Any paint experts out there

[formernuke]

The new tank rack is made and in process of being painted.

The old one I'm turning into regular shelves by putting mdf on the slats.

I have everything primed and will topcoat starting tomorrow. Everything is staying in the garage till paint is cured so about a month.

My question is when painting the mdf how long should I wait on the mdf before flipping it to coat the other side being it will be on the 2×4's for that month and I don't want to mess up the paint while it curing.

 

[lermontov]

the paint specs will tell you drying time but it also depends on air temp, are you using oil based?- however - why are you using MDF for shelving with what is inevitably be wet gear -id recommend plywood -MDF will soak up the moisture and swell , if you are already committed you need to seal the edges WELL maybe even put some bog on it to reduce the tendency for th board to soak up moisture

 

[formernuke]

the paint specs will tell you drying time but it also depends on air temp, are you using oil based?- however - why are you using MDF for shelving with what is inevitably be wet gear -id recommend plywood -MDF will soak up the moisture and swell , if you are already committed you need to seal the edges WELL maybe even put some bog on it to reduce the tendency for th board to soak up moisture

Two coats of oil based primer on the top and bottom, 4 on the sides followed by the same of latex top coat. I had the mdf already plus this self if for books, spare drygloves, spare parts, bungee cord rolls, save a dive etc so won't really see much water.

 

[lermontov]

ok sounds like ill be ok - id allow min 5 days and then get an offcut of MDF and push down on to the painted surface and put a weight on it for an hour -lift it up and if its got even the slightest tack or resistance to lift up then leave it another couple of days

 

[-JD-]

FWIW, I'd suggest an enamel paint instead of latex for the topcoat. Some gloss & semi-gloss latex paints never seem to fully set and will glue to things left on them for extended periods. You could probably get away with a quart or two of Rustoleum.

Or if you want to speed things along, a couple rattle-cans of Rustoleum Professional.

 

[Johnoly]

.. so won't really see much water.

Another crazy idea that I've used is very cheap truck under-coating spray can from the big box store. It's thin and won't take hard scrapes from tanks. But it's about the same price as Rustoleum. It also does take about a month to fully cure hard and it's tougher than paint. Down side is you can have any color you want as long as you pick black.