Wood Primer: Two Sides to the Story
More on pre-cat and post-cat wood coatings

Wood Primer: Two Sides to the StoryAs we have discussed, some cabinetmakers often finish their cabinets in stain and clear coat or in paint grade. I’ve pointed out over the last few weeks that for those who are doing paint grade, it is important to remember that applying primer is a significant part of the finish process.

As I’ve said last week, primers are designed to do a number of things:
They should be an interface between the bare wood and the color coat. They should stick to the wood and they should allow the color coat to stick to them.

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They should be very opaque (32 -45+ volume solids) so that differences in the color of the wood will not telegraph through. Again, an auto body repairman will always prime his “Bondo” repairs to hide the differences in color before proceeding on.

It would be a real plus if primers sanded well and if they had some filling properties to them so that sanding scratches and other small blemishes in the wood surface could be eliminated or reduced.

Stain blocking properties are also nice for wood primers.

In conclusion, remember these things:
Always start with a primer on your paint-grade work.

Do all of your prep work (final filling and a good scuff sanding) on top of the primer coat just as an auto body repair person would.

At the least, re-prime your sand-throughs and puttied areas.

Scuff your re-primed areas gently so as not to burn through yet again.

Apply an adequate millage of your color coat.

Remember to keep the whole coating system to 5 dry mils maximum.

Keep the above rule firmly in mind if you are going on to apply a glaze and a clear coat over that.

Until next time…spray on!

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