Timber pine paint type

[ventodimare]

Hi all, 

I've made a medal holder with pine timber to hang up in my bedroom. I want to paint it in a shade of white. What kind of paint should I use? I don't need much: it's a small metal holder.

Can I use any kind of brush?

Thank you! 

[Jason]

Hi @ventodimare,

Can you please confirm the item is all timber (not metal)? And can you let us know what kind of finish you are wanting? Perhaps very glossy or just a matte finish? That will determine what type of paint to use and how best to apply it. 

Thanks,

Jason

[ventodimare]

Hello,

I had no idea I had to think about all this. Good that I've asked. 

The medal holder is all pine timber: the only metal parts are the screws.

Not sure which one would look better between glossy and matte. Can u provide indications for both? I'll test both on an offcut. 

Note that the holder is small, I don't need tons of color. 

As for brushes I'm also considering a small electric sprayer: any suggestion?

Thank you

[Jason]

No worries @ventodimare,

Let me tag @Peggers to see if he might like to share his thoughts on what approach he would take. Rob is the author of this handy step-by-step guide - How to paint like a professional

Jason

[Peggers]

@Jason thanks for the mention. @ventodimare I like painting on pine - especially if it's smooth and finished pine as paint takes to it really well. You only need a small brush if it's a small set of shelves - a 25mm brush will do the job. And a very small pot of paint - if you get a half litre that will easily do this project and you can keep it in case you want to do other things. If you want a sharp gloss finish, then two coats of oil-based full gloss will look great. Oil-based takes longer to dry but gives a better finish in my opinion - leave a day between coats. With pine though, I like a distressed, vintage sort of look, which is easy to achieve and seems a nice way to display medals. Just get a water-based matt white and do one decent coat. Leave to dry and then sand it back very slightly with a smooth sand paper - 120 or 180. Sand until streaks of natural wood grain show through the white in small random patches - it has that shabby chic look. If you want to take that slightly further then go over the whole thing with a gloss varnish. Lots of fun to be had with paint!