FAQ - Wise Owl One Hour Enamel Paint & Primer

What is Wise Owl One Hour Enamel?

One Hour Enamel Paint also known as OHE, is an incredibly tough, tenacious, fast-drying acrylic enamel for interior and exterior use on surfaces that require a quick return to service and an abrasion-resistant finish. Wise Owl One Hour Enamel (OHE) is a total game-changer for both professionals and DIY’ers alike! This water-based enamel formula made primarily for kitchen cabinets and front doors, has a stone-like satin topcoat built-in. It is a great choice for painting cabinets, trim, or updating exterior and interior doors. This quick cure formula knocks out projects in record time.

What is the coverage of One Hour Enamel?

The coverage for the 946ml tins (quart) is just over 9m2 (100 sq ft).

What is the drying and curing times of One Hour Enamel?

One Hour Enamel dries quickly and is 90% cured about 4 hours after it is dry, so you may return your items to service the next day. Try to limit exposure to water as a precautionary measure for the first month. OHE is fully cured in about 10 days, but it will continue to strengthen over the period of a few weeks.

Will OHE adhere to surfaces without primer?

Yes it will. OHE adheres to surfaces that are clean, dry, and dull. The surface must be free of all surface oils, unstable varnish, dust, and debris. However, the recommendation is to always prime with Wise Owl Primer before using One Hour Enamel for extreme adhesion and durability. Cabinets, tile, and floors should ALWAYS be primed without exception.

Since OHE will adhere to anything clean, dry and dull, why do we suggest priming?

Primer is much more forgiving than OHE when it comes to adhesion. Since OHE is so fast drying, if you apply it over an area that has surface oils remaining, it causes the OHE to crack and not properly bond to the surface where the oils remain. Oils prevent water-based products from properly drying and curing. Even if you think you did an amazing job prepping and cleaning, areas may still be overlooked. It is much easier to give yourself the advantage of increasing adhesion with primer than to sand down and repaint a project if you missed an area while prepping. This gives you some extra leniency if your prep left some oils or solvents behind. Primer (stain eliminating) is also recommended to avoid tannin bleeding from the wood.

Tell me more about stain-blocking and tannin bleeding?

Priming is crucial if you’re painting anything white from the Depression era. These pieces will BLEED! Clean well and always use Wise Owl stain eliminating primer before painting. Allow 6 hours of dry time with each coat to ensure stain blocking. Occasionally, a piece may need a third coat. Woods notorious for bleeding include Mahogany, Knotty Pine, and Cherry.

Does primer help produce a smoother finish?

Absolutely! Primer will smooth and refine your surface prior to painting. It covers minor imperfections, fills in uneven areas, and even fills in some graining present in wood substrates. The primer may even be sanded if desired to create an even smoother OHE finish.

Should you prime over raw wood with OHE?

Yes, it is a best practice. The most important reason is that raw wood absorbs paint like a sponge. If you want an even finish, laying down a coat of primer provides a barrier coat between the open grain of the wood and the paint. This prevents the paint from being absorbed into the wood resulting in better coverage and a more even application.

If you would like to smooth the wood finish to hide some of the grain, you will also want to use primer.

What primer is recommended?

Do NOT use a shellac-based primer; these are known to cause the OHE to dry too fast and cause crackling. While you can use any NON-shellac based primer, Wise Owl Primer is recommended to give extra bonding so your finish will last the longest. It has been tested extensively with the OHE to give you the best results.

What about slick surfaces?

Wise Owl Primer is an amazing bonding primer. Some surfaces are especially slick, and many other primers will not adhere to them. Wise Owl does! Some examples would be ceramic tile, glazed block, plastic and vinyl, and surfaces with a high gloss finish.

Which colour primer should I choose with OHE colours?

White - Whites or very light colours
Light Gray - Light to medium colour, yellows
Dark Gray - Medium to dark colors, reds
Clear - Distressed finishes, all colours

How many coats?

