FAQ publique - FUSION MINERAL PAINT

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY FUSION?

High Quality Ingredients

Every piece of furniture needs a little prep - even if it’s just cleaning. This of it as an assessment of your piece, you may not need to do much, but its' better to start your project off with the right foundation for it to last. Don't worry- prep is easy! just follow these simple steps to ensure you get the best possible results, every single time. You may only need a quick wipe down to remove dust, and you may not need to follow all of these steps, but if your piece requires it, be sure to follow in this order:

REMOVE WAX -> CLEAN -> LIGHT SANDING ->PAINT

REMOVE WAX
If you're painting an old heirloom piece of furniture, it's possible it had a wax coating for protection applied a long time ago. You will want to remove any Wax on your piece using Odourless Solvent. If you suspect your piece has wax, you can usually tell by taking a light sanding and if the sand paper gums up and you're getting wax balls building up, you will want to stop and remove the wax using Odourless Solvent (Mineral spirits)

CLEAN
Using Fusions TSP Alternative, this will remove any grease, or dust, making sure that your piece is ready to accept paint.

LIGHT SANDING
Sanding is only necessary on high gloss finishes or when you are trying to remove stubborn coatings such as Teflon or fire retardants.

PAINT
Paint it beautiful! Pick any one of our gorgeous colours, be inspired and paint it!

Prime
Most of the time, you will not need a primer. If the colour you are using is fairly similar to the existing finish, or if there are no stains, knot holes, or other issues, go right ahead and paint!

If your project is dark and you are wanting to go to a bright white colour, consider using a transition colour such as Sterling for your first coat. These lighter mid-tone colours will act as a colour transitioning primer and make the switch to pure whites easier.

To block out bleed-through from specific wood species such as mahogany, we recommend one to two coats of a Shellac-based primer like Zinsser BIN! It is white, so keep this in mind if you plan to distress your piece as you may need to reconsider the distressing technique. For extra troublesome wood knots apply pure Shellac, followed by Zinsser BIN, then apply Fusion Mineral Paint™ . If pure Shellac is not available, ensure to use 2-3 coats of Zinsser BIN on the knots.

PREP

Do I have to prep?

Prep is not a bad word! It is the foundation to you having a successful painting experience! It is simple and doesn’t take too much time. Everything you need to know is in this helpful link here and this video too!

Every piece of furniture needs a little prep - even if it’s just cleaning. This of it as an assessment of your piece, you may not need to do much, but its' better to start your project off with the right foundation for it to last. Don't worry- prep is easy! just follow these simple steps to ensure you get the best possible results, every single time. You may only need a quick wipe down to remove dust, and you may not need to follow all of these steps, but if your piece requires it, be sure to follow in this order:

REMOVE WAX -> CLEAN -> LIGHT SANDING ->PAINT

REMOVE WAX

If you're painting an old heirloom piece of furniture, it's possible it had a wax coating for protection applied a long time ago. You will want to remove any Wax on your piece using Odourless Solvent. If you suspect your piece has wax, you can usually tell by taking a light sanding and if the sand paper gums up and you're getting wax balls building up, you will want to stop and remove the wax using Odourless Solvent (Mineral spirits)

CLEAN
Using Fusions TSP Alternative, this will remove any grease, or dust, making sure that your piece is ready to accept paint.

LIGHT SANDING
Sanding is only necessary on high gloss finishes or when you are trying to remove stubborn coatings such as Teflon or fire retardants.

PAINT
Paint it beautiful! Pick any one of our gorgeous colours, be inspired and paint it!

PRIME
Most of the time, you will not need a primer. If the colour you are using is fairly similar to the existing finish, or if there are no stains, knot holes, or other issues, go right ahead and paint!

If your project is dark and you are wanting to go to a bright white colour, consider using a transition colour such as Sterling for your first coat. These lighter mid-tone colours will act as a colour transitioning primer and make the switch to pure whites easier.

To block out bleed-through from specific wood species such as mahogany, we recommend one to two coats of a Shellac-based primer like Zinsser BIN! It is white, so keep this in mind if you plan to distress your piece as you may need to reconsider the distressing technique. For extra troublesome wood knots apply pure Shellac, followed by Zinsser BIN, then apply Fusion Mineral Paint™ . If pure Shellac is not available, ensure to use 2-3 coats of Zinsser BIN on the knots.

How to test for wax residue?

Before you do any painting, you will want to remove any Wax on your piece.

If you suspect your piece has a previous wax coating, you can usually tell by taking a light sand paper to the surface and if the sand paper gums up and you're getting wax balls building up, you will want to stop and remove the wax using Odourless Solvent (Mineral spirits).

You can also take your fingernail and drag it across to see if anything builds up under your nail, if so it is probably wax and needs to be removed.

How do I remove wax?

Use Fusion's Odourless Solvent.

Apply it onto a cloth, then gently rub your furniture to remove the wax. This will dissolve the wax to help it come loose from the surface and onto your cloth.

