To poly or not to poly

I have built a bed for my daughter and have recently primed it for painting. I want the final paint job to have a medium-level sheen to it when completed. Is it better to:

- Use a paint with a flat enamel sheen, and then follow up with semi-gloss polyurethane; OR

- Use a paint with a satin or semi-gloss sheen, and that be it.

Which one is better, and why?

claydowling

Wed, 07/27/2011 - 17:36

The most important thing will be to make sure the paint can properly dry. That will help its durability.

My inclination is to put a coat of water based polyurethane over it, after the paint has had a couple of weeks to dry. The water based polyurethanes are clear, while the oil based finish has a slight yellow tint. That's fine over wood or stain, but will probably make you unhappy over paint.