Painting Questions

[John Stevens]

I'm making some plywood cases and I'll be painting the edges. I'd like the paint to be smooth when it dries, without the lines of the veneer layers showing, and without lines left from the strokes of the brush in the paint. I've got a few questions in this regard.

How would you prepare the edges before painting? So far I've tried sanding with 80 grit, 100 grit and 120 grit, and it gives the same result when I brush a couple of coats of enamel.

Would you seal the edge with shellac or something before painting?

Would you try to raise the grain and sand it back down before painting? What would you use to raise the grain?

What type of paint would you use? So far I've tried enamel, but I'm wondering whether there's any advantage to using a polyurethane paint or lacquer.

Would you thin the paint?

Feel free to answer any questions I should have asked, but missed.

Thanks in advance.

[Don Baer]

Since your gonna paint it anyhow, I'd fill the edges with something like Bondo..

[Matt Tawes]

Have you not just considered applying iron on edgebanding to the exposed plywood edges then painting?

[John Stevens]

Have you not just considered applying iron on edgebanding to the exposed plywood edges then painting?

Yes, but paint gives that special "touch of class" that banding with veneer or even solid wood just can't match.

[Howard Acheson]

Typically, the edges are sealed with wood filler, spackle, or a polyester filler like Bondo. Alternatively, glue on a 1/8 inch solid wood veneer, sand and paint. That's what I do with any plywood end grain that I paint. Looks like solid wood.

[Tom Spallone]

Spackle seems to be the easiest/cheapest way out of this.

[John Stevens]

Float a "skim coat" of spackle on the edge, kind of like using a skim coat of joint compound to cover minor defects before painting a wall? Would joint compound work?

[Steve Schoene]

Joint compound might work to obscure the plys, but would be pretty soft and likely to be dinged. A harder filler would be better, I think. Durham water putty is one I have used in the past. It's a powder; mix with water, or for a bit more working time mix with milk.

[John Stevens]

Thanks, Steve. I've been using Durham's Water Putty to fill the few voids that are in the plywood. The instructions say not to apply a thin coat, but I'll try it anyway. If it flakes off in a few years, I'll deal with it then.