Paint Pegboard?

[nathank]

Has anyone painted pegboard? I'm talking about the brown pegboard from Lowes. I did all my walls with it and now I'm thinking about color change.

Primer? Paint types? Can it be done?

 

[Mike83]

I've seen it done. I would prime it first. Then use latex.

I bought white pegboard. It was the only option.

 

[Kevin54]

It can be done, but do it in thin layers or the paint wants to build up in the holes. If you load your roller up heavy then the paint builds up. Load up the roller then roll it out on a piece of cardboard or scrap wood for a roll or two. It will use a little more paint but will keep it from looking tacky with plugged up holes.

 

[Scotto]

You'd probably want to use a thin roller, like a 1/4" nap too. That should help it not get in the holes as much.

 

[Torque1st]

The people above are correct. The paint clogs the holes badly. Experiment with some scrap pegboard to get the technique right.

Clogged holes make it tough to get the hooks in.

 

[KenS]

Consider a light primer coat first. I used deluxe latex Kilz on mine followed with a cover coat. The unprimed pegboard soaks up water-based paint. I agree that you want a short-nap roller with light coats to avoid loading up the holes with paint. A sprayed finish would be even better.

A nice option if you are happy with white, is off-the-shelf pre-painted white pegboard that sells at Lowes for about $15 for a 4x8 sheet. They also have a more pricey aluminized-finish pegboard.

 

[JebNY]

I have painted a lot of pegboard and a few holes have clogged but I guess I was lucky. The few that have clogged I just drill out if I need them.

Jeb

 

[benjacobs]

I painted mine white, sort of sloppy, and no primer. I did notice plenty of holes got smaller once the paint dried, but I didn't find it too difficult to push the hooks through even with the dried paint in the way. Regardless, if you take your time and layer it lightly like others have suggested, it'll turn out just fine. Pegboard is such an old simple thing, but I love it. It's just so inexpensive and versatile, almost like it was made for garages.

 

[Brad54]

I always spend a couple bucks extra and get the white faced pegboard. It reflects a lot of light and makes a shop look much bigger and brighter than brown.

Every time I've ever seen pegboard painted, it looks like hell.

However, I think if you rented or bought a sprayer and sprayed it, it would look perfect. If you spray it, paint isn't going to build up like it will with a roller.

-Brad

 

[gkring]

Plus since yours is already installed if you spray it and ever take it down you will already have a nice custom paint job pattern on the walls behind it! I am finishing miy shop up in the prepainted brushed silver look and love it. Much better and brighter than the plain brown and not as stark as the white ones.

 

[russlaferrera]

I have painted a lot of pegboard and a few holes have clogged but I guess I was lucky. The few that have clogged I just drill out if I need them.

Jeb

I painted mine Yellow. I used oil based . It is easier to clean.

 

[nathank]

I think I am going to experiment with spraying it. If that fails I'll go with the short nap roller and thin layers. We'll see how it does on the test pieces before I get too crazy with the stuff that's already up.

I'll be taking down each sheet to paint if the spray ends up working the best.

 

[Tom2]

A foam or short nap roller should work fine. Leaves a smoother finish too.

 

[NotEnough]

I used cans of spray paint on mine. It's a metallic silver color. It took about three coats per side w/o a primer. It wasn't too bad with the trigger handle that you can put on the cans. Without the handle it would be a PITA to do with just a can. The metallic finish can rub off if you try, but it looks better and brighter than the plain brown.

 

[Kevin54]

The metallic finish can rub off if you try, but it looks better and brighter than the plain brown.

Silver will have a tendency to do that. A rattlecan shot of clear over the top of that should eliminate the problem.

 

[nadogail]

Pegboard takes paint well. Spraying is the preferred method. Prime first with a good primer, I am partial to Kilz original formula. I think semi-gloss oil based paint will give you the best results.

 

[roofster]

I painted mine, but couldn't plug a hole if I tried (1/4" holes though). I also used a heavy nap since I was painting OSB at the same time. I primed first and then used $13/gallon Lucite semi-gloss. Worked for me.