Wood paintwork

BEFORE

AFTER

My obsession with stained glass is accompanied by my meticulous approach to paintwork.

I do not do “a lick of paint”. I despise that phrase. I properly prepare the surface (stripping paint if necessary) which is the most time consuming part of my method. I also apply low tac masking tape around edges to protect glass from splash-back and to ensure a crisp paint line (click here for stimulating video demonstration).

For wood which will be exposed to water my method consists of five layers of oil based paint. I strip (the old paint that is) then: primer, two coats of undercoat, two coats of Dulux weathshield gloss.

I lightly sand in between coats to ensure the paint will not flake (see example in one of my door restoration projects). I leave 24 hours in between each coat to enable the oil to properly dry – sometimes more for the gloss.

Your friendly “odd job” builder is unlikely to do all this!