How to paint plywood wall?

[dunnycan]

Hi,

I used plywood for my wardrobe because it needs to hold the weight of vertical bars. 
Just wondering for the seams can I use Selleys Spakfilla Rapid to plaster over the seams with plaster tape as well. 
also for painting the plywood I have British Paints 4-in-1 primer as an undercoat and then wall paint on the top. 

Will this then look like a painted plaster wall or will I still see the wood grains underneath. Do I need something else for undercoat

thanks!

[JacobZ]

Hi @dunnycan,

It really depends on the quality of the plywood that was used. Using just primer and paint, you are never going to have things look perfectly smooth like plasterboard, but you can certainly go pretty close. With two coats of primer such as British Paints White 4 In 1, followed by two coats of your paint, you should be able to get a relatively smooth surface. It might be worth just doing a test patch with two coats of primer and two coats of paint and seeing what you think.  

Unfortunately, plaster products do not stick well directly to timber because of the expansion and contraction that happens with timber. They will physically stick and will last for some time, but they tend to crack and lose adhesion because of the movement. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend taping and plastering the seams. Depending on how wide the gaps are in the corners, you should be able to just apply a bead of No More Gaps to the seam before painting over it. No More Gaps is a flexible sealant that will move with the timber, so it will last much longer.

The alternative to these approaches is to attach plasterboard over the top of the plywood. By doing this, you would retain the mounting strength you require, while still having a perfectly smooth plaster finish. Doing this will also allow you to tape the corners and plaster them before painting.

It all depends on how particular you are about getting that perfect plasterboard style finish. If you were happy with your test patch, then you could use the two coats of primer and two coats of paint; if you aren't happy with it, you should attach plasterboard over the top.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[dunnycan]

I have BC grade plywood

also. How do you apply the no gaps. Just place bead and then scrape over with a scraper?

[JacobZ]

Hi @dunnycan,

Then you might struggle as they tend to have a fair few knots and imperfections. Still worth a test patch to see what you think.

You would apply your No More Gaps in the same way that is shown in How To Silicone a Gap, by applying it with a caulking gun, then smoothing it off with your finger or a Silicone Scraper. For this option to be viable, the plywood needs to have very little gap between it.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Jacob