Best way to pre- finish plywood?

[Dengue]

Hello, I am making a BBQ cabinet for outdoors out of structural ply, and will finish it with turps based paint brushed / rolled on.

I have had trouble finishing plywood previously, with the cracks and grooves that are inherent in this grainy timber, even after they don't appear to be there after sanding. You can see them even when finished

Can anyone please advise the best way to pre-finish plywood to fill the grain so that the finished product looks nice and smooth eg weak shellac mix as a sanding sealer / filler?

I would appreciate all ideas and suggestions

[GRW]

Hi a grain filler might help followed by the sealer and undercoats.



Gordon

[Dengue]

Thanks for this suggestion, Gordon.

Can anyone please recommend a suitable grain filler that can be applied as a slurry or other thick liquid ?

[GRW]

Hi
Wattyl make a grain filler to use with their stains, Ubeaut may make a product that might help.
Gordon

[Christos]

If you are going to use sanding sealer to fill the gaps you need something that contains micro particles. I can not suggest which one as I have not used any but do know that it needs to be mixed very well.

The other thing to note is that depending on the sanding sealer it might not be compatible to painting?

The other option would be to paint more coats of paint and that becomes a filler.

[Master Splinter]

If it's for external use, I'd suggest using a marine epoxy with some filler in it, such as talc or sawdust. The epoxy will provide a good level of waterproofing and you can create a nice surface for painting.

Fairing West System Epoxy - YouTube

[rod1949]

Hi
Wattyl make a grain filler to use with their stains, Gordon

recently brought a few tins of this... at $35 for a 370 gram tin its b..... expensive