see you really gave that board of shellacking
Consider it...SHELLACKED!!!!
🍻🍺🍕
"There is one main issue when it comes to MDF"
I went with dust when you cut it, but painting that "wood" sponge is a pain in the arse too.
Definitely a pain in the arse brother 👊
First I want to thank you for your great videos, for me have been very usefull!! I want to ask you a question: when I remove the masking tape from the painted mdf I notice sometime like a masking glue residue over the paint how do you remove that without damage the paint?
Buy better masking tape, not the cheapo stuff. I had the same problem for the longest time, buying better tape made a huge difference. Edit: Also, make sure the paint is cured enough before you tape it. If the paint is still green, you're gonna have issues (even if it does feel dry to the touch)
ooooooooor... you can just use spray primer. It works great for me every time.
Can you use a regular rattle can primer that you use for cars ?
Any suggestions for a couple of bathroom & kitchen cabinet doors that are MDF covered in that glossy white laminate? There are places where water has dripped onto them, causing peeling & bubbling out of the MDF. Thanks for any ideas you might have.
One trick to doing the edges is to sand them to 320 grit, this greatly decreases the amount of paint or primer that is absorbed. I don't think that I've tried shellac on msg but it should work.
Thought you were supposed to use dewaxed shellac?
Can you spray over shellac or sanding sealer with cellulose based paint? (Thinners)
So I dig the ideas I saw your other video too. but... I've painted things that had a high gloss poly on it. or like you enjoy saying shellac ! and the paint chipped cracked throughout the years. and trust me my prep work was amazing vacuumed wiped down with spirits painted in a controlled environment little plastic room I made with circulating air. So has anyone had any issues with that using the SHELLAC !
From what I understand it cracks aka alligators because it was applied too thick
Can I use shellac on chipboard
Because my experience with poly acrylic it was a fail ?
I love shellac but on paint I use kilz paint that make you have a smooth finish I use both on my kids toys
Is there a difference in using shellac amber and shellac clear?
The only reason you use clear (or blonde) shellac is for finish coats (especially french polish) on fine woodwork with real wood.
As a primer, you don't care what it looks like, and amber shellac is both cheaper and much easier to find.
I even use shellac as a primer for real wood when I want to paint it and I want as good a surface as possible without the grain poking through. It dries fast, is cheap, and just needs a touch of sanding (tho I usually use 320grit on a sanding block).
For all that effort - I'd cover the sawhorses to avoid paint
I’ve rolled paint on it with no issues but spray paint was always a pain lol
Omg that Is the new Cstch Fraze now Shellac Attack Booooom Clint @ToolReviewZone
Try Wood Glue diluted half&half with water, is much cheaper than Shellac
Shellac means? Normal wood gloss ?
Sanding sealer.
Just so you know: shellac is made by mixing lac flakes with alcohol. Lac is a resinous product obtained from the secretion of the female “lac bug” (Kerria lacca) on trees, mostly in the forests of India and Thailand. I've seen a video on youtube that shows how they produce it.
Shellac is one of the oldest finishes still in use. Most furniture was finished in shellac until the invention of varnishes. One of the finest finishes of all still is "french polish". Which is a labour intensive process using shellac.
As a finish, it's not very tough, labour intensive, and doesn't like water much, which is why you normally see fine furniture done with polyurethane, various varnishes and lacquer these days.
Use wood glue for the sides, sand with 1500 and spray to your hearts content 😊
What app or software did u use to create that drawing 0:08
shellac is best but just prep the surface and spray on the shellac primer. the alcohol base saturates the fiber and the sand quality is superior
I like its
Can Shellac be done before staining also?
Not straining but it can for painting
Actually, pre-stain is kind of a shellac so yes, I believe you can use a light coat just before staining to keep blotchy woods smoother.
@@johnnyh64 Not just a light coat, but a thinned one. Shellac "strength" is rated in pounds of shellac per gallon of solvent (usually ethanol/denatured alcohol). Typically use a half-pound mix for pre-stain, 1 pound for priming, and 2 or 3 pound for finish coats (eg: french polish).
This sort of work is usually done by making shellac from lac flakes and alcohol in the desired ratios. Though, good quality pre-mix shellac should tell you what the mix is, and you can thin it to the desired ratio yourself by adding alcohol.
[Lac flakes are a specialized product, so you'll likely have to pre-order from Lee Valley or Woodcraft or someone like that.]
The best thinner is denatured ethanol. You can use methyl alcohol, but it dries faster (which can be a bit of a pain), and is considerably more toxic (in liquid or vapor form)) so make sure you have GOOD ventilation.
Unless you're a stickler for the stuff, you're just as well buying pre-stain (or pre-conditioner) from Minwax or whomever.
Thanks for the Video!! I just ripped the crappy Vinyl covering off my FISHMAN GUITAR AMP! The vinyl was as good as my crappy school bag when i was about 12!!
Fair bit of adhesive still left behind seems to have sealed the MDF .. plus i smeared some watery TITEBOND into the edges!!
I think i´ll try a bit of sanding Sealer like in previous video - not much SCCHELAC in Madrid! I plan to spray sides with REd Hammerite & aybe use black car bumper paint for back & base!!
Let you know how i get on!! GO THE SCHHHLAC ATACK
Nice video but honestly I just don’t get the fuss about MDF painting. First : it does NOT suck to paint - it paints beautifully.
