I spent a few hours this weekend building the bottom to my LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) workbench. LVL is commonly used for things like overhead garage door headers. Strong. Not too expensive (this base was approx. $70 with plenty of good-sized leftovers). And incredibly stable. I plan on using a solid-core door for the top.
Each stretcher joint connects with two 1/2" dowels and a 1/2" x 4" long hex-head bolt threaded into a 1/2" wing-nut used as a cross-dowel. Very sturdy. I put all my weight on the middle of the 5-1/2" wide stretcher and it didn't deflect.
I would like to paint the base. First of all, the surface isn't perfectly smooth. Perhaps I should swipe a layer of auto-body filler on the faces before painting? That should fill any defects. Would auto-body filler work okay for this? I've never used auto-body filler, is there some specific brand/type I should use, that I can pickup locally? I also have Durhams Rock-Hard Water Putty. Would one or the other be more likely to pop-out? I imagine the auto-body filler would stick better. Do I need two-part auto-body filler? Or is there a one-part product that would work?
Now for paint. Oil or latex? What kind of primer? Brush, or roller? Can I get away with cans of spray paint or would that be inefficient compared to can/brush? I have recently used Dutch Boy kitchen cabinet paint (latex) that is non-blocking (doesn't stick) on some shelves and it seemed to work okay, but I don't know how durable it is. I would imagine oil-based products are more durable.
Any and all advice for painting is welcome.
Each stretcher joint connects with two 1/2" dowels and a 1/2" x 4" long hex-head bolt threaded into a 1/2" wing-nut used as a cross-dowel. Very sturdy. I put all my weight on the middle of the 5-1/2" wide stretcher and it didn't deflect.
I would like to paint the base. First of all, the surface isn't perfectly smooth. Perhaps I should swipe a layer of auto-body filler on the faces before painting? That should fill any defects. Would auto-body filler work okay for this? I've never used auto-body filler, is there some specific brand/type I should use, that I can pickup locally? I also have Durhams Rock-Hard Water Putty. Would one or the other be more likely to pop-out? I imagine the auto-body filler would stick better. Do I need two-part auto-body filler? Or is there a one-part product that would work?
Now for paint. Oil or latex? What kind of primer? Brush, or roller? Can I get away with cans of spray paint or would that be inefficient compared to can/brush? I have recently used Dutch Boy kitchen cabinet paint (latex) that is non-blocking (doesn't stick) on some shelves and it seemed to work okay, but I don't know how durable it is. I would imagine oil-based products are more durable.
Any and all advice for painting is welcome.
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