---
title: "Which paint should I use on bare wood?"
description: "Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice. The ranked options, the technique that changes the outcome, and what go"
url: https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bare-wood/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Which paint should I use on bare wood?

**Which paint should I use on bare wood?: Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice.**

Bare timber presents three separate problems and each needs its own answer: resin in knots, tannin in the wood itself, and end grain that behaves like a bundle of straws. Knots keep releasing resin for years and will push a brown stain through any number of topcoats unless they are sealed with shellac knotting. Tannin-rich hardwoods bleed a similar stain over the whole surface and need a stain-blocking primer, not just knotting. End grain absorbs many times more paint than face grain, so it needs a second priming coat or it will be the first place moisture gets in — which is why exterior joinery rots at cut ends and mitres before anywhere else.

## The options, ranked

*Ranked best-first for the stated job. The third column is why the others exist.*

| Option | Good at | Bad at |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shellac knotting solution | Seals resin in knots so it cannot bleed a brown stain through the finish months later. | Only a spot treatment; it is not a primer for the whole surface. |
| Water-based wood primer | Low odour, fast recoat, and flexible enough for exterior joinery movement. | Raises the grain, so the first coat needs cutting back at 180-220. |
| Oil-based primer | Penetrates and seals better on resinous softwood and on very absorbent timber. | Slow, strong-smelling, and yellows under a pale topcoat. |
| Stain-blocking primer | Handles tannin-rich woods such as oak, cedar and mahogany, whose extractives bleed through ordinary primer. | More expensive, and shellac-based versions need methylated spirit to clean up. |

## Technique that changes the outcome

1. Sand to 120-150, dust off, and wipe with a barely damp cloth
2. Knot the knots, then prime everything, then prime the end grain again
3. Cut back the raised grain at 180-220 after the first water-based coat
4. Prime the back and edges of anything exterior before it is fitted

## What goes wrong

- Skipping knotting solution and hoping the primer will cope
- Painting timber that is still wet; measure or wait, because paint over damp wood blisters
- Leaving end grain unsealed, especially on a cut mitre outdoors

> Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.

## Other paint questions

| For | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Previously painted wood | Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based. |
| Plastic | Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional. |
| Kitchens | A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel. |
| Bathrooms | A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix. |
| Metal | Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic. |
| Ceilings | A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first. |
| Tiles | Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower. |
| Fences | A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first. |
| Floors | Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber. |
| Radiators | A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will. |
| Exterior masonry | A breathable mineral or masonry paint — and on an old solid wall, breathability matters more than any durability claim. |
| Galvanised metal | A mordant wash, a self-etch primer or a purpose-made acrylic primer for galvanising — ordinary oil-based primer peels off in sheets. |
| UPVC | A uPVC-specific paint or an adhesion promoter with an acrylic topcoat — and avoid dark colours, which can distort the frame. |

## Common questions

### Which paint should I use on bare wood?

Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice.

### What should I avoid?

Skipping knotting solution and hoping the primer will cope Painting timber that is still wet; measure or wait, because paint over damp wood blisters Leaving end grain unsealed, especially on a cut mitre outdoors

## Related pages

- [Which paint goes over previously painted wood?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-painted-wood/)
- [Which paint sticks to plastic?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-plastic/)
- [Which paint should I use in a kitchen?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-kitchen/)
- [Which paint should I use in a bathroom?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bathroom/)
- [Which paint should I use on metal?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-metal/)
- [Which paint should I use on a ceiling?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-ceiling/)
- [Which paint can I use on tiles?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-tiles/)
- [Which paint should I use on a fence?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-fence/)
- [Which paint should I use on a floor?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-floor/)
- [Which paint should I use on radiators?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-radiators/)
- [Which sandpaper grit for bare wood before finishing?](https://atoneplace.net/which/sandpaper-bare-wood/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)