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Need ideas for painted plywood ceiling

Teddi_and_Roger

17 years ago

I've spent years over in the kitchen and bath forums and those remodeling projects are thankfully done. Now I need some good advice and expertise on painting and hope you can help.

I am trying to fix up a hallway that has a painted plywood ceiling. We have a cedar log home and the previous owners put a plywood "drop ceiling" in the hallway to create attic storage above. This is the only place in the house we don't have cedar T&G cathedral ceilings so I'm not sure what to do with it. Removal is not an option, ductwork runs through the space above. It is currently painted white right over the plywood and you can see the grain, nail holes, etc. Very ugly.

I've pretty much ruled out applying any heavy texture as the cover for the opening to the attic is just a plywood panel that gets slid to one side. Any heavy texture would get scraped off. (Folding attic stairs or hinged opening not an option due to aforementioned ductwork. sigh.)

Is there any primer/paint combo that would be heavy enough to cover the plywood but durable enough for the cover to occasionally be slid aside? I was looking at the RL suede finish - is that totally stupid?

I don't want to make a huge mistake and would like to paint next weekend so any suggestions would be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Teddi

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Comments (3)

kyliegirl
17 years ago
Hi,
I painted my plywood floor in my living room and here is what I did. Washed well with dirtex, sanded lightly and washed again. I primed with Zinsser 123 and after it dried there was some area where I could still see stain area/knots. I spot primed those area with Zinsser BIN. I used BM porch paint over the primer. I looks great!
Teddi_and_Roger
Original Author
17 years ago
kyliegirl - thanks for responding. Did your technique result in a smooth surface or can you still see the grain in the wood? There isn't a problem with stains or knots. It's more that it looks just like what it is "painted plywood", you can see the grain across the entire surface of the ceiling. Is the porch paint or the combination of primer/paint thick enough to create a smooth surface on the plywood? Thanks so much!
Teddi
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kyliegirl
17 years ago
The primer covered up most of the grain, then 2 coats of BM porch paint. BM floor paint is made to be walked on, which is what I needed. It is different than wall paint.

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