Filler/sealant to use between wooden shelf and wall

[tom2011]

Hello,

I am putting up a set of shelves in a deep alcove between chimney breast and side wall.

I have cut the shelves to be proper rectangles, and because of the 'wonky' nature of the alcove (ie it is NOT a proper rectangle in plan section) there are gaps between sections of the shelves and the rear and side walls.

They are not large - a few mm at most.

Can I use normal decorators caulk to fill these gaps or will that not be flexible enough? The shelves are fixed to the wall using long strip pine sections against the rear and side walls with the shelf itself sitting on these strips of wood and tacked down.

But there is bound to be some slight movement of the shelves - perhaps some very slight bowing towards the centre and lateral movement when heavier objects are put down on the shelf. So I am a bit concerned that using a solid filler between the gaps will eventually crack and work free.

Should I use some kind of flexible filler, if so what type?

Ideally i'd need to be able to gloss over the filler

 

[TheDec]

I would use Unibond flexible filler, if the shelves are bare/untreated you should first apply either a knotting agent or stain block primer such as aluminium primer before you undercoat and gloss.

Dec

 

[tom2011]

Hi, thanks for the info.

The shelves themselves are treated pine but the supports are just strips of sawn timber I bought from B&Q. These are screwed into the walls horizontally and the shelves rest on them (fixed using panel pins).

I was going to gloss both the pine shelves and the wooden supports with white gloss.

What is a knotting agent?

 

[TheDec]

A knotting agent/solution is applied to the knots in wood to stop any resinous bleed coming through your paintwork, you say that the shelves have been pre-treated if this is the case you can forget the knotting solution and just very lightly sand them with 400 grit wet being careful not to breakthrough the existing finish.

If the pine strips attatched to the wall are untreated you may however still take into account the use of a knotting solution, if it is your intention to apply a gloss system direct it simply wont work. You will first need to apply an undercoat, you can if you wish skip the undercoat and apply Crown Solo which is self undercoating. You mention that you intend to attatch the shelves using just panel pins and if this is the case I would not be tempted to place anything heavy upon them.

 

[joe-90]

Decorators caulk is ideal. If Dec mentions Crown Solo once more I'll skweem.

 

[tom2011]

Maybe he's on commission....

 

[TheDec]

Well Joe can skweem all he wants, and no, i'm not on commission.

Dec

 

[CheshireDecorators]

Guys what's with this Crown solo stuff that's so good I've herd over decoraters on about it? I thought its some DIY stuff from b&q (no good ) is it oil? If so is it not yellowing?

Thought you painters and DIY people may want to hear this as im on about yellowing paints.

As I've mentioned in a previous thread I'm thinking of moving to sikkens products so thought id email them about yellowing!
The response was that they do not suffer from it like Dulux Crown etc as they don't put linceed oil in there product!!!
So if your like me and don't want to move to waterbase there the paint to go with.

Ps rubbol XD plus (gloss) best gloss I've ever used and seen finish wise 10/10

 

[ic1927]

A pal of mine had the painting contract on a small development of six new three bed houses, anyway he was a bit behind schedule so he asked me to do one house to help him out. It was a bog standard spec, knot, prime, uc and gloss, mist and two coats of mag on walls, white on ceilings. I supplied my own gear and primed, undercoated the woodwork and finished it with crown solo gloss. My mate had been doing the other units in standard dulux trade gloss, when he saw the finish in the house I did he was stunned and asked how did I get the woodwork looking so good, I told him about the solo and how it costs no more than trade gloss and now he's started using it ever since. As far as I'm concerned it's not just a one coat diy quick fix, I'll use it in all instances of painting be it new work or a re-dec, it is without doubt the best gloss ever made.

 

[TheDec]

A pal of mine had the painting contract on a small development of six new three bed houses, anyway he was a bit behind schedule so he asked me to do one house to help him out. It was a bog standard spec, knot, prime, uc and gloss, mist and two coats of mag on walls, white on ceilings. I supplied my own gear and primed, undercoated the woodwork and finished it with crown solo gloss. My mate had been doing the other units in standard dulux trade gloss, when he saw the finish in the house I did he was stunned and asked how did I get the woodwork looking so good, I told him about the solo and how it costs no more than trade gloss and now he's started using it ever since. As far as I'm concerned it's not just a one coat diy quick fix, I'll use it in all instances of painting be it new work or a re-dec, it is without doubt the best gloss ever made.

Spot on!!!!

Dec

 

[CheshireDecorators]

It sounds great but does it yellow in days/weeks/months? All my jobs are domestic houses around Cheshire so I have to be really careful with what I use. Ive emails Dulux / Crown about yellowing issues and both are covering there backs by admiring there paint yellows faster due to the new VOC so basically if there paint yellows and a customer plays hell you will have to re-do the work out of your own expense. But now I've got an email of sikkens I'll gladly use there paint and if it yellows they will be liable to pay for the job to be re-done sikkens recommend Rubbol AZ Plus for interior.

 

[ic1927]

Well all oil paints discolour to some degree, check out the which magazine reports on the 2010 lower voc glosses back in July 2010, they found crown solo to be the least likely to yellow out of all the oil based gloss paints.