Paint for wood?

Most of the modern day makers of the top lines of paint have a super paint, with super qualities. If you have a favorite check out their better stuff, and you can’t go really wrong. If you use a clear topcoat that will protect the protection. Belt and suspenders, both bullet proof.

That said you will get some also advocating Milk paint. For both color choice, and my feeling the standard paints will outperform, I’d say not, but it has it’s charm.

Plus my standard thought about painted wood. Many say it’s so quick and easy, but I feel it needs a prep, with a good base coat. I like Kilz 2 coats, it keeps the wood from later acting like wood, and letting off pitch, resin, gum, whatever. I also make sure the pre prepped surface is dead flat. Any flaws get telegraphed quickly. So depending on the wood, sometimes it’s more work.

-- Think safe, be safe

When it comes to table tops and maximum protection, suggest using a commercial pigmented conversion varnish, or pigmented pre-cat lacquer. Same stuff used on white kitchen cabinets, etc. Can adjust the sheen by applying clear version of same finish for a seamless looking and more durable finish.
Solvent based: talk to local Sherwin Williams Industrial distributor. Water based: Gemni is ok, Target coatings has similar KCMA rated performance. Just note that non of the water base systems are as durable as solvent based lacquer or vanish system.
If best durability is not required, and/or you haven’t learned about the benefits of using professional grade finishing materials; then as Steven suggested – the popular DIY method is GF milk paint, followed with GF High performance top coat.
Best Luck.

-- I'm an engineer not a woodworker, but I can randomly find useful tools and furniture inside a pile of lumber!

2 coats of whatever primer you will use, like SteveN said.

-- Wildwood by Brian Johns: It is wiser to find out, than to suppose (S. Clemens)

I agree with conversion varnish. I like the Lenmar line.

When it comes to table tops and maximum protection, suggest using a commercial pigmented conversion varnish, or pigmented pre-cat lacquer. Same stuff used on white kitchen cabinets, etc. Can adjust the sheen by applying clear version of same finish for a seamless looking and more durable finish.
Solvent based: talk to local Sherwin Williams Industrial distributor. Water based: Gemni is ok, Target coatings has similar KCMA rated performance. Just note that non of the water base systems are as durable as solvent based lacquer or vanish system.
If best durability is not required, and/or you haven t learned about the benefits of using professional grade finishing materials; then as Steven suggested – the popular DIY method is GF milk paint, followed with GF High performance top coat.
Best Luck.

- CaptainKlutz

-- always something

Keep in mind the common problem most of us have come across when we used latex for shelves – items stick to them, even years down the road.

A clear coat would solve that problem, bit it’s said Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and the other big names produce a version specifically made to overcome this. I cannot say whether or not they work because I haven’t used them.

I solved the problem by going to oil based or poly paints for the parts things would rest on.

In my experience, it can be problematic when rolling or brushing Water-based clear-coatings as it is almost impossible to get a perfect finish free from lap-marks/brushmarks. So, best would be to spray it, if such is something you might be concerned about.

Personally, if I was tp paint wood, I would only use oil-base paints and primers.

Of course, conversion varnish would be ideal, and that should be sprayed as well, IMO.

-- Wildwood by Brian Johns: It is wiser to find out, than to suppose (S. Clemens)

When I rebuilt all our kitchen cabinets, my wife opted for paint. I did as Brian suggested and sprayed. I chose that not only because of the ease of painting the cabinets, but years of commercial painting showed me all the Flotrol in the world will not rid a job of brush marks.

As a relative aside, I would note I love my HVLP turbine. My airless would have done the job, but I’d have, unintentionally, painted parts of the rest of the house too.

but years of commercial painting showed me all the Flotrol in the world will not rid a job of brush marks.
- Kelly

Kelly, Flotrol is good, and it adds to expenses too! There is a better and much cheaper way to thin paint, which will not eliminate brushmarks entirely, but will extend working-time markedly and do fairly well with roller-lapmarks, unless were talking huge walls/ceilings and hot weather. That is good old washing-up DISHSOAP. To a gallon of latex or acrylic paint I would add about 1/3cup of dishsoap, then cut the gallon with 10% water. The color of the soap (blue, green, red)will not change the paint color. For spray applications I might add another 5/10% water. Some caution is necessary when mixing it as you dont want to create soapy bubbles, best to fold it over gently until the soap is somewhat combined, then you can mix as normal. Then your paint will be silky smooth and way workable.

I cant, for the life of me, remember what old-timer taught me this??? Since then, I always cut water-base paint this way without even thinking about it.

I can get flotrol here in Spain if I wanted to, but for some ungodly reason, I cannot get penetrol.

-- Wildwood by Brian Johns: It is wiser to find out, than to suppose (S. Clemens)

Just to be clear, so I don’t mislead anyone, I did not say Flotrol is bad. My point was, we use sprayers when we can for several reasons. One is a uniform finish uninterrupted by brush marks or lap marks.

In fact, I keep a bottle of it and one of Penetrol on hand for brush work because they do help minimize brush [and lap] marks.

If I could only have one on hand, it would be the Penetro for oil based paints. That is because it also makes a good treatment for raw metals. In fact, many vintage car restorers us it because it can coat otherwise hard to get to places, like the insides of doors, where plugged seep holes might result in rust.

I used Penetrol on some metal ornaments that sit outside all year long. Two years in, the one coated with it still looks fine. Hmmm