If tannin blocking is required use 2 coats of primer with 4-6 hours dry time between coats for adequate stain lock. If tannins are not an issue, and you already have a smooth surface, then you may use just a single coat of primer. We recommend a minimum of 2 coats of OHE after priming.

How should primer be applied?

Primer may be brushed, rolled, or sprayed. Keep in mind, you may lose some of the tannin and stain blocking ability if you spray the primer since it is a thicker product and requires dilution with 10% water. Depending on which type of sprayer you may even need to dilute further, and water dilutes the power of tannin blocking by allowing tannins to rise from the surface of the wood into the paint causing discolouration from naturally occurring tannins.

Best preparation recommendations

Step 1: Prep The Surface

If there is a current paint or finish that is chipping or peeling, you will need to remove that first before beginning. Painting over it will not fix the underlying issue.
One Hour Enamel HATES surface oils and wax; oils and wax will repel paint. It’s extremely important to make sure you have removed all oils from the surface. Clean well with an oil free degreaser/de-glosser. Often dish soap is not enough to remove grease and grime worked into wood from years of use. Make sure to rinse the cleaner off completely with water and allow to thoroughly dry. If you prime over a wet surface, you may experience a crackled finish due to the different dry times of water and primer/OHE.
After you have thoroughly cleaned the surface, lightly sanding before beginning your project can help slick surfaces by increasing the quality of adhesion. Use a sanding block or green scrubby sponge to scuff up the surface.
After sanding, wipe your project down with a lint free rag to remove any residue. You can also blow sanding dust away with compressed air, use a vacuum cleaner. A final wipe down with a 50/50 denatured alcohol/water mix will remove any lingering dust or oils and it evaporates and dries quickly. Do NOT use tack cloths; these are embedded with Beeswax and can create adhesion problems.

Step 2: Prime

Stir primer very well and brush, roll, or spray to apply. When brushing, use a large, flat synthetic brush. If you are rolling, we recommended roller a 100ml woven or high-quality microfiber roller. If you are spraying, you may thin with up to 10% water.
The primer will self-level. If you need a smoother substrate, you may fine sand lightly after last coat is dry before applying OHE. This is optional, but it may help ensure you have a buttery smooth finish to begin painting.
Wait 4-6 hours after each coat of primer to apply the next coat. 2 full coats are recommended.

Step 3: Painting One Hour Enamel

Make sure your primer has thoroughly dried. It is recommended to wait 6 hours after the last coat or even overnight to be sure.
Make sure to stir well before and occasionally during use to ensure an even, smooth finish. Never shake the OHE; shaking incorporates bubbles.
You may roll, brush or spray OHE. Wait 2-4 hours before applying second coat to ensure finish is totally dry.
To brush OHE: Never use a wet brush. Recommended brush is a large, flat synthetic brush. Apply paint in the direction of the grain and do not overwork. The paint will self-level and dries fast, so if you overwork it will not level as well. Let the paint do its magic! Watch for drips or runs. When possible, paint on a horizontal surface to let gravity help the finish self-level. Apply in thin even coats and don’t overload your brush. This will help you achieve the smoothest finish. If you are painting a vertical surface, off load your brush and then smooth the paint by brushing in an upward motion, against gravity. This will help avoid sags and drips.
To roll OHE: Recommended roller 100mm woven or high-quality microfiber roller. Watch for drips or runs. We recommend you use a technique called flagging or tipping off immediately after each roll is complete. To do this; simply brush paint smooth in the same direction with a quality brush . This must be done immediately after each roll to ensure you don’t overwork the paint. This will eliminate drips or runs and pop any bubbles incorporated by the roller. Maintain a wet edge and make sure your roller is evenly loaded with paint by rolling well in the tray gradient before application.
To spray OHE: One Hour Enamel does not need to be thinned. Enamel paints are thinner than traditional latex and no thinning is required. Spray on a horizontal surface when possible to allow gravity to help the paint self- level. When painting vertically make sure not to overload the paint and apply in thin even coats.