Best paint?

[chrisbainbridge]

I have just had the garage lined with insulation and then MDF.
I now want to paint it white for cleanliness and lighting.

Do I just use a standard emulsion?’
It is just a garage workshop, nothing fancy.

[Jaded]

Something wipeable might be better?

[quixoticgeek]

Something wipeable might be better?

This. Something that is also designed for low temperatures, I doubt your garage is heated.

J

[chrisbainbridge]

Can I use masonry on mdf?  The walls snow are celotex with mdf cladding.

[citoyen]

Can I use masonry on mdf?  The walls snow are celotex with mdf cladding.

Yes, as long as you prime it first. But tbh you should use a primer on the mdf regardless of what topcoat you use.

[Ham]

And specific MDF primer is the way to go, eg https://www.screwfix.com/p/leyland-trade-mdf-primer-750ml/222fg

[chrisbainbridge]

 Brilliant. Thank you

[aidan.f]

I do hope it's not damp as the earlier replies suggest. MDF will go soggy! If you ever do it again shuttering ply is more  damp resistant and very good for hooks and screws

[chrisbainbridge]

Thank you. 2 coats of primer and 2 of satin waterproof white paint. Garage is already substantially warmer with the insulation and much brighter.
The kitchen cabinets get built tomorrow and the bikes slung on  wall hooks for the less used ones and the commuter and electric on the floor.

[quixoticgeek]

MDF will go soggy!

The only suitable place to use MDF is to leave it in the shop to collect dust. Horrible stuff, really wish people would stop using it.

J

[Jurek]

MDF will go soggy!

The only suitable place to use MDF is to leave it in the shop to collect dust. Horrible stuff, really wish people would stop using it.

J

Surprisingly, banned in the USA on health and safety grounds.

[Von Broad]

MDF will go soggy!

The only suitable place to use MDF is to leave it in the shop to collect dust. Horrible stuff, really wish people would stop using it.

J

Surprisingly, banned in the USA on health and safety grounds.

Not sure about that. I didn't think it was, at least not federally.

MDF. Awful stuff to work with, but a brilliant material to make things like fitted wardrobes, bespoke shelving units etc - giving you a near perfect finish to paint over.
Horses for courses.
If you get your extraction sorted and get yourself masked up [which I don't always...ashamedly]..it's perfectly fine.

[Jurek]

......Not sure about that......

Seems I was wrong.
The US uses more of the stuff than anyone else.

[Valiant]

Zinnser BIN Primer, expensive but goes a long way. The Zinnser Permawhite.

[Mrs Pingu]

Another vote here for Permawhite.

[robgul]

......Not sure about that......

Seems I was wrong.
The US uses more of the stuff than anyone else.

.... and from the YouTubers that I follow they seem to use an awful lot of birch plywood - perhaps that's why it's so expensive here in the UK 

MDF is pretty bad to work with (even with an air scrubber and decent dust extraction from machines) - although the MRMDF (moisture resistant) does seem slightly less lethal with fewer dust particles.

[quixoticgeek]

.... and from the YouTubers that I follow they seem to use an awful lot of birch plywood - perhaps that's why it's so expensive here in the UK 

MDF is pretty bad to work with (even with an air scrubber and decent dust extraction from machines) - although the MRMDF (moisture resistant) does seem slightly less lethal with fewer dust particles.

I find birch ply to not be that much more expensive, it's just the big shed places like B&Q don't seem to stock it, Or at least they didn't when I last lived in the UK. I had to get mine from a local timber merchant, who thankfully did cut to size, which allowed me to bring a whole sheet of 2440x1220x9mm birch ply, home on the bus...

J

[citoyen]

Is birch ply the same thing that I know as marine ply?

[Valiant]

No, birch ply is lovely stuff. Typically 13 layers per 18mm thickness. The plys tend to be higher quality, more uniform, less defects, however it's not designed to hold upto moisture like marine ply is, which it does via the use of different glues. That said, whichever ply you go for, there's then different grades ie B/BB/C etc. B being better than BB and C. Also boards tend to have a good face and a not as good depending on the grade.

B/B grade ply is furniture grade and lovely. And at around £65 per sheet (8x4 18mm) quite pricey.

[citoyen]

No, birch ply is lovely stuff. Typically 13 layers per 18mm thickness. The plys tend to be higher quality, more uniform, less defects, however it's not designed to hold upto moisture like marine ply is, which it does via the use of different glues.

Gotcha, thanks!

[robgul]

I've been using quite a bit of 18mm birch ply (the top grade) to make a dining table and console table with a drawer - both have the raw edges exposed to show the ply veneers and have stainless steel hairpin legs.  The finish on the timber is 3 or 4 coats of OSMO Top Oil which has a silky smooth finish and, so far, seems to be wearing well.  More plywood projects are in the pipeline.

[quixoticgeek]

No, birch ply is lovely stuff. Typically 13 layers per 18mm thickness. The plys tend to be higher quality, more uniform, less defects, however it's not designed to hold upto moisture like marine ply is, which it does via the use of different glues.

Gotcha, thanks!

There also exists WBP ply, which is "water and boil proof" which may or may not be good enough to use as a marine ply. But it's what it says on the tin, it's ok to get it wet, or steam it without it coming apart. You can get WBP birch ply, as well as just interior birch play, which if you tried to steam it, may or may not fall apart. Where as the WBP won't. There are various grades of birch ply beyond the simple B/BB etc... mentioned above, as there are some plywoods with fewer layers, but the outer most two are both birch. Really if you want to buy good wood, go fondle it in person, count the layers, check the way it has been stored etc... And when you use it, make sure you get the grain the right way round.

Birch ply is a joy to use. MDF should be banned.

What ever you do, make sure your wood is FSC approved.

J

[bobb]

......Not sure about that......

Seems I was wrong.
The US uses more of the stuff than anyone else.

You were indeed. Just like you were several years ago 

ETA - Isn't MDF verboten in the US on account of it exuding carcinogens when it is just stood there? As opposed to the material being worked.

That's an urban myth - it isn't banned anywhere in the USA and is widely available and used. I suppose it comes from the fact that there is a formaldehyde free version (the name of which escapes me), but it has never been banned. A lot of the US woodworking channels I follow on YouTube use it all the time...

[Jurek]

......Not sure about that......

Seems I was wrong.
The US uses more of the stuff than anyone else.

You were indeed. Just like you were several years ago 

ETA - Isn't MDF verboten in the US on account of it exuding carcinogens when it is just stood there? As opposed to the material being worked.

That's an urban myth - it isn't banned anywhere in the USA and is widely available and used. I suppose it comes from the fact that there is a formaldehyde free version (the name of which escapes me), but it has never been banned. A lot of the US woodworking channels I follow on YouTube use it all the time...

Good spot bobb 

[citoyen]

At least you're wrong consistently.