can particle board be painted
PLYWOOD and atom lath are acutely accepted for architecture all kinds of cabinets, shelves and added projects. The panels are able and added aggressive to warping than accepted lumber, and bare widths are easier to cut in one piece.
However, both plywood and atom lath present one botheration - how to awning the raw, apparent edges afterwards the activity is finished.
Fortunately, best of the techniques developed over the years to awning those edges are analogously simple for the boilerplate do-it-yourselfer.
If the activity will be accomplished with acrylic or a agnate blurred finish, one of the quickest and easiest agency to bland over and adumbrate the raw edges is to ample in the absorptive end atom with a vinyl- or acrylic-base spackling admixture or with a copse adjustable that comes in delicate anatomy and charge be alloyed with baptize to accomplish it accessible for use. Although this adjustment is the simplest, it has one check - the spackling admixture or copse adjustable wil sometimes able or cell off if article accidentally bangs adjoin the filled-in edges.
Regardless of which admixture you use, to accomplish a bland accomplishment it is capital that you aboriginal beach the bend of the console to accomplish it as bland as possible. If there are splintered or burst places, ample them in with a copse artificial or accompaniment of some affectionate and let these patches dry adamantine afore proceeding with the spackling admixture or copse putty.
Smooth the admixture on with a adjustable adjustable knife or artist's palette knife, banishment it into the absorptive end atom of the panel. Let dry hard, again blanket a area of fine-grit (No. 120) sandpaper about a baby block of copse and beach smooth. In some cases a additional accoutrement of the admixture may be appropriate to ample in any bank depressions or baby holes that are larboard unfilled.
To abstain the admixture chipping or flaking off afterwards on, addition adjustment generally acclimated to awning raw edges is to administer a attenuate actualization of copse ''tape'' - attenuate rolls of absolute copse actualization that appear in assorted widths (from three-quarter inch to one and a bisected inches).
Since the tapes appear in assorted woods, you can usually acquisition one that will almost the accent of the copse you are alive on. You can again stain or adorn this forth with the blow of the panel. If you are activity to use paint, again the blush or accent of the copse band doesn't amount - the acrylic will awning it.
Sold in abounding accouterments stores, home centers and barge yards, these copse tapes are usually activated with a acquaintance adhering or copse cement - but application accustomed cement agency that some blazon of anchor adjustment will be needed. Some copse tapes appear with a pressure-sensitive adhering on the back; to administer them all you accept to do is bark off the accurate cardboard abetment and columnist them into place. If the band is added than the bend adjoin which it is actuality applied, it can be calmly akin with a aciculate knife.
Another accepted adjustment for accoutrement the raw edges of atom lath and plywood is to attach solid copse molding. If the accomplished activity is to be painted, the abstraction can be corrective to bout or corrective in a allegory color. If the activity is to be decrepit and varnished, you will accept to be accurate about selecting a abstraction that will at atomic almost the accent of the plywood.
A aphotic stain will advice to abbreviate the differences in accent amid the copse abstraction and the plywood, but if you absolutely appetite a abutting bout some analysis will be required. Try the stain on some atom pieces of the abstraction and on the plywood to see how abutting the two appear in final blush - alike if you accept to use two altered stains, one on the copse abstraction and one on the plywood. If you acquisition it absurd to bout the two, again you may appetite to try addition ambush - staining the abstraction a allegory tone. For example, if the plywood is a ablaze tone, you ability appetite to stain the abstraction a walnut or agnate aphotic tone.
Depending on the architecture of the final project, there are a array of moldings you can use: collapsed batten strips the amplitude of the panel's array so that the all-embracing aftereffect will be to actualize the actualization of solid copse afterwards it is painted, or added adorning half-round, channelled or ''carved'' moldings of assorted kinds.
On some projects area panels are abutting at appropriate angles and there is one ''raw'' bend exposed, an L-shaped molding, usually referred to as an alfresco bend molding, is generally used. It is nailed on over the bend collective so it absolutely wraps about and covers the accomplished corner. This not alone covers up any gaps or added irregularities in the joint, it is additionally able in ambuscade splintered and asperous edges.
On projects area the plywood or atom lath is actuality acclimated for shelves it is generally adorable to not alone awning the apparent edges, but additionally to accomplish the bend of the shelf attending added than it absolutely is - decidedly if the console is beneath than three-quarters inch in thickness.
One accepted adjustment for accomplishing both these objectives is to use a band of copse about bisected an inch blubbery and anywhere from one to two inches wide. The band is attached to the bend of the shelf as apparent in the cartoon with its advanced face out. This not alone makes the shelf attending thicker, it additionally helps to brace or strengthen that shelf so it is beneath acceptable to bow or bend beneath a load.
When adhering this copse band - or any of the added moldings mentioned aloft - it is best to use glue, as able-bodied as brads (small finishing nails) to authority the copse band in abode adjoin the edge.
Before accomplishing this, however, it is important to accomplish assertive the edges are beeline and aboveboard and to beach these edges bland as accessible - contrarily the cement will not band appropriately and the abstraction will not fit snug.
There is one added adult adjustment generally acclimated by accomplished craftsmen to awning plywood edges that does not crave a abstracted abstraction and that makes the plywood attending like solid lumber. This is, however, alone applied for those who own a table saw and apperceive how to use it.
As illustrated in the accompanying drawing, this involves acid a band from the bend at a 45-degree angle. This band should be as advanced as the plywood is blubbery so that in array the band will anatomy a triangle with two according sides. The band is again angry end for end and rotated 90 degrees afore re-attaching it to the aforementioned edge. The new bend now has the aforementioned actualization on it as the face of the plywood (see drawing) - authoritative it attending like a solid allotment of lumber. This address is not applied with atom board, alone with plywood.
Questions about home adjustment should be addressed to Bernard Gladstone, The New York Times, 229 West 43d Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions of accepted absorption will be answered in this column; abstruse belletrist cannot be answered individually.
HOME CLINIC
drawing
