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To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
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Author:  Ed Haney [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:02 pm ]
Post subject:  To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
I just finished my new shop wall partition. It is 5/8" B-C plywood with the sanded B surface inside the shop. Initially I planned to prime and paint the plywood with a low luster/satin white paint (Consumer Reports says Kiltz is very good). My other 3 walls and ceiling are drywall painted white.

I am surprised at how well the plywood looks in the natural which is giving me pause to reconsider before painting it white. My original thought was to increase the light reflection (brighten) with the white paint. And while looks are not my highest priority, the finished look is a consideration. Finishing the plywood with a polyurethane might look nicer than the white paint while still being a light color (though not as light as white paint). I have plenty of light in the 8'x29' room from 4 overhead "daylight" 4 ft. fluorescent fixtures.

Please give me your thoughts and experiences on white painted vs natural plywood finish.

Thanks in advance.
Ed
Author:  Ed Haney [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
For reference, here are a couple of construction pics of my shop wall in progress:

Image

Image
Author:  MRS [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
I would go ahead and paint it white. It will brighten your shop up a little more like your original idea..
Author:  Doug Powdrell [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Paint.......one can never have too much light in a workshop.....reflected 'light' is still 'light'......
Author:  Colin North [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
White. You can't have to much light in a shop, it's the basic tool to work.
Wood will darken the shop.
Author:  Chris Oliver [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
+4, had the same opportunity a few years back. The white brightened it up. I just rolled on a heavy coat of semi-gloss... it is just a shop afterall... unless it is similar to the Padma's Wood Sanctuary.
Author:  Link Van Cleave [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Leave it natural. All white with no windows would make me claustrophobic. Too sterile. A little natural wood color will make it more interesting and pleasant.

Link
Author:  SteveSmith [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
What seemed to work very well for me was the latex Antique White which is not too bright a white and has the advantage of being easy to find in all the home stores. You can usually get a good deal on it. I would recommend the semi-gloss which doesn't get as dirty as the flat. You will need to put a primer coat on the plywood first or it will be very difficult to get good coverage.
Author:  Ed Haney [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Thanks to all for the input.
Author:  the Padma [ Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Yo, Ed

You don't be listenin to them dudes talking white at you. And don't be BS me or yourself.

You gonna get about the same amt of light reflected of off that BC Doug Fir ply as a white wall ... me live in B.C. and know these things.

Me suggest you get some...

dry wall filler or polly filler and ad a bit of yellow ocher for fillin in the missing not holes, let dry and sand.

then some shellac or role on some of that cheap clear water born poly from the Uncle Wally Mart place. Costs the same as priming the wall for paint.

Live with it.

Then if in a few years you wanna paint...well purple is a nice colour. pfft You hearin me.


What is it with us humans that we have become so programed to the "Paint the walls white" trip?

There is something so naturaly enveloping and heart warming to wood.
You lucky you got wood. So you better get some paint and cover it quickly before it has any effect on you. Ya right.

Oh and by the way 'Kills" is basically rich mans shellac.

but then it's your wall, do as thou wilt with it.

But lets not BS each other. You wanted wood and thats why you didn't use dry wall, which would have been half the price. So now live with it and enjoy it.

Paint pfft


blessings
the
Padma
Author:  Hesh [ Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Has anyone suggested beige yet? :D

Regarding light I can't get enough of it in my shop!!!
Author:  the Padma [ Sun Mar 07, 2010 11:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Hesh wrote:
Has anyone suggested beige yet? :D

Regarding light I can't get enough of it in my shop!!!


Yo, Hesh,

go to your local grow op store...they fix you up with all sorts of lighting....for your ummm petunias.

They got all sorts of florescent light bulbs and tubes...the days of them huge 1000w heat producin sodium or metal halides are gone.

blessings
the
Padma
Author:  ChuckG [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
White pegboard from Lowe's/Home Depot is inexpensive, useful, and a lot less messy than paint.

Chuck
Author:  Hesh [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Good idea Padma and I know what kind of store that you are talking about. Problem is I can't remember where this store is located..... :D
Author:  npalen [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Ed--You really need to arrange those panels to get a proper bookmatch.
Nelson
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Hesh wrote:
Good idea Padma and I know what kind of store that you are talking about. Problem is I can't remember where this store is located..... :D


Forgot about that .. so that's why I can't remember anything :shock:
Author:  Ed Haney [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
npalen wrote:
Ed--You really need to arrange those panels to get a proper bookmatch.
Nelson


laughing6-hehe I did buy a little more plywood than I could have gotten away with, so I could run the grain the same way on all 5 pieces that I hung. I started to put up one piece that had the grain running contrary and had to reverse gears. It just looked too wild for my eyes. I am actually pleasently surprised with the look. But it is just a shop so I am not gettting too hung up on the looks - even though I had to disappoint my wife who wanted me to paint the walls a taupe (light beige-grey) color like the walls in our home.
Author:  John A [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
I would put up fake brick paneling. It looks good and you can still peg hooks and nails anywhere you want on the walls and it is easy to install. No paint to mess with. Then again I like fake brick paneling.
Image
Author:  the Padma [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
John A wrote:
I would put up fake brick paneling. It looks good Then again I like fake brick paneling.



Ummm John,

if you like fake, tell me, do you use that wood grain patterned MACtack (fake sticky back vinyl) to cover your builds?
I mean, you know, it looks good, ~ kinda.

Sorry John, what you expect from a Mr. Natural kinda guy like Duh Padma.

bliss


Icu
duh
Padma
Author:  WudWerkr [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Me thinks you should tear it all down and start over . I am pretty sure I saw north facing nails in a south facing wall there ! I do believe that isnt anywhere near code .

As to the color it wont matter if the Nail commission see the wrong nails in the wrong wall ! I bet you even used a left handed hammer didnt ya !! [headinwall] laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe
Author:  Robert Renick [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Since we have moved to faux wall decorations, the only way to really see what you are doing with fake wood, Padma's Mactack, is with fake light coming through a fake window.
Author:  the Padma [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Image

Sun shine and lolly pops and rainbows and and and...well....

me likes rainbows and everything that brings joy and happiness to our miserable, self imposed, doomed residence on this spec of dust floating in an infinitely vast, ever expanding and emerging universe of a pitch black eternity, illuminated with the light of a gazillion stars.

Just something to think about.

Icu
duh
Padma
Author:  John A [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
The Padma,

Then I think you will really like this - after all everything we do is kinda fake anyway right ?
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
Ed, you might have regrets if you don't at least seal it with something. The dust and effects of moisture will eventually make the wall nasty, I think.
Author:  Robert Renick [ Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: To paint or not paint a plywood shop wall - your experience?
[quote="the Padma"]

Sun shine and lolly pops and rainbows and and and...well....

me likes rainbows and everything that brings joy and happiness to our miserable, self imposed, doomed residence on this spec of dust floating in an infinitely vast, ever expanding and emerging universe of a pitch black eternity, illuminated with the light of a gazillion stars.

These frames have certainly made the waiting to get teeth drilled in many dentist offices all sunshine and rainbows. But a few months ago every one stopped ordering them, so here I am on the OLF, starting all new jigs and fixtures to make guitars. It was a decent run, but my thought when I started making these frames was that I would not mind letting the woodwork get boring if I made money. Got boring, made a little $$, but the boring part was more painful than I expected, especially the part of getting these things in a box and safely across the country. The lighting units within these are pretty cool though, all daylight LEDs with a dimmer.
Rob
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