OK, OK, I took any mention of Melamine out of the subject line. [embarassed] [dead horse]
Bill Hendrix said:
I just completed a similar project. The original paint used in the rest of the space was Ben Moore Satin Impervo, White Dove.
After research, I bought a Earlex Spray Station 5500 and ordered General Finishes Enduro Milk Paint, semi-gloss (same sheen as Satin Impervo), color-matched to the Ben Moore. General Finishes says their milk paint is "furniture grade". I thinned the milk paint about 10% with the General Finishes Extender to keep a wet edge and sprayed with the 1.5mm tip. The color match was perfect, as was the finish sheen.
After this project, we had to replace all the windows in the house, along with all the casing. This involved 5 different Ben Moore colors. All five GF milk paints matched perfectly with the Ben Moore. Gen Fin says they can match any color palette.
The General Finishes milk paint required no priming and dried within 30 minutes to the touch. I let the first coat stand 24 hours before the second coat to make sure I had a good bond.
There is no stink of solvents and no ambering with age with water-born paints, and minimal overspray with the Earlex.
I am thrilled with the General Finishes Enduro milk paint and the Earlex sprayer. I doubt I will ever shoot Satin Impervo with the airless again.
I just bought a small can of General Finishes "Snow White" Milk Paint and did a quick trial of it on a scrap piece of Luan. I literally "just slapped it on" (two coats) with a cheap foam brush, without even the benefit of any sanding before or between. And although there were very visible brush marks on both coats when wet, I was really amazed at how well this paint smoothened out when dry. What I wasn't expecting was how how dull the finish was. The color also didn't exactly match the "Pella White" of the window. On to my questions:
1) Is it necessary to use General Finishes Top Coat to get a gloss or semi-gloss finish? Which GF Top Coat? (sorry, I see several listed; some authors in other threads have said "pre-cat poly")
2) Will the above top coat go on as nicely as the Milk Paint? (Nicely = minimal brush marks.)
Bill Hendrix said:
This involved 5 different Ben Moore colors. All five GF milk paints matched perfectly with the Ben Moore. Gen Fin says they can match any color palette.
3) Who does this color matching? I didn't get the impression that Rockler (75 miles away in Buffalo NY, closest dealer) did this. I suppose I might be able to get my friendly local indepent lumber company to do it, but I think it would be a lot of trial and error since the GF Milk Paint wouldn't be "in their computer". Another option is just to live with the slight color mis-match, which might not be so bad with a gloss finish.
4) Are there other paint options? BTW, I previously tried some Sherwin-Williams Classic Trim and Door paint, and was quite unhappy with it. It was way too thick, even after repeated thinning with distilled water. Just dried too fast to keep a wet edge over a two foot width of plywood.
Thanks for all the great advice, previous and to come ... [popcorn]
