"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
On 2/14/10 2:24 AM, wrote:
You can't get the surfaces smooth enough for something like a metal
door. I still don't go past 220, but since metal paints go on much
thinner, you have to be even more careful when sanding as the
imperfections of the surface will come right through metal paints. No
amount of paint will hide the imperfections unless you are going to
put enough on to compound out as much as possible. Still, proper
sanding is the key.


Robert

Have you ever lightly sanded the primer or first coat of paint, before
applying the final coat? I had a friend who painted houses for a living
and the only things he would sand were those metal exterior doors... very
lightly. The finished door was so smooth, it looked like it had been
powder coated.


For metal - start with a well sanded, smooth piece of metal. Prime it, and
sand before finish coat. I sand with 500 on all metal pieces. Then, lay
down the finish. If you do the proper prep before priming, and knock it
down with 500 before applying the finish, you won't need to sand between
finish coats - unless you've got too much dust in the air. If that's the
case, fix that problem, and don't try to address it with sandpaper as a
routine procedure.

For wood - who in the hell paints wood, anyway?

--

-Mike-