Sticky painted desk

Sticky Painted Desk

Email question:

Hi,

I painted a used desk for my husband using one coat of “Gripper’ primer and three coats of black latex paint.  The desk is veneered and had a shiny, smooth surface.  I was told if I used the gripper primer, I wouldn´t have to strip off the finish.  After three months, things are still sticking to the desk and have left marks and dents.  Is there anyway to fix this and, how can I prevent it from happening in the future?  I´m getting ready to paint several more pieces of furniture.  I do have a preference for water based paints and have used them successfully on other pieces of furniture.

Thanks for any guidance and advice you can offer.

René

Email reply:

Hi René

Glidden Gripper Paint

I've never used the Glidden Gripper paint, so I'm not familiar with it.

Glidden has a spec sheet on gripper paint.   It sounds like it can be used over all sorts of things that are usually  unpaintable, but then they go on to say in their General Surface Preparation, "All surfaces must be sound, dry, clean and free of oil , grease, dirt, mildew, form release agents, curing compounds , loose and flaking paint and other foreign substances."

Something On The Surface

It sounds like there may have been something on the surface that caused the paint to not harden. Old wax or polish that hadn't been completely cleaned off or oils of any sort can keep paint from sticking or curing properly.

Liquid Deglosser To Save Having A Sticky Painted Desk

When I'm going to paint over another surface I use liquid deglosser. The Liquid Deglosser cleans off old polish and wax and other stuff and gives the surface "tooth" to hold new paint without sanding. It frequently can save a problem like your sticky painted desk

I've read that the Glidden Gripper can be used to paint plastic laminate, but Glidden doesn't make that claim on their web site.

Try A Hair Dryer To Harden The Paint

As to your present problem, about the only thing you can do is remove all the old stuff and start over fresh.  One last ditch effort before stripping it, you might try heat from a hair dryer.  Keep the heat setting on low and keep your hand just above the surface with the heat blowing on both your hand and the surface.  If your hand gets uncomfortably hot, then the paint may get too hot too and may bubble.

Tom

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