Paint on railway platform benches peeling off.

[ericmark]

Every years the benches are brought in over winter, and if required are repainted, but it seems the colour being used was not the correct great western colour, so we had intended to do a few benches each year even if not needed, however the ones painted last year, paint had pealed off for this season, but benches painted 3 years or more ago, only needed touching up.

There was a three coat system, first the paint was sanded down, any wood exposed was treated, next week under coat, next two weeks top coat, wood removed from seats iron work for painting, and the paint came off in large sections, flexible sheet of paint came off around size of a A4 piece of paper, so stripped again and put in compressor room where it is warm to dry.

Although the building we work in only leaks around the wall, it is not heated, so paint does go on cold, we can't start before Christmas is over, and they need to be back for Easter, so can't really wait for warm weather. But the paint has not come off on other wooden items, so trying to work out why it has pealed off the benches.

 

[blup]

It could be an any or all combination of the condition /moisture content of the wood, the quality of the preparation, the paint and the decorator. I have found external masonry paint to work well on wooden garden furniture even though it says it is specifically not to be used.

 

[ericmark]

Well I put the bench seat sanded in the compressor room to dry for two weeks, tried painting today with undercoat, and the paint underneath the new started to flake off, got to leave to dry now, so can't try again to next week, need to be finished by Easter, and I have no option as to paint type, as needs to be Great Weston Railway colours.

What I now need to decide, do I sand down to wood all over, that's a lot of sanding.