Problems with sandtex exterior eggshell

[silver50]

Hi

Any advice please? Got a new 1L tin made up today (mid/dark green) after an older nearly full tin I had looked terrible when dry- glossy looking/patchy. This was yesterday.

My supplier said they've had the same complaint from other people. The 2nd coat from the new tin today look loads better it has still done the same so not great news.

I wasn't offered any real alternative to it though so have got another tin, they think maybe a newer tin.

I do feel there is a chance the warm weather hasn't helped, and I wonder if constant mixing is essential? This morning it was painted on in the shade and had a good couple of hours before the sun hit.

Any help/ideas to avoid this but let me use the paint? I think I will wait for a cooler day...?

Thanks

 

[silver50]

Should've said it is an old wooden garage door which was painted with the same paint a few years ago. It was pretty matt looking and bit faded but I although I maybe should have undercoated it, I didn't. I really don't think this would've made any odds tho.

 

[dcdec]

Technically you don't have to undercoat eggshell, although it can be useful when trying to obliterate deeper colours. I've no experience with sandtex but is it oil based or water based? Did you do any filling and if so did you spot prime the filler as the eggshell will 'sink' into it which it will also do on bare bits of timber.

 

[silver50]

Hi

Thanks for reply

Yes I did a fair bit of filling here and there nut indeed I spot primed it all

Is it at all likely the heat we are having in some way made the paint separate? The bit I did first yesterday after much stirring seemed to come out ok

It has been a surprise though that the merchants have had issues with it

Thing is, I've still to do adjacent garage door and my front door....!

 

[dcdec]

There is an upper limit heat wise at which a manufacturer states the maximum temperature their paint should be applied. You need to check the product data sheet or the back of the tin. Could be a bad batch, if so switch brands, Dulux isn't as good as it was but they do an exterior eggshell i think, apart from that i know very little about sandtex as i never use it, so can't really give any technical product advice, hope it works out for you though

 

[silver50]

Thanks

Good to know Dulux do one. I was surprised earlier that my usual merchant couldn't offer an alternative

Going to be make or break tomorrow to try a coat on garage #2! Won't be a happy bunny if by 2 garage doors/3x coats I am going to have to change paint

Must admit I would prefer the eggshell finish if poss. Certainly not gloss

Any water based recommendations for exterior that I could get a colour mixed into?

 

[emilybronte]

Little Greene exterior eggshell (the traditional oil one) is much better than Dulux in my experience.

 

[silver50]

That was a slip up above asking for a water based recommendation, I meant oil. I'd thought F&B's one was oil actually, but no

I have by coincidence (or maybe not if there's really not a huge exterior choice...) bought little greene on Friday. Unfortunately the colour has turned out a bit lighter for some reason which is a bit of a nuicance for meaning having to brush into tongue/groove slats. I was hoping running over with mini roller enough! and I've about had enough!

 

[emilybronte]

That was a slip up above asking for a water based recommendation, I meant oil. I'd thought F&B's one was oil actually, but no

I have by coincidence (or maybe not if there's really not a huge exterior choice...) bought little greene on Friday. Unfortunately the colour has turned out a bit lighter for some reason which is a bit of a nuicance for meaning having to brush into tongue/groove slats. I was hoping running over with mini roller enough! and I've about had enough!

Little Greene do an oil based or water based exterior eggshell. Both are good paints.

TBH if you can't be bothered to do it properly (get shut of the roller with t & g, it won't work!), I respectfully suggest you just employ someone who will.

 

[silver50]

Erm, excuse me, I've spent hours not only replacing rotten wood on the garage doors but making sure any bare wood was primed well/undercoated and any other filling/repairs were spot primed prior to applying the Sandtex Eggshell Xtra trade exterior paint. I don't proclaim to be an expert or a qualified painter/decorator but nearly full time for the last three years I have done little else. Therefore, I've learnt a lot. I have to say I don't see any reason a mini roller with a smooth head isn't an acceptable application method for a bigger area, but I welcome specific reason this is the case if I am wrong? It isn't something I usually use at all but it seemed quite a good idea because of the bigger area. Incidentally the Sandtex problem finish (the crux of this) was the same problem applied with roller or brush. My 1st coat was brush applied.

It's far from not being bothered to do it properly. However having done four coats in total so far and still having a front door to do I was simply hoping another oil eggshell might only take one coat to take away any patchiness the Sandtex finish left. I don't think your comment about employing someone to do it properly is well judged, or necessary. As said above, this post is about experiencing a problem with the Sandtex product, a problem apparently I am not the first to report.

The whole thing has been an unwelcome nightmare. Even today I discover the Little Greene I was mixed and given was water based! However, it has been changed for me FOC by supplier

What do you mean "t&g" when you say to get shot of the roller?

 

[silver50]

I've twigged "t&g" tongue and groove. I assume therefore using a mini roller isn't necessarily "wrong," just obviously not ideal to get into grooves. It is quite a heavily painted old door, and I did feel that if the colour of my Little Greene paint was a good match for the Sandtex, I had hoped rolling over it would suffice to give an ok appearance even if some of the grooves weren't painted with the Little Greene. Especially as both garage doors have had two oil based coats already

 

[emilybronte]

I've twigged "t&g" tongue and groove. I assume therefore using a mini roller isn't necessarily "wrong," just obviously not ideal to get into grooves. It is quite a heavily painted old door, and I did feel that if the colour of my Little Greene paint was a good match for the Sandtex, I had hoped rolling over it would suffice to give an ok appearance even if some of the grooves weren't painted with the Little Greene. Especially as both garage doors have had two oil based coats already

Apologies for any offence - none intended. You just seem to be making rather heavy work of this. It's a garage door, not the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel.

Suggest you sand right back, apply the right system (Little Greene oil based undercoat followed by oil based eggshell). With a 3" bristle brush for the majority of the area and a half inch one to work it into the grooves.
Unless it's a flush door, a roller isn't really going to speed things up at all.

 

[silver50]

Don't worry and thanks for apology

You would be right it's just a garage door but the very patchy way in which the Sandtex has dried has meant I either have to leave it (but I've still the front door to do) or do something to make it look better and more evenly finished

With the above in mind following my above description of the extra work now involved, contemplating sanding it all back and undercoating too now, is not on the agenda, and am still hoping a coat (poss two..) of the Little Greene will see the job completed to an acceptably good standard/finish

Thanks for replies and the suggestion of using the Little Greene paint

 

[Bosswhite]

Why do people insist on using cheap and nasty paint rollers, then complain about the poor finish ???

The traditional method still works and is time tested, use a GOOD QUALITY PAINTBRUSH

 

[silver50]

If you read my posts you will see that the strange phenomena regarding the Sandtex exterior eggshell drying matt in places/glossy in others was the same whether brushed or rolled

In fact, worse looking brushed

Having been told at my merchant I was the 4th or 5th person to complain about the exact same problem with the Sandtex product, it is not my application thank you very much!