The procedure for painting MDF panels with aerosol paints depends on which MDF panel is in front of you and on the finish you want to end up with.
MDF panels come sanded with no coating at all, painted, laminated with paper, PVC film or plastic, and veneered.
If the texture of sanded panels has to be preserved
We recommend painting them with the acrylic paint KUDO® SATIN RAL KU‑0AXXXX with no primer. This satin paint, silky to the touch, has good coverage, gives a bright, saturated color and at the same time keeps the texture of the material it goes onto.
If a smooth surface with no texture at all is needed
The panels first have to be primed with several coats of the acrylic primer KUDO® KU‑210X. Sand every coat of primer with sandpaper, making the grit one and a half to two times finer from coat to coat. The primed and sanded surface can then take the universal fast-drying acrylic paint KUDO® KU‑AXXXX or the pastel acrylic one, KU-A10X. If higher strength and durability are needed, you can use the universal alkyd 3P TECHNOLOGY or, for example, the RAL paint for metal roof tiles and profiled sheeting. Alkyd paints behave in their own way during application, drying and polymerization, so we recommend reading about them here first. Other options are possible as well, metallic paints for instance.
How to paint MDF panels that are already painted?
Painted panels, if they are glossy, have to be scuff-sanded with fine sandpaper or an abrasive pad and then painted. No priming is needed. Check beforehand that the paint the panel is coated with and the paint you are going to apply are compatible.
How to paint laminated MDF panels?
MDF panels laminated with PVC film can be painted with the acrylic paint KUDO® SATIN RAL KU‑0AXXXX with no primer, which keeps the texture. And if a smooth surface with no texture is needed, the film first has to be primed with several coats of the acrylic primer KUDO® KU‑210X with sanding between the coats, and then the paint of the color and the sheen you need can go on.
MDF panels laminated with paper can be painted with any paint and need no preparation. The main thing is not to forget to remove the dust. Check beforehand that these paints are compatible with the paper the MDF panel is covered with.
Painting MDF panels faced with plastic is no different from painting plastic parts.
How to paint veneered MDF panels?
Veneered panels follow the same procedure as wooden surfaces do. We cover it in more detail in a separate article.
You can find the nearest store on our website. And materials from KUDO® are already at work in the videos on our YouTube channel.
