how to get a smooth matte painted finish on wood?

[emmar]

Hello

I need some advice... I am painting some wood picture frames made from tulip wood. I sanded the wood smooth and and then applied two coats of a matte white emulsion (earth pigments). When I sand it to try to get it smooth, a lot of paint comes off and its very powdery. I wondered if it would be better to apply a grain filler or a primer prior to painting?

After painting I plan to apply wax to seal the paint. Is that recommended? How many coats should I apply?

Emma

[Graysalchemy]

Grain filler would help as would using 'ripple' paint from b&q as the base coat would also help. You will need to apply lots of layers of base, sanding in between each coat with very fine sandpaper or wire wool. I find applying the paint with a sponge helps as well as you get fewer marks in the application and a more even coat. When I have made hand painted frames I have applied about 5-6 base layers and 2-3 top colour coats. Also you need to give them plenty of time to dry between each coat, not so bad this time of year as it will dry faster than in winter. A layer of wax will enable you to buff it up and give it a sheen.

Hope that helps, i am sure others will give you their two penith worth

[Not your average framer]

Ripple coat can be tinted if required and used as a finish in it's own right. I like an antique white myself and do this by adding some Naples Yellow and Raw Umber. Ripple coat also can be mixed well with acrylic emulsion paint, if required.

Also adding one part Cascamite (Poymite or Extramite) wood glue powder to about 20 to 25 parts Ripple coat will add some extra hardness to the finished result, if this is required. If you add too much Cascamite the resulting finish will become glossy, instead of matt.

When dry and fully hardened, this hardened mix can then be wet sanded smooth with silicone carbide paper, followed by a wet nylon fine abrasive pad and then finished with wax and a quick buff.

[prospero]

Getting a smooth matt finish from bare wood is quite problematic. You need to fill every trace of grain and you can only really do this by applying multiple coats of gesso and sanding each coat back. Lot of work. Once you have an immaculate surface it would need a few coats of paint to seal the surface. Gesso is porus and on it's own would soon pick up dirt from the atmosphere and from general handling. Artist's acrylic is tough stuff, but it's not dead matt. More a satiny look. You can wax it for a nice shine, but you can't really matt it down. The problem is, a matt paint will soon tend to look tatty. It scuff easily and if you try to rub out a scuff, you get a shiny patch. Also to avoid brushmarks you either have to apply lots of thin coats or spray it.

As an alternative to gesso, you can use ripple paint as AG says. it is similar to gesso but you don't have all the prep involved with soaking the bunny glue, etc. You can fill the grain by brushing on slightly diluted fine surface Polyfilla. and then a few coats of ripple paint. It actually sands quite well and has plenty of 'body' that will gradually fill imperfections. By the third coat most of the grain will have been covered, but to get it totally filled takes a lot of sanding. It's easier on a simple flat section, but ones with intricate shapes are fiddly to sand smooth.