Unless the existing surface is an oil-based stain or finish, do not use chemical strippers. Scrape as much off as possible and then use a trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution to clean off the rest of the loose paint and grime. Rinse well. If your wood is treated with a stain or a finish, apply TSP to the wood. Instead of trying to remove the stain or finish entirely, focus on cleaning and sanding it (more on sanding later) in order to give the paint a porous surface to adhere to. Stripping the paint isn’t always needed. In fact, you can often paint over existing coats. This may call for a primer, though, if your paint isn’t sticking well to the earlier coat.

Use regular spackle or joint compound to fill in small or shallow scratches. Try to use spackle with a primer included. Wait to dry completely before sanding. Caulk areas of long and deep cracks. Use a tiny bead of caulk, smoothing it out well. Wait to dry completely before sanding.

Paint or primer won’t adhere properly to dirty surfaces. Paint does its job best when the surface that you apply it to is clean. [2] X Expert Source Sam AdamsProfessional Contractor Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.

If you want to leave parts of the wood unpainted, you’ll want to tape off at this stage of the prep. If you want to paint the wood different colors, you’ll want to tape off after you’ve primed all the wood and painted specific sections.

Which color primer should you use? Use grey primer for darker coats of paint and white primer for brighter coats of paint. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/0/0d/Paint-Wood-Step-7Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Paint-Wood-Step-7Bullet1-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/0/0d/Paint-Wood-Step-7Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/aid1147820-v4-728px-Paint-Wood-Step-7Bullet1-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:306,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:485,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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\n</p></div>"} Should you use oil-based vs. latex-based primer? For many years, professionals instructed painters to use an oil-based primer on wood and follow it up with latex-based paint. That is not always the case now. Oil-based primer adheres to wood better, but it’s also less flexible than latex primer, which means it’s more susceptible to cracking. [5] X Research source On the other hand, oil-based primer is usually the more durable of the two. Unless you are painting wood outdoors, oil-based primer is probably your best bet. Should you use a spray primer or brush-on primer? It’s mostly a matter of preference. Spraying is easier and faster, but it usually requires several coats to get good coverage. Brushing is slower and more painstaking, but creates a thinner, more even layer of primer onto which to paint.

Some people might be tempted to use a foam brush for their projects, but foam brushes give the painter less penetration and more air bubbles than bristle brushes. A high-quality bristle brush should blow a foam brush out of the water.

Certain kinds of sealers or topcoats may not interact well with certain kinds of paints. Latex-paint, for example, is meant to breathe and dislikes some sealers. If you are unsure whether you need to seal your paint, or what sealers work with which paints, ask a representative at a local paint or hardware supply store.