Help me!!-Fire Surround!

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HI,

I didnt like our fire surround.
So I

1) Took off the decorative mouldings (which made it look old fashioned to me)

2) went over it with fine sand paper

3) 2 coats of primer

4) its now had 3 coats of white paint

My problems are 1) i can STILL see where the decorative mouldings were and 2) see where the brown was underneath!

I wanted it proper white! To look like it was bought white.

Im so frustrated.

I hate diy. Cant afford anything else at the moment. This is it before (with mouldings taken off) and now the photos afte. Ive failed miserably so far.

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What can i do. Photos dont do justice to how bad it is!!! Its patchy. Blotchy. See through and like I said and OBVIOUSLY see where the mouldings were. Especially in natural light :( didnt i sand enough?
 
Last edited:
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I am assuming you cannot feel any ridge where the old molding was.
Try another rub down (sorry) to flat the surface smooth, you don't need to go back to bare wood and then two coats of a proper stain block paint Zinsser BIN is best for old varnished wood but Zinsser Bullseye 123 will work too.
Both are quick drying and you can get two coats on the same day no problem. Use a good quality top coat like Dulux trade (not some own brand rubbish from a DIY store) and it will be fine! Trust me I'm a builder!;)
Best wishes, (y)
 
I am assuming you cannot feel any ridge where the old molding was.
Try another rub down (sorry) to flat the surface smooth, you don't need to go back to bare wood and then two coats of a proper stain block paint Zinsser BIN is best for old varnished wood but Zinsser Bullseye 123 will work too.
Both are quick drying and you can get two coats on the same day no problem. Use a good quality top coat like Dulux trade (not some own brand rubbish from a DIY store) and it will be fine! Trust me I'm a builder!;)
Best wishes, (y)

Thanka for the reply. It seems the more satinwood i put on the whiter the areas stand out where the mouldings were in some areas. Its strange. Im wondering whether to use this paint striper which has great reviews to take it back to bare wood

http://m.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-paint-varnish-stripper-500ml/17091

Then start again with primer and satinwood.
 
Stripping is messy and never works fully ,you end up scraping little bits of paint out of crevices, you then need to neutralize the stripper with either a solvent or water which can raise the grain. Try a section with the BIN it comes in spray or brush on (brush on is much more economic) BIN is a good product to have around for things like blotting out knots and other stains and is a good primer for difficult surfaces. Brushes clean up with methylated spirit, go on treat yourself! It will save hours of work trying to get back to bare wood.
 
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footprints is on the mark. The problem you are encountering (providing there is no paint ridge) is likely to be staining from the varnish/stain that was originally on the surround. Once you sanded through the surface of it, you were basically left with the stain that is ingrained into the timber. As soon as you start to paint with a standard water-based primer, it will begin to 're-activate' the stain and allow it to bleed into the paint. The best, and simplest, option is to use a good stain blocking primer, like those mentioned, which should stop any further bleeding. Oil based topcoats will help to stop the bleeding but they will yellow a little further down the line anyway.
The same type of thing happens with hardwood that hasn't even had any varnish/stain applied. In this case, though, it is the oils/resins in the timber that bleed through. I don't think this is the case with your surround because the grain of the timber doesn't look dense enough for it to be a hardwood, although I could be wrong.

Going down the road of stripping is a laborious task that will end up with the same result, if you don't use a stain blocking primer after doing so. Assuming you have used a water based topcoat (tin in picture says quick drying), you can just give it a very light rub down and apply the primer straight on top. This should even up the colour and give you an ideal surface for your satin topcoat(s).
 
The problem is that the timber was stained. Then the decoration was added, and then the top laquer was sprayed on. Therefore when you took off the decoration you had an area of bare timber that was lower than the rest of the varnish. Best just leaving it to harden for a few weeks then giving it a good sand with a sanding block, then see what it looks like.
 
The problem is that the timber was stained. Then the decoration was added, and then the top laquer was sprayed on. Therefore when you took off the decoration you had an area of bare timber that was lower than the rest of the varnish. Best just leaving it to harden for a few weeks then giving it a good sand with a sanding block, then see what it looks like.

What do you mean leave it? I dont want to leave it looking a mess for a few weeks. :/
 
So just to bullet point....

I need to sand it all over again but deeper this time and then go over BIN and the satinwood?

Will this fix it?
 
I need to sand it all over again but deeper this time and then go over BIN and the satinwood?

No, you don't need to sand back deeper (if you mean back to the bare wood). You just need to give the white paint a light sanding with 180 or 240 grit paper to remove any nibs in the paint, or ridges where the moulding was. Then you apply a stain blocking primer and then your satin finish coat(s).
Personally, as you have suggested that you hate DIY, I would avoid the Zinsser B-I-N as it can be horrible to apply if you are not quick. I think Zinsser Coverstain would be the best primer option for this scenario, closely followed by their Bulls Eye 1-2-3.
 
misterhelpful makes a good point BIN dries fast (about 15 mins) so if you are a bit slow at getting it on it could be a problem, if that's the case go with the other products.(y)
 
In screwfix at the moment. Shocked because ai thought it would be like a b&q but its like a tiny argos!

Ive got the bulls 123 because they didnt have coverstain. And some 180 sandpaper.
 
The more you mess with it the worse it will get. You need to let the paint fully harden before you sand it, otherwise it'll end in the skip.
 
The more you mess with it the worse it will get. You need to let the paint fully harden before you sand it, otherwise it'll end in the skip.

But if im sanding it off how will it harden anyway? Sorry for soundimg dumb
 
If it's an oil based paint it'll take forever for three coats to harden. If you try to sand it it'll just turn into a complete mess.
 

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