Painting a (cheap) veneer door

[GrinAndBearIt]

Hi y'all

Um ... anyone got a tip on the best way to paint a cheap Travis Perkins door which currently is in its original 'oak veneer' form ... ie. it hasn't been primed or anything.

Someone who came round warned me that this kind of door does NOT take kindly to paint (ie. I think he was saying that paint can pull apart the veneer and leave the door in a terrible state). But I'm thinking that maybe this is only if you use a water-based acrylic?

Should have of course got the primed version of the door in the first place, but it was a mistake, and now it's been hung it needs to be painted somehow! Thank for any help you might have ....

 

[gregers]

it will most likely lift the grain,so you will have to lightly sand it back and maybe prime it again and then sand that coat back aswell.
once your happy with it then undercoat and gloss.

 

[GrinAndBearIt]

Ok ... soiunds good ... so no huge sweat about it tearing the door apart!??

Is there anything to be said for avoiding a water based primer? I prefer to use the water based products, just for the ease of cleaning the brushes and the headache avoidance etc. .....

 

[misterhelpful]

I can't say I've ever had a problem painting a veneered door with either water based or oil based paints. It's generally oils and waxes that should be avoided when finishing this kind of door, as they can either cause the veneer adhesive to fail or not seal the door adequately enough to resist moisture ingress.
Maybe your doors finishing instructions tell you something different but paints are usually fine, in my experience.