A sealer for painted MDF track

[bobbyraz49]

So Zak's Glen has hit a speed bump. After patching,sanding, priming ,sanding ,painting, all went for naught. After I coated my flat back track(which turned out very nice) the sealant looked terrible. So now the track needs to be sanded and painted again.
So....suggestions as to a coating and painting are appreciated.

Many thanks !

[nhdungeonracer]

Of all the tracks I've built or had a part in, all we ever did was paint. No sealant. Just paint and go racing.
Assuming you're going to use silicone tires, try using a gloss finish for better traction. Just be aware you're going to need to keep it clean for best traction.
I've had good results using an eggshell finish (1/2 way between flat and gloss)

[Pappy]

Semi gloss or satin latex paint seems work fine. I have used epoxy in the past but I don't think you need it. Never sealed any of them after painting them.

[chappy]

Bobby the paint itself will seal the mdf, you dont need a sealer.
Infact my first routed track Lake on the Mountain had only one coat of latex grey rolled on it and that was 10 yrs ago.
Best of luck
Bob

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Ditto.

[bobbyraz49]

The reason I had to seal it was it was because the paint scuffed so easily. It looked awesome in flat black.
Tomorrow.....sanding it AGAIN ! UGH !

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Upon reflection, I am wondering what exactly you mean by "sealant". If you used something over the paint, it could easily have curdled the paint surface (which was fine by itself), and then the loosened, curdled paint would fleck off when tires ground into it. Is that what happened?

If so, just sand it very lightly, just enough to get the ruined paint off and then repaint. After that, leave it alone, see?

[ConrodJo]

I gather if the paint is soft and "flat" then it is water-based (acrylic)
People here don't know exactly what paint you have, but you do, so talk to your paint store or hardware store if they supplied it.
Surely if they are half-knowledgeable they can recommend a suitable (flat/non-gloss) clear coat to use.

I painted my track with acrylic (water based) paint from a reputable manufacturer, and used a satin finish acrylic clear-coat over it, that is normally put onto modern wood floors to make a resilient surface that will withstand dogs and children's abuse.

[bobbyraz49]

Thanks all for you suggestions.

[RichD]

Most of the Shoreline Model Raceways tracks use what used to be called latex paint, which is water based. Some of the tracks have been in use for more than ten years and have not needed to be refinished. One of our tracks has a glossy epoxy finish, that does not have more grip than regular flat latex. You can get a little more grip if you add a coat of satin polyurethane. A new track will need to be run in to have the best grip. If you run on silicone tires you might have to run a Swiffer over the track before you run the cars.

[mattb]

The last wood track I built in 1986 still has the same coat of gloss white latex on it that I rolled on it back then.

[frank9129]

Crab Alley has been repainted. One if the parents spilled a Coke on it. Luckily I got to it before it got to the slot.
I stripped the copper tape, a light sanding, two coats of latex wall paint and back to business. I run urethane tires so we get a good rubber build up.
Good luck,

[parocket]

I used Aqua Zar water based semi gloss on Awareness Speedway. I originally sprayed six coats for the top coat and it started to show wear after 5 years of using spray glue and naptha to remove glue. I just resurfaced track and added four thick hand painted coats of Aqua Zar. Snyder's paints in Lemoyne Pa gave me a cleaner to try out.

[bobbyraz49]

I did a 2nd. coat of eggs shell sheen paint on it yesterday. I will hand sand it tomorrow. My good friend did his track in this manner and it turned out great.

As always....Thanks !