byegge Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Hey everyone I am building a little cubby for my locker at work and I need to protect it from a few cleaning chemicals. It does not have to look pretty. My question is paint or polyurethane. I'm leaning towards the polyurethane because I already have it and I can spray it on. Any tips on how to do this. I've never painted or finished mdf. Will it swell more with paint? Thanks for advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 MDF edges seem to suck up about 1000 coats of finish before they will look smooth. I 'paint' the edges with glue size (about a 50/50 mix of PVA glue & water), let it dry & then lightly sand the edge. It seals it up very well. I have a wooden counter top next to the laundry sink that periodically gets detergent & cleaners spilled on it. It's finished with just a couple of coats of oil based poly & is standing up well after 4 or 5 years. Oil based paint would also be good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byegge Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Thanks, I might try that glue trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheperd80 Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Just dont use a water-based finish. Anything else will work fine. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Spraying waterbourne works fine. Light coats at first and sand lightly between coats no matter what you spray. Sand the edges to a very fine grit. I spray the edges a few coats before I spray the faces. If there is a primer available use it ! Much easier to sand and build a good smooth base for the best results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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