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Clean Fir Prep for Water-based Paint
Issue: Issue 229
Posted Date: 8/11/2009
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My son accidentally spilled melted butter on an unfinished
countertop of bare fir plywood. What could be used to clean it so that
water-based paint would stick to it?
Greg Williams: Apply a poultice of Fuller’s earth and
water (a paste) liberally to the surface, and then heat the surface to
120 F or so. Repeat several times to draw out as much of the oil as
possible. A wash coat of dewaxed shellac, such as
Zinsser SealCoat™,
before the water-based paint would help the adhesion.
Michael Dresdner: Another method is to scrub the area with
liberal amounts of mineral spirits on a nylon abrasive pad, and then
sop up the slurry with paper shop towels. Repeat, then after the wood
is dry, seal it with a good primer, such as
Zinsser BIN®, prior to
painting, assuming that by paint you mean a solid opaque color and not
a clear finish.