I’ve tried to paint mantels in alkyds, but it’s very difficult to hide brush strokes when the shapes keep changing. Latex on the other hand covers very well and doesn’t show streaks due to better leveling so I always end up finishing the job with latex.

Now I just use alkyd primer sealer as the first coat and finish with two or sometimes three, coats of latex trim enamel. Alkyd primer sealers are necessary because the water base latex will penetrate the wood and it could cause strains on the mantel due to swelling from water expansion

All mantels are sanded before they leave the shop. A light sanding and dusting is recommended before and especially after the prime coat.

We offer an alkyd primer sealer for $70.00 on most mantels as a customer service. All imperfections (fine line spaces and unfilled brad holes ) that show up when the first coat is applied are touched up. The mantel is then sanded again with fine grit sandpaper (#200 or better). The prime coat sands easily, to a baby smooth finish, but can be tedious due to the shapes of the wood moldings. Care in these steps is important to the finish of the mantel. Now the mantel is ready for finish painting.

For an additional $25.00 we will add a single coat of acrylic latex white satin enamel.

Fireplace Mantel Company