Wipe on, Wipe off – ala Karate Kid! (International Wipe on Multi Surface Primer)

Member Name: loulou6

Product:	International Wipe on Multi Surface Primer
Date:	03/07/01 (929 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no more sanding!, no more melamine!, no more black ash!

Disadvantages: really, really stinks, quite volatile

As if you can’t remember, everything in the ‘70s was made of Formica or what we now call melamine, my ’73 VW Campervan didn’t get away with this dodgy styling either. It had been used on the table and the cooker/sink cover and was a sickly yellow colour that didn’t look good. As I’m selling my baby (I don’t want to) she needed updating, so along with the new lick of paint on the outside, the wood on the inside and a new carpet I decided that she needed a change.

I watch ‘Changing Rooms/Real Rooms/Gardeners World’ (well, they’re all the same really!) and remembered that they’ve used this type of time saving product to update old tiles and dodgy bedroom furniture. This inspired me to give this product a go so off I trotted to my local B&Q armed with a £10 voucher someone gave me at Christmas (no, I don’t know why they gave me it either!?) and looked at the ‘International’ paints. They do everything from tile primer to garage floor paint and blackboard paint to radiator gloss.

I found this tin and scoured the information on the back to see if it would work on my Ermintrudes insides and I found this:-
• ‘Cleans and primes – leaving a superior bonding surface for a topcoat that won’t peel or flake’. (That’ll do for me)

• ‘Versatile – effective on previously painted/varnished surfaces, melamine (BINGO!), enamelled appliances, glass and ceramic wall tiles’. (This stuff is made for lazy people just like me who don’t want to do all that sanding!)

• ‘Quick – wipe on wipe off for effortless preparation that is ready to paint in 95 minutes’. (They really have sold it to me now!)

• ‘... and easy – formulated for use on difficult to paint surfaces and intricate items’ (well, the cooker/sink top can’t be taken out of the van
without brute force, so this is a good idea!)

Off I went with my bargain (£9.98 for 1litre) like an excited little minx, knowing that my Mother would have rollocked* me if she could see that I was getting away without sanding everything down first. All I had to do was get two clean clothes – one to wipe on, and one to wipe off after 5 minutes. I would suggest that you buy one of those facemasks for any work to be done indoors or in confined spaces because it’s extremely noxious! I would also suggest that you get your Marigolds out for this job too, because the solution gets very sticky after a minute or two, it might also be a good idea if you have sensitive skin.

I couldn’t believe it; I put a coat of B&Q satinwood gloss over the top 90 minutes later and it stayed there! No flaking or peeling and it changed the ‘look’ of the old girl before my very eyes. However, because I didn’t apply it properly on the cooker/sink top, I had to ‘wipe on’ again, but this wasn’t a problem as there wasn’t any sanding required!

Actually the little description by Dooyoo is slightly wrong, this stuff stinks to high heaven and I don’t think you can use it on plasterboard (but then again, I haven’t tried) and it’s exactly the same as ESP (but it’s slightly bettererer and cheapererer). They do say that ‘application cloths and cleaning rags impregnated with this product may spontaneously combust. Dispose of safely to avoid fire risks. Wash out well in warm soapy water before disposal’. So make sure you do!

I have absolutely loads of the stuff left, so I’m off to do the nasty MFI bedroom drawers I’ve had for 10 years (when did I ever think that black ash was in….), and then the ugly brown mottled tiles around the back room fireplace (yuk, more ‘70s styling!) and then… ad infinitem

* rollocked = told off very harsh
ly.

Summary: