Luan plywood is commonly used for a variety of woodworking projects. This thin piece of wood is easy to move about. Although, its ability to move around does come with a few downsides. One of the major ones is that there are a lot of pores on the Luan plywood. This can make it tough to paint. But, can Luan Plywood be painted?
It is possible to paint luan plywood. However, due to how porous the wood is, it is going to be incredibly difficult. You really would be making your life much easier if you used a different wood.
Let’s explain why this is the case.
Is It Possible to Paint Luan Plywood?
It is possible to paint luan plywood. However, the issue that you have with luan plywood is the fact that it is a highly porous material.
One of the main uses for luan plywood is for modeling. Part of the reason why this type of plywood is so great for modeling is the fact that it is incredibly flexible.
You can move it around without it breaking. However, it is flexible because there are so many holes on the wood. These holes are known as pores. No. Those pores do not go through the entirety of the wood.
This makes luan plywood difficult to paint because you can’t paint it directly. The pores would suck up all of that paint, giving it a rather uneven finish.
If you wanted to paint luan plywood, then you would need to use some sort of pore-filling paint a couple of times beforehand and then paint it. However, when you do this, you are going to be losing the beauty of the wood.
What Are the Best Practices for Painting Luan Plywood?
The best practice is to not bother painting it in the first place. However, we understand that a lot of people don’t want to go down that route.
They are not a fan of the standard luan plywood color, which is fine. You just need to paint it in a slightly different way.
When you paint the luan plywood, you will want to prepare the surface beforehand. This is incredibly important when it comes to luan plywood since the surface of the wood tends not to be smooth.
You can use an electric sander for this or you can do things by hand. You need a medium-grit sandpaper.
Once this is done, you will need to add a coat of pore filler. It doesn’t really matter whether it is oil or water-based. You will want to paint the pore filler (sometimes known as an undercoat) onto the plywood and let it dry.
You will then want to paint a second coat on and then let that dry. If you do not do this, then the paint won’t give you an even coat.
When you finally paint the luan plywood, ensure that you use a quality wood paint. Do bear in mind that it may not always give the best finish, even if you have painted the luan plywood beforehand.
What Type of Paint Should Be Used on Luan Plywood?
You can use any standard wood paint for luan plywood, as long as you have given the plywood that undercoat.
If the paint that you have chosen doesn’t explicitly state that it is for wood, then make sure that you pick up a latex paint. This should give it the best finish.
Do bear in mind that due to the amount of undercoat that you will be putting on the plywood, there is a good chance that you won’t be able to see the beautiful grain underneath when you paint it.
This is another reason why people tend to skip painting luan plywood in the first place.
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How Do I Prepare Luan Plywood for Painting?
Preparing the luan plywood for painting shouldn’t be too difficult. You will need the following:
- Sandpaper, medium grit. This can be on an electric sander or you can hand sand smaller pieces.
- Undercoat. Oil or water-based, it doesn’t matter.
- A paintbrush to apply the undercoat.
To start with, you will need to sand down the luan plywood. Be gentle and always sand with the grain. Luan plywood is naturally rough, so this may take a while.
This is why many people will use an electric sander. Try to get the plywood as smooth as you possibly can.
When you have sanded it down, apply an even coat of undercoat. Let this dry.
When that first coat of undercoat has dried, paint the second one on. Let that dry too.
Your surface should now be ready for painting.
What Are the Benefits of Painting Luan Plywood?
The major advantage of painting your luan plywood is the fact that you will be changing up the color of the plywood. You will be making it look much better than that raw wood look.
This is incredibly important if you are doing modelmaking with the wood. You need it to have a decent color that kind of looks like the item that you are modeling.
The paint should also provide the luan plywood with a little bit of extra protection from moisture. Once again, luan plywood tends to be incredibly porous.
If it isn’t sealed in some way, then it could start to rot in a humid environment. The paint won’t provide complete protection, but it should provide enough.
Final Thoughts
Luan plywood can be painted, but you should avoid painting it, if possible.
The problem with luan plywood is that paint doesn’t stick to it all that well. It is also an incredibly rough wood, at least in comparison to other types of plywood. This means that you are going to need to do a lot of surface preparation beforehand.
If you do decide to paint the luan plywood, then bear in mind that you will need to give it at least 2-3 coats of undercoat before you apply the paint.