Using undercoats/primers/sealers as top coats

[wandrbug]

Hi there, this is my first time posting so please be kind! I've developed a bit of a hobby painting up old furniture have & happened to have acquired an enormous range of Solver water based sealer/undercoats and primers from an old house painting business. So my question is, can I use these paints on my furniture pieces, skip the top coat, seal it (I'm using Porters Clear Sealer) & be done? I understand the sealers/primers etc aren't designed to be used as a top coat and can attract fingerprints and dirt more easily, but I was hoping a few coats of clear sealer would remedy that? My other concern is that the paint will yellow or worse (??) over time.
I appreciate any advice. Thanks!
V

[Arron]

I think that's an excellent idea - but only if you are going for the shabby-chic look because your furniture will look shabby in no time.

Sealers and under coats don't make good top coats because they have poor abrasion resistance, poor resistance to marking and staining, little resistance to UV light (hence yellowing, and tendency for the pigment to fade) and poor self-leveling properties (hence look gritty or grainy or show brush marks badly).

Worst of all, they LOOK like undercoats - like you got so far and then gave up.

I can't really say what impact putting a clear coat over the top will have - it's just too weird to think about. Dunno, maybe it will create a striking new effect which will become your signature.

Cheers
Arron

[BobL]

I think that's an excellent idea - but only if you are going for the shabby-chic look because your furniture will look shabby in no time.

think that pretty well sums it up.

[wandrbug]

Thanks Arron & BobL. I figured that might be the case. Guess I'll do a undercoat/clear coat test piece to keep in the shed for a while & stick to the proper paint for important pieces. If I make any incredible discoveries about the durability of sealers under clear coats, I'll be sure to post it here :). Thanks again.

[Robson Valley]

There are some very distinctive patches of white feathers on a Canada goose (they can run up to 7+kg).
I was painting up some 44 decoys. Apparently, there are UV fluorescent additives in finish white, for the
decoys, it was unnaturally bright, could see those parts for miles! Maybe OK for furniture.

In the meantime, the paint co. told me no brighteners in primer but a lot more chalk-like solids for durability.
So, I repainted all the white parts with primer which looked much more ordinary at a distance.
No brighteners in the color tint base paint, either.

Certainly brought the geese in. The finish white made them curious, they would fly around but out of range.

I know that this paint stuff is just trivia but I never knew how different the primer & finish formulas would be.