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Painting a newly built aquarium stand?

Recently built an aquarium stand. I decided to paint it black so it stands out less (hey its my first piece of furniture). I'm planning to sand down the surface after it is built and paint it. Question: Do I need to prime the wood with anything before painting? I've got latex (non-oil) semi-gloss black paint. Or do I need to coat it after it is painted? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. You're still sorta vague on the actual stand materials, but yes you should prime it first, & it would actually help the pieces longevity if you take it somewhat apart & prime all the end-cuts & then put it back together & prime the whole piece. I prefer oil primer due to the quality of today's wood, but you could go w/a dark grey latex & then topcoat it twice w/what you've got. Good luck!
2. If something is standing outside I will always prime follow with undercoat then top coat. You could get away without primin if it aint gonna take a lot of flack like getting knock all the time but may take more coats of paint. A primer and undercoat gives a good GRIP for you topcoat. I can honestly say i have done both. No undercoat or primer on bare wood inside has worked fine for me. I used an expensive primer on old laminated wardrobe doors which i used to make a new cupboard door. its called bullseye 123. The tin says top coat afterwards( no instructions to undercoat) ( to be used on a wide variety of surfaces including laminate)and i put hot pink topcoat on and found that I have to coat with a rock hard satin varnish cos it knocks easily right down to bare laminate. Wood adheres really well, not like laminate.You may have to put more coats on but I would say (and I aint a proffesional) it would be fine. O and a good tip is to apply with a small sponge roller and not a brush. The finished result is amazingly better... no brush strokes. Hope I helped and didnt drivel on too long. Good luck
3. It all depends on the stand. Is it one you are planning to keep forever and pass down to your grandkids? Or is it one that will do temporarily until you get one made out of metal? If it is #2 go ahead without primer. What I would do is put some paint in an empty soup or jam can and add some water to it(25%) and stir it up with a stick. Then put on a thin watery coat(which will not cover...I know that...it is meant to soak into the wood - like primer would.) Let that dry a day. Then paint it again with full strength paint and let that dry 2 days(in the sun or warm room) Then you are good for a year or two.