"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
The Henchman wrote:

Still not decided on lumber or plywood but Birch is very paintable
and Maple is very stainable correct? Lumber would be popular right?

Poplar. No "u".

Do all of these have to be finely sanded before primer?

Reasonably so. The finished paint job can be no better than the surface
to which it is applied (without MASSIVE amounts of work) so the wood
should be free of dings and the like. Use a primer that will sand
reasonably well - many don't, Zinsser 1-2-3 does - and sand IT baby butt
smooth.

I like to hit it with a couple coats of sanding sealer before painting.
You can getting it looking like lacquer.
--
Jim in NC