Wondering if anyone has painted wood-look MDF (medium density fiberboard) before? All the searches I've done just give advice on painting MDF that hasn't been finished before. Not sure if it needs to be sanded down or just cleaned before base coat. We'll be painting the baseboard and door trim in our new place, hoping to improve the look without replacement cost.
If this is home Depot style mouldings, then it will have come pre-primed. Its white, right?
If that is the case, any paint will work fine, and you can just brush it on. When selling, I prefer to use a high gloss exterior white paint. I know this isn't what that paint was intended for, but it makes the trim "pop" beautifully and hides really well - just be sure to fill nail holes etc.
If the trim has been previously painted, you
need to test whether the previous paint was oil or water based. I am going to guess water based since MDF didn't come into vogue for baseboard until recently. Once you know what type of paint was originally used, buy the same type to paint over it (latex), or use a coat of primer, then paint (Alkyd - oil). Again, I like high gloss exterior paint for this.