I purchased my first craftsman kits (3) at last years West Springfield show, with the intent to get at least one assembled before Spring. Well, that didn’t happen. So I am about to get going on the first one this week. But in the meantime it allowed me to think about how to paint/stain them. I plan to stain one with Vetero and/or Hunterline stains to give it an old, worn look. But another (a depot) I want to paint to have it looked like it has been maintained. So my question is, for laser cut craftsman kits, what type of paints do you use? Cheap acrylic craft paints (I.e. Michael’s, Hobby Lobby)? Enamel hobby paints (I.e. Tamiya, Vellajo)? Do you use them full strength or dilute them! Thnx all.
Yes, all of the above - I especially like the Vellajo acrylics, but use the craft paints, and some (mostly leftover Floquil) solvent-based paints too. The Vellajo acrylics are a bit thinner than the craft store stuff (and their airbrush paints thinner still).
Since wood is porous, it needs a base coat of primer (or two) to help seal the surface pores before applying any paint. Otherwise, your paint job will look patchy because the paint will soak in a lot in one area and not as much in another. It’s also important to sand the surface of the wood in-between paint layers. This will ensure a uniform look to your paint job.