Three products by their makers' figures
| Product | Type | Recoat | Use or cure | Primer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinsser B-I-N Advanced | Synthetic-shellac primer; interior, exterior spot priming | 45 min; 2 h over knots | Fully cured 7 days | Is the primer |
| Benjamin Moore ADVANCE | Interior waterborne alkyd paint | 16 h | Tabletops in use after 5–7 days; up to 30 days to full hardness | Prime new wood |
| General Finishes Milk Paint | Water-based acrylic furniture paint, interior or exterior | 2 h | Cure 21 days | Optional; stain blocker under light colours |
Zinsser and GF at 70°F and 50% RH; Benjamin Moore at 77°F and 50% RH. How primer and topcoat work together is in the paint guide.
By what is underneath
- Knotty pine and resinous wood. Knots bleed through paint; the Forest Products Laboratory says another topcoat will not stop it and a stain-blocking primer will. Zinsser says its B-I-N Advanced seals knots and sap streaks, with 2 hours' drying over them.
- Varnished or glossy surfaces. The makers differ, product by product. Zinsser says B-I-N Advanced sticks to glossy paints and varnishes without sanding or de-glossing; Benjamin Moore says to sand glossy alkyds before ADVANCE; General Finishes says to clean and scuff a prefinished surface before its Milk Paint and that a bonding primer may be needed on very worn surfaces. Follow the instructions of the products you actually use, and test adhesion. If the old finish is failing rather than just glossy, strip it first — see choosing a stripper.
- Bare wood. Benjamin Moore says new surfaces should be primed; General Finishes says its Milk Paint can go on without a primer, but recommends its stain blocker under white and light colours.
- Old paint. EPA lists refinishing old furniture as a lead risk. Check before sanding — see refinishing furniture.
By use
- Indoor furniture. Plan for cure, not just recoat: Benjamin Moore says tabletops painted with ADVANCE need 5 to 7 days before use and up to 30 days to reach full hardness; General Finishes gives Milk Paint 21 days to cure and suggests up to three clear coats on high-use surfaces.
- Outdoor furniture. Use products whose makers label them for exterior use: General Finishes describes Milk Paint as an interior/exterior furniture paint; Zinsser limits B-I-N Advanced outdoors to spot priming; Benjamin Moore's ADVANCE data sheet here is for interiors. The Forest Products Laboratory adds that latex primers stay more flexible outdoors than older oil-based ones.
- Sheen. The Laboratory warns that high gloss shows every planer mark, raised grain and joint, so a glossy paint asks for more preparation; Milk Paint is flat, ADVANCE comes in satin and other sheens.
- Clear coat over paint. General Finishes points to its white poly over white surfaces; a clear finish that ambers will yellow pale colours. See choosing a polyurethane.
- Children's furniture for sale must meet CPSC's 90 ppm limit on lead in paint.
Note— Specifications, not a test
These are the makers' figures and preparation statements, not BenchRoot measurements. A low VOC figure on a can is a solvent limit, not a safety rating — EPA notes that these compounds' effects vary widely — so ventilate as the label says either way.
Before buying paint
- Old paint checked for lead before any sanding
- A stain-blocking primer for knots and resinous wood
- The preparation each product's maker asks for over gloss
- Interior or exterior, from the label
- Recoat, use and cure times planned
- A clear coat that will not yellow pale colours, if one is wanted
Sources
Figures are each maker's for its own product at the conditions given. Preparation statements differ between makers and products and are shown as each states them. VOC figures are solvent content, not a safety rating. No paint was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
Technical Data BIN-01, B-I-N Advanced Synthetic Shellac Primer. Rust-Oleum (Zinsser).
Used for: B-I-N Advanced as a synthetic-shellac primer that seals knots, sap streaks and tannin, adheres to glossy paints and varnishes without sanding or de-glossing by its maker's account, goes under latex or oil paint, and is for interior surfaces and exterior spot priming: touch 25 min, recoat 45 min, 2 h over knots, fully cured in 7 days.
- 2.
Technical Data Sheet, ADVANCE Waterborne Interior Alkyd Satin 792. Benjamin Moore.
Used for: ADVANCE as an interior waterborne alkyd: recoat 16 h at 77°F and 50% RH, shelves and tabletops not back in use for 5–7 days, up to 30 days for optimum hardness; new wood primed; cabinetry sanded with 220 or coarser; glossy alkyds sanded first; slight yellowing possible; 48.5 g/L VOC.
- 3.
Technical Data Sheet, Milk Paint. General Finishes, 2020.
Used for: Milk Paint as a water-based acrylic interior/exterior furniture paint in a flat sheen: recoat 2 h, cure 21 days at 70°F and 50% humidity; usable without a primer, a stain blocker under white and light colours, a bonding primer possibly needed on highly worn surfaces; prefinished surfaces cleaned and scuffed; up to three topcoats on high-use surfaces; under 50 g/L VOC.
- 4.
Technical Data Sheet, High Performance Topcoat. General Finishes, 2019.
Used for: A white poly suggested by GF over white surfaces.
- 5.
Christopher G. Hunt. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 16: Finishing Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021.
Used for: Primers and topcoats doing different jobs; stain-blocking primers against knot and extractive bleed; high gloss accentuating flaws; latex primers more flexible and permeable for exterior wood.
- 6.
Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2026.
Used for: Refinishing old furniture as a source of lead exposure.
- 7.
Lead in Paint (business guidance; 16 CFR part 1303). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Used for: The 90 ppm lead limit for paint on children's products and certain furniture.
- 8.
Volatile Organic Compounds' Impact on Indoor Air Quality. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Used for: VOC health effects varying greatly by compound.
About this buying guide
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