Painting Some Furniture - Part 2: Primer

So, we've gotten a lot of snow over the past week. Record breaking, actually. I think. In any case, I have not been to work since last Thursday and I'm not complaining. My back isn't thanking me for the beating I gave it while shoveling 3 feet of snow from the walkway, sidewalk, driveway, street and neighbors houses. On the plus side, all this idle time has helped my furniture project to progress.

Part 2 - Primer

After doing some online research, I found the general consensus is to use an Oil-Based Primer for stained woods. I was also told by the guy at Sherwin-Williams that another suitable product is an Adhesion Primer, which is one of their products. This was after I had already picked up a gallon of Kilz Odorless Primer, so maybe I'll try the Adhesion Primer after I run out. Along with this paint/primer research, I've also been doing some research on paint brushes. Brushes are like any other tool - they are specialized to different applications and you get what you pay for. I learned that when working with Oil-Based products, the brush you want to use is a Black China Bristle brush. These are natural fiber brushes which are nice and stiff and hold their shape when wet.

This was the first time I have used an Oil-Based product, and I have to admit it's kind of a pain in the ass. First of all, it took FOREVER to mix. When I initially popped the lid off the can, there was a clear film of oil sitting on top of the paint. Despite my best efforts and about 10 minutes of constant stirring IT WAS STILL THERE! The only way I was able to get any type of pigment onto my brush was by dipping the stirring stick into the can and pulling up paint from the bottom. Still, the primer went on very thin and I ended up needing about 4 coats. The nice thing about oil paints is that if you screw up and over-work the paint or get some nasty streaks, all you need to do is wipe down the problem spot with a rag and some paint thinner. By the way, that is also how you clean your brush (and your hands) - paint thinner. I kept a little bucket of paint thinner handy to soak my brush after each coat.

Here is the piece with about 4 coats of primer.