# Painting Oak stained fireplace mantle white?



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Should be a law against painting oak. Going to take a $7.00 a ft. wood and make it look like .50 cent MDF.
You can not have any wood that close to the opening. (main reason there's tile there now)
Opening up a whole can of worms here.
Oak has a deep grain and is a really hardwood. Going to take a really long time sanding to get it flat.
Once it's sanded you need a bonding primer, then any latex paint will work.
Consider removing that whole thing and starting over if your intent on doing it that way.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

marissa25 said:


> Hi everyone, I am new here. Looking to start my first DIY project.
> 
> I am looking to paint an oak fireplace mantle white. I have never refinished anything in my life. It's stained but not sealed. Feels rough. I would like a smooth white modern finish.
> 
> ...



Before you begin you might want to look at some examples of what painted oak looks like. I'm not saying it looks bad, but it's not really 'smooth'. The grain of oak always shows through paint to an extent unless extra steps are taken to fill it. 

If it has been stained and not sealed with polyurethane, or some other sealer, then the first thing to be done is block the stain with a primer. There are some water base stain blocking primers on the market now, and some of them may work. But the go-to primer for a lot of professionals in this situation is still oil base Zinsser Coverstain. Kilz Original primer could also work, but is generally considered inferior to the Zinsser. 

After priming, sand thoroughly with 220 sand paper or a sanding sponge to smooth the surface for paint. You want to get a smooth feeling profile from the primer coat, because paint does not sand as well. After that dust it off thoroughly. After the primer is on, you will see that the joints where the pieces of wood come together will show up more. If there is a gap between pieces, caulking it will make the overall appearance more solid looking. 

For a finish paint. a good quality acrylic paint is going to be the easiest to work with, but an alkyd or alkyd modified paint will produce a smoother overall look.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Plus that piece in the center is going to be very difficult. Remind you of any doors JMAY?


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

marissa25 said:


> Hi everyone, I am new here. Looking to start my first DIY project.
> 
> I am looking to paint an oak fireplace mantle white. I have never refinished anything in my life. It's stained but not sealed. Feels rough. I would like a smooth white modern finish.
> 
> ...


I have to agree with one other person You DON'T Paint Oak Maple or other Hardwoods! EVER! My gosh the beauty is in the grain and the warmth of the wood. and I might sound rude and I don't care. People that paint hardwoods should be tarred & feathered!


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Nailbags said:


> I have to agree with one other person You DON'T Paint Oak Maple or other Hardwoods! EVER! My gosh the beauty is in the grain and the warmth of the wood. and I might sound rude and I don't care. People that paint hardwoods should be tarred & feathered!


From a personal perspective, I have the very same problem with painting fine old hardwoods.... it just seems WRONG.....

BUT, I do recognize that sometimes it is the most cost effective method of changing a decore.....

IT IS STILL A SIN.... but if it's your worst sin, I don't think lightening will strike you....:wink:

JMay...... How about some of those hi-build primers to fill in the oak grain.... what is your opinion....?????

Best


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## cdaniels (Dec 27, 2012)

I use FPE brushing putty for filling the grain when I have to paint oak.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

High build primers can reduce the grain of oak, but not really make it disappear. To make it go away you need a filler like the brushing putty Red Dog mentioned. 
I recently discovered another filler that works well. Used it on a set of oak cabs that got a glazed finish. Its a water based filler that applies and sands easily, it can even be sprayed. 

http://fauxcenter.com/faux-effects-...finishing-medium/master-finishing-medium.html

I'm not sure how available it is in retail outlets, we ordered it. It did a good job of obscuring the grain of the oak.


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## Durt Ferguson (Apr 14, 2010)

Not sure if you've done anything with it yet, but, as a woodworker, I agree with those who are saying not to paint it.

If you do want to paint it and want a smooth surface, and it has not been finished previously, you can use wood filler on a putty knife, go across the grain then with it. If you keep pressure on the putty knife you should need much sanding at all, but you'll probably need to do 2-3 applications to get the pores all filled.

Or, you can fill with a thick cut of _dewaxed_ shellac. You'll need to get some flakes and denatured alcohol and mix your own, as the only dewaxed shellac I've seen in the big box stores is Zinnser sealcoat, and I believe that is a 1lb cut (if not, it's still pretty thin). This will probably require 4 or 5 coats, sanding in between, but you should be able to put all of these coats on in one day as shellac dries very fast. With dewaxed shellac, you can put any finish you want on top of it.

What about experimenting with a dark glaze on top of the existing stain, and knock out the tiles and replace them with white? You'll get some nice contrast, and you won't commit the sin of painting that oak.


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## High Gear (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm going out to plane some cherry for my mission benches....

before my blood pressure gets any higher.


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