# Hiding wood grain



## cherry_560sel (Dec 6, 2010)

Is there any primer/paint/texture combo to hide the wood grain on 3/4" plywood wall panels? I would like to get a cleaner look in my garage, but the walls are wooden plywood panels.


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## Big N8 (Oct 28, 2009)

Paint it with a flat primer then sand. Repeat this two maybe three times and most of the grain will be gone.


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## cherry_560sel (Dec 6, 2010)

Big N8 said:


> Paint it with a flat primer then sand. Repeat this two maybe three times and most of the grain will be gone.


 
thanks for the tip  do you know if i can spray with texture after it is primed and then paint over that. I am trying to achieve a look closer to what drywall would look like without actually tearing down the existing wood panels and putting up drywall.


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## HDwetPaint (Oct 25, 2010)

Hey cherry 560sel, painting over bare wood and finished paneling is a pretty common trend now these days and like stated there really is no “easy” way to completely mask the grain or texture, but there are a few options. Seems like you have been doing your research and going with a texture finish will be the cleanest and easiest way to mask the plywood look. There are a number of products and styles of texture that can be applied by sprayer, wall covering, or just normal brush and roller. No matter which route you decide to take I’d suggest you lightly sand the walls and wash them down with a lint free cloth and some mineral spirits to remove the dust and any other material that may prevent good adhesion. Make sure to fill the seams of the plywood with a drywall compound and sand this smooth as well. (If you are looking to mimic the drywall/plaster look and choose not to use a texture, before applying any paint or primer I’d completely sand the walls smooth and if after applying a coat of primer the grain raises at all sand and repeat until walls are smooth.) Next I recommend giving the entire surface a coat of a high quality acrylic latex primer. The reason I recommend this and not an oil is it breathes and remains more flexible allowing moisture to escape through while preventing chipping and peeling during temperature changes. After this you are ready to apply your textured finish or paint which dependent upon which you choose will completely cover the wood grain and texture of the plywood. Good luck and if you have any problems or any questions make sure to speak up.


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## Faron79 (Jul 16, 2008)

This is only my OPINION, but I don't know if I'd bother trying to hide the grains' "texture"....that's a few extra steps/labor for only a "visual" gain.

Yes...definitely clean, prime and paint. Use a Satin-sheen paint...NOT Flat!

You could investigate various wall-panel systems too.

Faron


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## cherry_560sel (Dec 6, 2010)

Thanks for the help Jeff.

I will be painting the exterior of the house this spring. I plan to purchase an airless paint sprayer and I will be able to use it to paint the garage walls as well, so this will work out well for me. I appreciate all the help


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Cherry,
Couple of things: How smooth a finish are you looking for? Just painting it white will brighten things up quite a bit. What kind of plywood did you use? I don't see any knots, guessing a BC grade? You might want to get a hi-build primer which has a lot of filler in it and shoot a coat on and see what it looks like. If you see more grain or fuzziness than you want, then lightly sand like the others said and shoot one more. Then a couple of topcoats. Using the airless inside will be no problem. Make sure to move everything out and cover the floor, doors windows, etc. If you are going to paint the exterior, I would be very carefull. Mask everything off, park cars down the street, absolutely calm day. If your house is close to the neighbors, you want to make sure you don't end up getting overspray on theirs. 
Mike Hawkins


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## cherry_560sel (Dec 6, 2010)

Mike,

I never thought that the overspray could reach the neighbors house. I better think this out a bit more. What distance would be safe for the cars? I mean should i go tell all my neighbors not to park outside that day???...lol....jeezzz, if I hired someone or some company to paint my house would they cover the house next door and the neighbors car? Now I am thinking liability here....never thought that overspray would be that big of an issue. As far as the garage goes, the walls were already up when we bought the place so I don't know excatly what grade of plywood it is, but it looks to be a step below furniture grade. I like the idea of using a primer with lots of filler. My main concern is this ..... what would be more effective (money and time) option A --- get 1/4" drywall and put it over the existing panels, then just prep and paint...or Option B --- primer and paint the existing panels to get a drywall look.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

If you really want the drywall look, then hang the 1/4" drywall, tape and finish. You could probably get it looking pretty decent though just by painting. If you are going to use if for a shop, the plywood painted should be fine. As far as the overspray, it varies with the viscosity of what you are spraying. My point was to just be aware of it and take the necessary precautions to avoid any problems with the neighbors. It might be as simple as asking them not to park their car in the drive if it's right next to your house, etc. If you paint on a calm day, you should be ok.
Mike Hawkins


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

Any quality primer followed by a quality paint will cover the grain


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