Hard wearing varnish or lacquer over paint?

[Flergle]

ive used farrow & ball paint to paint my desktops (to match the wall), and I’m wondering about the best way to finish them.

As it’s a desk it’s going to run the risk of dents and chips as things get moved around on it like a sewing machine, painting easel, laptop.

Any thoughts as to what sort of product I should use to finish, seal and protect it?

 

[geraldthehamster]

I painted some bookcases in F&B eggshell, to match the walls, some years ago and they are still fine.

 

[opps]

ive used farrow & ball paint to paint my desktops (to match the wall), and I’m wondering about the best way to finish them.

Do you mean that you used F&B emulsion?

You could use polyvine waterbased flat varnish to seal it but TBH, if you did use emulsion, it might make more sense to sand it off and then use their eggshell. Unfortunately they stopped making oil based eggshell around late 2008 so you will have to use their waterbased eggshell.

BTW some emulsions become much darker if you apply water based varnish over the top of them.

 

[geraldthehamster]

If the OP did use emulsion, there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't use eggshell on top of it.

 

[opps]

My concern is that the emulsion won't pass the fingernail scratch test, meaning that eggshell over the top will be prone to chipping.

Unfortunately the OP hasn't stated what finish the desktops had originally. For all we know they could have been melamine, in which case they are going to scratch regardless of whether they use water or oil based eggshell.

I'd be inclined to recommend a large sheet of toughened glass over the top of the table.

 

[Flergle]

Some more details:

Ikea desk tops (abs plastic)
Lightly sanded
Treated with difficult surface primer (multiple coats - stuff that’s specifically for this type of surface)
Lightly sanded
F&B estate emulsion applied (multiple coats)

Do I just stick any old clear varnish over it, wax it, something else? I’m not keen on the glass idea because it’s going to be a surface that’s used for a lot of different things and I find glass a) too slippery and b) a pig to keep clean. I just want a reasonably low shine finish that’s smooth.

 

[geraldthehamster]

F&B eggshell was the paint for this, rather than emulsion. I would apply eggshell over it. Or even F&B gloss, which isn't very glossy.

 

[opps]

If you don't want to pay for F&B eggshell, you could use the varnish that I suggested.

Make sure that you hoover off the surface otherwise you risk being able to see bits of fluff through the clear coats.

I would go for three coats.

I cannot however guarantee that the varnish won't make the paint become slightly darker. Light paints are normally OK but I have seen it happen before.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I cannot however guarantee that the varnish won't make the paint become slightly darker. Light paints are normally OK but I have seen it happen before.

I think you're right it would change the colour. Point being that the OP wanted the surface to match the wall

 

[opps]

I think you're right it would change the colour. Point being that the OP wanted the surface to match the wall

Fair call. That said water based eggshell and emulsion often look slightly different anyway.

 

[geraldthehamster]

I have F&B Folly Green estate emulsion on the walls of my "library", and the bookshelves I built are in the same, eggshell. I agree they look slightly different, but I think that's more to do with the way the light reflects off the slightly greater sheen of the eggshell, rather than the colour as such.

 

[opps]

I have F&B Folly Green estate emulsion on the walls of my "library", and the bookshelves I built are in the same, eggshell. I agree they look slightly different, but I think that's more to do with the way the light reflects off the slightly greater sheen of the eggshell, rather than the colour as such.

Agreed, the colours are the same but the light refraction is different.