Painting & Priming

For most painted outdoor signs, exterior-grade plywood is the practical choice: it is stable, available in large sheets, and easy to cut. Choose MDO plywood when you want a smoother, more consistent face and expect to make several signs or need a longer-lasting finish. Solid cedar is useful for smaller Read more

For painted built-in shelves, the best wood is usually not the most attractive species. Paint hides grain, so the practical priorities are flatness, screw-holding strength, edge quality, cost, and how reliably the material accepts primer. In most projects, a combination works better than using one material everywhere: cabinet-grade plywood for Read more

For painted exterior shutters, choose wood that stays dimensionally stable, takes paint evenly, and has few knots or defects. Western red cedar and Spanish cedar are strong choices when the shutters will be exposed to rain; paint-grade pine can work on a tighter budget if it is kept well sealed Read more

For painted cabinet doors, the best plywood is usually a smooth, stable panel with a consistent face veneer—not the plywood with the most attractive wood grain. Paint hides the face, but it does not hide voids, rough patches, loose veneer, or poorly filled edges. For most cabinet projects, 3/4-inch cabinet-grade Read more

I have ruined more fences than I care to admit. The first time I switched from a brush to an electric paint sprayer, I oversaturated a cedar deck so badly that the finish pooled and cured with visible drips. The second time, I picked a unit that clogged within twenty Read more