Using acrylic enamel makes sense. The Benjamin Moore P-22 is an alkyd enamel; alkyd enamels were the precursors of acrylic enamels. I was wondering if some sort of 2K automotive primer could be used as these would build up better than wood primer and allow for better sanding and thus a flatter surface. The BM alkyd enamel underbody I used didn't build up very well at all and didn't sand worth a darn.
My logic behind using the BM alkyd enamel (besides being recommended by the BM dealer) was that it was probably similar to what GM originally used on the beds. After I painted them with it I realized I could see every imperfection in the boards so that's what led me to use the alkyd enamel underbody. The pine boards I got from Mar K were full of all kinds of dings, gouges, and planer marks, and sanding and/or scraping them just seemed to bring up the very hard grain. They were awful.
I've studied Mar K's tests on bed finishes and they seem to indicate that Por-15 covered with Behr latex house paint is the way to go, but I can't see how that could be. How would Por-15 create any kind of bond with the wood, especially if it is used full strength (which is pretty thick). Then how would latex house paint stick to the Por-15 (unless maybe the Por-15 was scuffed well).
