How to Paint Plywood

Whether you want to paint plywood for artwork or paint your floors with plywood, it can be done with a few little tricks. Painting plywood is actually like painting any type of wood. You need to use the right tools, prepare the surface to be painted to ensure adhesion, and paint with the correct technique to create a beautiful and durable paint.

Table of Contents

Prepare supplies

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Buy paint and primer. When buying paints and primers, you need to consider the use of the surface to be painted. Is the plywood used as a work of art? Or the plywood to be painted is the floor? Choosing the right paint and primer for the end purpose of the project will increase the life of the product.

If you need to paint plywood for artwork, consider buying acrylic paint and primer. This is an artist’s water-based paint, used to create beautiful and detailed images on wood. ^{[1] X Research Source}
If you’re painting plywood to use as an indoor surface such as a floor, you’ll need to purchase a more durable paint. Choose latex acrylic or oil-based paints made for this purpose. ^{[2] X Research Source}
If you have a small project that requires a smooth finish, you should buy spray paint.

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Choose to buy a paint brush or paint roller. To paint plywood with high quality, you should buy a paint brush or paint roller. They are sold at hardware stores or hardware stores. Choose a brush or roller designed to paint on flat surfaces that matches the paint and primer you’ve purchased.

If you’re using spray paint, there’s no need to buy a brush or a roller.
Depending on the characteristics of the project you choose a broom or a roller. If you are going to paint a large surface then a roller is more suitable as you can paint faster. If you are going to paint a detailed picture, a brush will often be more effective than a roller.
For some paint projects, you’ll need both a brush and a roller. The roller can be used to paint large areas and the brush is used to sweep corners. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Consider using a paint sprayer for a large project. If you need to paint a large area, like a room wall, you should buy a paint sprayer. You can rent or buy a paint sprayer at a hardware store or a hardware store. The paint sprayer will be sold with an instruction manual.

When using a paint sprayer, it is important to glue all surfaces that do not need to be painted.

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Buy sandpaper. When painting plywood, it is important that you sand the surface before painting. This will remove imperfections in the wood and ensure a smooth finish. Buy fine sandpaper, grit 220 or 180. You’ll also need 80 or 100 grit if the plywood surface is rough. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Sandpaper is available at all hardware and hardware stores.

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Prepare suitable sanding tools. You can sand the plywood with a hand tool or use a sander, like a wheel sander. If the plywood is small, sanding with a hand tool is appropriate. If the surface area to be sanded is large, you should use a sander. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you need to sand a very large area, such as a wooden floor in a room, use an industrial sander. For industrial sanders, renting is the most reasonable choice. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Buy poultice powder if needed. If the plywood has a surface defect that cannot be sanded flat, you will need to use pitting powder to fill it. It is a flexible powder that is inserted into the hole with a plastering knife, which after drying is sanded to a flat finish. You need to choose the right product that says it’s for the surface to be painted, although most porosity powders are suitable for paint. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Since you will be painting over the plywood, staining caused by pitting powder will not affect the final product. However, you should not use pitting powder on unpainted plywood sheets because the color of the powder will be very prominent.

Surface preparation

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Tape or cover all areas where you don’t want paint or dust to get in. When painting plywood indoors, you should cover areas where you don’t want paint or dust to get in. Use a combination of duct tape, plastic sheeting, and fabric to secure the area around the project.

For example, use plastic sheeting to cover areas where spray paint might stick if you’re using a paint sprayer.
If there are small areas that can be accidentally painted, use masking tape.

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Fill the holes. Before sanding the plywood, fill in the holes that would result in surface imperfections. Look for obvious large holes, but also feel the surface for small holes that need to be filled. They may not be obvious on unpainted wood surfaces, but will be noticeable once the board has been painted. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Follow the instructions on the wood flea powder packaging. Usually manufacturers ask you to use a plastering knife to apply and wait for it to dry before sanding it flat with sandpaper.
There are some cases where you don’t need to fill holes and defects in plywood. If you don’t want a smooth surface, you can skip the flouring step. The paint will still stick firmly to the defect, but the final product will not be smooth.

