How to paint a maple veneer door?

Toval

I have just bought a internal door with some heavy detailing. It is maple vaneer and the company suggested I need to paint with oil based paint.

Reading some I see suggestions to use a oil based primer followed with water based paint (some say water based primer then topcoat, others just straight to topcoat).

In each case the oil based primer needs to be full coverage, fully dry and sanded lightly (120-220 grit).

So my question is:

1. Do I need oil based primer?

2. If so, can I go straight to water based topcoat?

3. Could I do just water based all the way, if so, any tips?

4. Should I just do oil based all the way (not preferable but if it's going to give the best smooth finish)?

Any other tips to get a smooth finish? Foam roller or just paintbrush? Etc

Sorry for the long questions, I'm just trying to get a cohesive picture of how to go about it start to finish.

JacobZ

Hi @Toval,

Just to clarify, are you wanting to paint the maple veneer door with an opaque finish, or are you looking to oil or clear-coat it so the timber grain remains visible? It seems a little unusual to choose a maple veneer door only to completely cover the veneer with paint, so I thought I'd ask to make sure we're definitely on the same page. Were they perhaps saying you need to coat it with an oil, not an oil-based paint?

Regardless of coating, for preparation, I’d start by giving the door a light sand with 180-grit sandpaper to key the surface and remove any contaminants, taking care not to sand through the thin veneer. Remove all dust afterwards and make sure the surface is clean and dry.

If you’re wanting to retain the timber appearance, a clear oil or varnish such would be the way to go. They can be applied with a brush or roller, with a high density foam roller being a great option. I’d suggest testing it on an inconspicuous area first, as oils and clear finishes can noticeably deepen or change the colour of maple.

If you do want to paint it, either an oil-based or water-based system can work, but I’d keep the primer and topcoat compatible with one another and follow the manufacturer’s directions. For your topcoat, you'll want to us an enamel paint.

A water-based system (primer + enamel) is generally easier to work with, dries faster, has lower odour, and is less prone to yellowing over time. The trade-off is that it can sometimes be a little less forgiving in terms of brush marks and may not level quite as smoothly, but you can mix your water based topcoat with a bit of https://www.bunnings.com.au/flood-floetrol-1l-acrylic-paint-conditioner-1l_p1560666 to help with this.

An oil-based system tends to level out very nicely and can give a very durable, hard-wearing finish. However, it takes longer to dry, has stronger fumes, and can yellow over time, particularly with lighter colours.

I don't think there's any real need to use oil-based primer or paint. With some care and a bit of Floetrol, you can get water-based paint just as smooth as you would with an oil-based system.

Let me know what you think, I can certainly assist further if required.

Jacob