Seal edges with 50/50 glue water mix. Just paint faces with non water based primer and then paint normally. Comes up beautiful.
The alcohol in shellac will dissolve a sponge brush.
Hahaha this was hilarious
Will some expensive metalllic montana paint work over that shellac?
That’s exactly what I plan on doing too, trying Montana Gold over this
@@MinisterOfGuam Did you find out if the Montana spray paint worked well on mdf?
sheeeeLLAC!
How about a mention of the fact that if you don't balance it by equally spraying the other side, it will shrink and warp.?
No it won't
Awsomness
How would I paint mdf that’s already been painted? I’m trying to re spray paint a desk that I already have that’s made from mdf.
Just sand it down and paint 🎨
@@ToolReviewZone okay! Thank you so much! Would I need sand sealer before I paint?
I would just scuff the pain up so it will stick. Just don't sand it all off and you won't need the sealer👊
@@ToolReviewZone thank youuu! A true life saver! 😭😭
@@BratzFanz123 no problem and good luck. You got this!👊
I fucked up....I sprayed right before I came inside the house to watch this video...better next time dude👍
"Shellac Attack" irritating af.
8:05 you should of linked to other method... Was it laminate it?
I have it linked on the end screen
great info
Thanks Michael!!!!
Skip the shellac. Sanding is important, yes. But for a shiny plate-like appearance then try applying the paint with an airless sprayer. There is something about the atomization and/or aerosol that mdf doesn't like.
PSA -- This is misguided information. MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is compressed wood fiber, which is a porous surface. The purpose of Shellac (or similar products) is to seal the surface by creating a barrier between the paint and the MDF. Essentially, you are painting over the Shellac, which isn't porous, instead of the MDF, which is porous.
Do not skip this step.
The method by which the paint is applied is irrelevant. Certain methods might produce better results, but I would advise against this suggestion. It's not the atomization, or aerosol that MDF doesn't like, it's water. -- If you are using water-based paint (the most common choice), especially in an airless sprayer where dilution is typically required, the MDF will react to that in a negative way. It will raise the fibers of the wood and create a rough texture.
(I'm hoping this will prevent someone else from making a mistake, or wasting money on an airless sprayer.)
@@jessewyllychuk8516 All I can tell you is that I achieve a porcelain appearance on MDF using the application I mentioned, with zero shellac. I am lucky enough to have at my disposal every piece of equipment and plenty of shellac (if need be) and I've tried them all. Sanding, painting, sanding, painting (with WB paint) will give me a gorgeous appearance. Two coats. 15 minutes in between.
@@jessewyllychuk8516 Your first paragraph is correct. The was a "well, i think..." type of response.
Mine was a step-by-step explanation of my own personal demo's with this. I wasn't suggesting an experiment. Rather, I'm reporting on my positive findings.
Also, typical airless sprayer pressure is 800-2000psi. So regardless of substrate (mdf, steel, etc), if you can't get proper application without thinning, then the problem is on you and/or your process/equipment (smaller tip, inexperience, etc). Airless has more than enough power to push many coatings of super high viscosities.
***Lastly, I understand the shellac method and I've seen its positive result. However, it's not simply the silver bullet. There's another way to skin this cat. Once you've tried what I have explained here AND FOUND FAILURE, then please call it misguided. Contact me and we'll compare notes on what may have gone wrong.
خوش
And thus is why I don't use MDF lol I'll spend a little extra on better material
Better materials like what?
@@bobulatorul OSB, plywood. MDF is crap, pressed sawdust. A small amount of water, MDF swells and then it's garbage
@@michealrobinson OSB and particle board are pressed wood chips. Painted OSB always looks like crap even when freshly painted and there ain't no way you can make OSB edges look good. Particle board is considerably worse than MDF and most grades look like crap when painted no matter what you do to seal/prime it.
Once you've treated MDF this way, it'll stand up to moderate amounts of water quite well - as long as it's not continuously soaked.
Oh you think that OSB stands up to water?
I've been using 4x8 sheets of 3/4" "weatherproof" (snicker) OSB as a "floor" in my trailer because it's cheap.
A couple of years it's mush. Threw the third generation of trailer OSB floor out a few days ago. It was so soggy that I couldn't slide out more than a foot before it broke off under its own weight - if I tried to grab it, the piece would break off in shreds.
Finally gave up, and the new floor will be marine grade plywood.
Painting the edge of ordinary plywood always looks like crap. You have to cover the edges with wood, plastic u-channels, veneer tape, or fill it with spackle. Tho, with care, you can get away even with clear finishes on baltic birch if you want to pay that much.
Shelaccc
It's a shame you painted that nice clean trestle though.
There's always polyurethane.
🍻🍺
En français S.V.P
First step, throw out MDF..😂 you're spending more money to save money it seems. And how much time are you spending applying multiple coats of shellac so you can simply paint it...
For many CNC projects, MDF is superior
@@benprovan not superior at all, just more easily machinable...
@@xephael3485
For certain applications devil's wood is superior.
@@ThekiBoran yes if you make Ikea..🤪
@@xephael3485
MDF is used in multi-million dollar mansions, it's very limited but it is used. Stop being a snob.
A real pro will break the edges of any wood or MDF they are painting.Even your treated corners look very rough and not very professional.
This stuff sucks like hell...unbelievable 😮
These guy didn’t even explain shit ,”’mdf’😂
Spell much?