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Sanding plywood. If you want a smooth surface after painting, it must be sanded thoroughly before painting. Start with a coarse sandpaper, say 100 grit, if the surface is rough. This step will help eliminate major defects. Then use sandpaper with a finer grit like 180 or 220 for maximum smoothness. If the plywood is already relatively flat, you can start with a fine sandpaper. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Because plywood is made from many layers of laminated wood, there is a chance that if you hit it too long or too hard, it will penetrate the wood underneath. So you should be careful when sanding plywood too long or too hard.
If you’re not interested in a smooth finish, there’s no need to sand until the plywood is completely flat.

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Clean dust on the surface. After sanding is complete, you will see a layer of wood dust on the plywood. You need to clean this layer of dust to avoid adversely affecting the paint quality. If there is too much dust, you should use a vacuum cleaner to clean it. Then, wipe with a dry cloth to remove any remaining dust particles.

Convenience stores or paint stores sell sticky wipes that can remove fine dust.

Paint with a brush, roller or sprayer

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Apply primer on the edges. If you are painting a floor or another surface that requires meticulous work on the edges, use a paint brush for these areas. Paintbrushes give you finer and more detailed control than a roller or sprayer.

The edges of the plywood can be painted with a brush, but you should still tape the edges to ensure a neat finish and no smudges. Leave the masking tape on after priming to use for the top coat.
Paint a border along the edges of the plywood with a width of about 7-10cm. With such a wide edge distance, it will be easier to paint when you switch to using a roller or a spray bottle. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Prime in overlapping strips. Primer helps seal the surface of the board and ensures the finish adheres to the board better. Paint the entire surface of the board with primer, and make sure every spot is painted. ^{[11] X Research Source}

The best way to ensure that the paint covers the entire surface of the board regardless of what paint tool you use is to paint in uniform strips that overlap. Basically, you will repeat the paint in a “W” shape with a brush, sprayer or roller so that the paint strips overlap. This will help spread the paint evenly around the edges of the paint strip, where more paint is usually deposited.
Be sure to follow the instructions on the package of the primer you are using. Manufacturers often mention the ambient temperature when painting, the drying time of the paint before applying the next layer.

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Start painting finish. Just like when priming, you should paint the edges of the board with a brush before painting the rest of the large area. Paint slowly and meticulously at the edges before using a brush, roller or sprayer on the rest.

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Apply the first thin coat of paint. After the primer is completely dry, you can apply the first coat of paint. Like primer, you must paint the entire surface with a thin, even coat. ^{[12] X Research Source}

When applying the first coat, you don’t have to worry about being able to see the primer underneath. This is only the first coat and you need to apply several thin coats instead of one thick coat, even though you can see the primer at first.

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Sanding between coats of paint. Gentle sanding between coats will result in a smoother finish. Use a fresh sheet of sandpaper with 180 or 220 grit and gently rub all over the surface once the paint is completely dry. Sanding will help remove imperfections that occur when you paint. ^{[13] X Research Source}

After sanding between coats of paint, wipe off any dust on the surface of the board. Use a dry cloth or vacuum cleaner to clean.

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Paint successive layers. For the smoothest final surface, it is better to apply several thin coats. This is especially true if the finish is subject to a lot of wear, such as a floor. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Remember to wait for the paint to dry completely before applying the next coat. See the instructions on the package for the drying time, and check in a hidden location with your hand to see if the paint has dried after waiting enough time. This coating method results in a harder and smoother finish.
Painting in thin layers allows each coat to become stiffer and drier, whereas thick coats often remain a bit soft after waiting time to dry.

Steps

Prepare supplies

Surface preparation

Paint with a brush, roller or sprayer

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