Partitions in the room, do-it-yourself furniture, various decorative elements - these are just a few options for using plywood. But glued plates of wood veneer are even more vulnerable to moisture and other negative influences than solid wood, and to increase their strength it is recommended to paint plywood in compliance with all painting technologies.
- What can be painted
- Water emulsion
- Enamel
- Lacquer
- Little secrets
- Preparation for work
- Primary grinding
- Padding
- Drying
- Putty
- Re-leveling (grinding)
- Secondary application
- Are all stages necessary?
- How to paint
What can be painted
The main purpose of dyeing is to protect the material from cracking, and the choice of dye depends on the place of use and the purpose of the plywood product.
Water emulsion
In residential premises, it is better to give preference to acrylic emulsion paints that are easy to apply, dry quickly and do not contain toxic components. They are suitable even when they choose how to paint plywood on the floor in the room, but in this case it is necessary to paint on both sides - to increase the strength of the material, and it is better to apply the coloring composition in several layers.
Enamel
If it is planned to paint plywood sheets that will be used outdoors, it is recommended to cover them with pentaphthalic paint (enamel for wood) or use oil formulations.
When deciding how to paint, you always need to consider the place of operation - the main parameter for the selection of paint and varnish material.
To give aesthetics to the product, it is recommended to take into account the initial type of material and what result is planned to be obtained.
Lacquer
When it is assumed that the plywood will be painted with preservation of its appearance, it is better to use transparent varnish. It is recommended to cover the laminate with varnish, if it is laid on the floor in a room with high humidity. The varnish will give the laminate additional moisture resistance and will not violate the decorative qualities.
Little secrets
You can paint the laminated plywood by making an imitation of wood. How to do it? The easiest option: pour powder dye in dark brown and beige colors into the varnish, but do not stir until uniform. When applied to a plywood sheet, such a mixture will create wood look. You can use other combinations of light and dark.
When it is necessary to apply several different colors, it is advisable to paint the surface with one color, and after drying, apply a pattern by gluing places not intended for painting with masking tape. To give shine and additional strength after drying, it is recommended to apply varnish.
These simple recommendations will help you decide how and how to paint the plywood inside the house and on the street.
to contents ↑Preparation for work
Plywood sheet can be polished and unpolished, or it can be laminated, therefore, given the characteristics of the material, some stages of preparation can be skipped.Consider the procedure for working with a simple unpolished sheet.
Primary grinding
If you plan to simply dye it, then you can limit yourself to grinding with coarse-grained emery paper, drawing it along wood fibers. In the case when a decorative element will be made, it is also necessary to grind crosswise, paying special attention to the edges: treat them several times with sandpaper, achieving as smooth a surface as possible. Grinding sections is carried out from the center to the edge. If the opposite is done, then veneer may delaminate.
to contents ↑Padding
This stage is very important, and you can skip it only if the laminated product is varnished, but in this case it is also desirable to process the slices. The primer will evenly fill all voids and microcracks in the plywood sheet and extend the life of the product.
Particular attention should be paid to the edges, because they consist of thin wooden plates with an adhesive layer between them, which means that this place is most vulnerable to moisture. At the edges, the primer is applied in 3-4 layers. Is it possible more? It is possible if it is supposed to be used outdoors or the previous time the soil was not applied very smoothly. The higher the quality of the primer, the higher the protection against external adverse conditions.
to contents ↑
Drying
Drying is necessary after each application of liquid formulations. Plywood is very hygroscopic, and drying after each treatment is very important to increase its moisture resistance. If the following composition is applied to unprocessed soil, this may violate its protective qualities.
Putty
If there are large cracks or dents on the plywood base, then they are smoothed out using wood putty. You can completely cover the entire base with putty - this will give additional strength. The putty-painted sheet is carefully dried again.
Re-leveling (grinding)
After applying the putty, especially if it covered the entire base, small “waves” could appear. When it is planned to apply one color scale, this stage can be skipped, but it is undesirable: subtle irregularities will be visible when bright light enters them. Grinding is carried out with an emery cloth of fine granularity until the necessary smoothness is obtained, and after completion of work, all dust particles must be removed.
to contents ↑Secondary application
This step is necessary to increase adhesion with the dye. The soil is applied repeatedly in 2-3 layers and thoroughly dried.
Are all stages necessary?
Most masters, when processing large plywood areas, greatly simplify the process, limiting themselves to polishing, priming and subsequent painting. Putty is used only in case of large damage. Preparation of plywood base before painting provides:
- extra strength;
- moisture resistance;
- beautiful flat surface;
- longer ability to operate the product.
In addition, putty and primer are cheap and significantly help reduce paint consumption. The plywood base is very porous, has many voids, and the soil will ensure their filling. If there is no soil, then the voids will be filled with a dye, which is more expensive and can not greatly increase strength.
How to paint
Beginners are interested in how to paint plywood in white. Just like in any other shade - the method of applying the dye does not depend on the color scheme, but on the composition of the coloring base. You can apply paint:
- brush (recommended for staining small parts and decorative elements);
- roller;
- spray gun (not suitable for thick and viscous paints).
The paint is applied with the selected tool in an even layer and left to dry completely, then re-stained. It is very important to carefully paint over the edges, because this is the most vulnerable spot of the plywood sheet. Masters recommend applying an additional 1-2 layers of paint and varnish to the sections. In the case when it is supposed to lay plywood on the floor, it is laid only after painting is completed.
Plywood is one of the most inexpensive and sought-after materials, and if it is protected by painting, the service life will increase significantly. It is only necessary to choose a suitable dye and not neglect the preliminary processing of the product.
