Painting staircase spindles

I am in the process of painting 70 previously varnished mahogany spindles each turned from 2" stock. The rubbing down and priming went well (!) but trying to make a decent job of the top coat is proving impossible probably not helped with my slow work rate due to arthritic hands. I was advise to use Johnstone's Aqua System top coat but it is drying off almost from the brush. Temp in the stair well is around the 25C mark which will not help.with paint flow. Any help and advice would be of great help.

Also anyone have experience of Floetrol as an additive for making paint flow?

I did 21 spindles last year & that was enough! I do sometimes use water based paints but they don't flow as you have found out, on the spindles I used solvent based gloss with me one side & the wife the other, turned out really well.

Tony

I have not used Floetrol, but I have used a similar product from the same company for oil paints and it was superb. Having struggled with these new-fangled water-based paints I would defiantly give Floetrol a try.

I have had some success with using a synthetic brush, pre-wetting the brush with water and using a very fine spray of water on the surface prior to painting.

Apart from that, I take my glasses off and it all looks perfect.

I find ALL water based paints a total pain-in-the-arse.

Sorry that should have read 40 spindles. Tony, I suppose you and your good wide do not do any sub contract work!

Jim

Sorry no, it's not an experience I want to repeat.

Tony

Agree with all the above re water based paints, tried them to save the planet but they are a waste of time in my opinion. We too have a staircase with a million spindles, takes an age but oil based paint lasts well for us oldies anyway, no kids or dogs/cats to wear them out.

Bill D.

There is a job worse than that - getting paint off staircase spindles. Ours were white painted - ugh - in a Victorian house (built by the GWR incidentally). After that huge job with Nitromors and wire wool we varnished them and they have looked good ever since. And will never want repainting!

John B

Dulux Trade Gloss is nice to apply and should stay white for longer if you want white.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 12/05/2021 20:04:30

My fullest sympathy. Horrible job. Mask up the house & spray them..... No just kidding.

Steve.

Many moons ago when faced with painting our new spindles white I wheeled the compressor in and sprayed them. No carpet's were fitted at the time, the spindles came out a treat but what a mess everywhere else! Only did it once!

Last time I used a roller for basically applying the paint quickly, finishing of with a good brush worked well.

Alan

I find this much thinner than the domestic version and so is much more inclined to produce runs.

John

Buy a bungalow.........

There's a lot to be said for French polish on mahogany spindles.

Cant beat the good old fashioned lead based paints! I can already hear the health & safety lobby complaining in the background, yes I know you can’t use lead based paints nowadays but that doesn’t change the fact they were incredibly better than today’s offering of low VOC water based rubbish. Dave W

Just cannot understand why the genius chemists of the massive paint industry seem totally unable to come up with a water based paint that's any good. I've always hated the smell of white spirit and use 'quick drying' stuff inside the house but am always disappointed with the finish no matter how carefully I put it on. Although I approve of the idea to remove the high VOC spirits in the atmosphere.

What about using an airbrush? Might take ages but you can be precise and not contaminate the rest of the house. Just a thought.

regards

They did, it goes on your car

Floetrol adverts seem refer to a ceiling, frankly a dab of water will thin emulsion enough if that's the problem, I wonder if it works on gloss.

The makers seem to know there's a problem, hence the fine artifical fibre brush requirement.

The only water-based gloss I've found that gives a comparable finish to oil-based is Albany:

https://www.brewers.co.uk/product/AA0142001J

I did an Edwardian-ish staircase with it recently, no problem at all (apart from the awful tedium - you need something good on the radio).

if I have a painting job I always insist on using Albany now - absolutely no horrible stinky oil-based allowed. And as for lead paint - yes, great, let's spend an hour stirring the wretched stuff and as an added bonus, poison ourselves!

By the way, it's reputed that water-based paints won't yellow in dim light the way oil-based does.

Well for decorating I think water based is the bee's knees. Goes on a lot easier, dries more quickly, cleaning brushes is a doddle and it doesn't go yellow. As a bonus it isn't polluting the atmosphere. I will admit the finish isn't quite as good, but it's only interior decorating, it's not important, not like a loco or stationary engine. Keeps SWMBO happy, so job done. For outside I use Sadolin Supadec, same advantages and it doesn't crack or flake off. OK it isn't very glossy, but who cares.

I did once use Dulux Weathershield on an internal window frame, I'd run out of the normal stuff and the shops were shut. It stank for days, never again

"It stank for days..."

Don't remind me.

I used outdoor timber preservative on my varnished hardwood front door, then after several days of a still-waxy finish and the front porch smelling like an engine-room, thought I ought read the label again, more carefully.

Turned out the stuff is for raw wood, so it can soak in, and one of its few main ingredients is diesel-oil.

Ah well. As long as it works.