It removes waxes from surfaces for prepping furniture. It cleans used wax brushes. Can be used to remove sticky residue from price tag stickers and more. It's just a great PREP product to have on hand at all times.

What is Odourless Solvent?

Our Odourless Solvent is also known as Odourless Mineral Spirits

If you have heard of White Spirits, the Odourless solvent is certainly less toxic. Odourless Solvent/Odourless Mineral Spirits have been refined to remove the more aromatic and toxic compounds compared to White Spirits/Mineral Spirits. Because of this, our product is a more gentle solvent, since the removed compounds are generally quite strong as a solvent (though very unhealthy!).

The process this product goes under is a high refinement of 99.9% of the aromatics removed. It is possible that even other grades of “odourless mineral spirits” come in a variety of levels of purity. With this product it is guaranteed to be as pure as it gets (smallest possible levels of aromatic and toxic compounds).

How to prep my piece using TSP Alternative

Clean using Fusions TSP Alternative

Even if you are lucky enough to find a piece that is in good condition, it still needs a good cleaning. Our TSP Alternative is perfect for these situations as it removes dirt, oil, grease and grime. To find out if the piece has been waxed, you can use your thumb nail to scratch the surface. If it moves or lifts, it is wax. Vigorously scour surface using mineral spirits first and then wipe with a clean rag. Let dry. One cleaning usually does it. Greasy kitchen cupboards may need a 2nd round!

Do I have to sand my furniture?

Sanding is only necessary on high gloss finishes or when you are trying to remove stubborn coatings such as Teflon or fire retardants. It is intended to be a light scuff sand with medium / fine grit to de-gloss surfaces. It is important you only sand a clean surface. Simply, a scuff sand adds tooth for the paint to stick to. Without this tooth, your beautiful paint job could peel down the road. You should also sand any rough spots to ensure a super smooth paint finish. If you think this could be an old lead paint, do not sand, as lead particles are toxic. Simply ensure to use a scouring pad when cleaning this type of surface. To have the smoothest finish possible, sanding with a fine grit, like 400, between paint coats can make the piece really sing.

Do I have to prime?

No. Fusion is self priming.

If the colour you are using is fairly similar to the existing finish, or if there are no stains, knot holes, or other issues, go right ahead and paint!

If your project is dark and you are wanting to go to a bright white colour, consider using a transition colour such as Sterling for your first coat. These lighter mid-tone colours will act as a colour transitioning primer and make the switch to pure whites easier.

Tips to paint light over dark

Light to dark

The number of coats you need to apply depends on the colour you start with. Here is some more info of the best tips from Jennylyn creator of Fusion Mineral Paint: Watch Now

What is bleed through and how to stop it

Bleed through is when the wood tannin's show through your paint. This happens with woods like Mahogany or Cherry typically. This will happen to any and all paints, the only way to stop it is by using a tannin blocking primer.

To block out bleed-through from specific wood species such as mahogany, we recommend one to two coats of a Shellac-based primer like Zinsser BIN! It is white, so keep this in mind if you plan to distress your piece as you may need to reconsider the distressing technique. For extra troublesome wood knots apply pure Shellac, followed by Zinsser BIN, then apply Fusion Mineral Paint™. If pure Shellac is not available, ensure to use 2-3 coats of Zinsser BIN on the knots.

Do I need Ultra Grip?

Ultra Grip™ makes painting the impossible, possible! It is rarely ever needed as Fusion Mineral Paint can adhere easily to most surfaces such as glass, plastic, metal and more without a special primer or Ultra Grip.

Now you can paint Melamine, Laminate and other difficult surfaces by adding a coat of Ultra Grip first.

You will know if you need ultra grip by doing a simple test. Try to apply a small amount of paint to your surface. If you get lacing, paint separating, this is the effect that you will see when paint is unable to adhere to a surface.

When required, apply a very thin coat of Ultra Grip™ after you have cleaned your surface and lightly sanded where possible. Ultra Grip™ is a milky white colour, but dries clear. Allow Ultra Grip™ to dry for 12 hours, then continue with Fusion Mineral Paint™.

WHAT IS ULTRA GRIP?

It is considered an ultra adhesive primer and allows for Fusion Mineral Paint™ to adhere to surfaces that are typically not for painting, such as melamine or thermo-foil. Fusion™ adheres well to clean most plastics, metal, and glass without requiring this additional step.

Ultra grip only comes in 500ml which covers approx 75sqft. If you have an already existing finish, you probably don’t need Ultra Grip. Fusion works very well on previously finished surfaces with proper prep. A really good clean and a good scuff with sandpaper will be acceptable for good adhesion.

To prep like a pro
check here
How to use Ultra Grip
check here

Painting metal

Fusion can be used to paint metal with the correct prep! Prepping shiny metals may require a coat of Ultra Grip. All you need to know about prep is here

Ultra shiny surfaces such as Chrome, laminate and some kitchen cabinets that have specialized coatings on them may need a coat of Ultra Grip prior to painting with Fusion. Here is a video explaining more about Ultra Grip.

Lastly here is a blog postshowing you how to paint metal.