# Painting a cherry wood door



## OraarO (Oct 19, 2007)

I need to paint one side of a cherry wood door. (The inside will be varnished to match the bathroom). The hall side will be painted to match the trim in the rest of the basement that is painted "white".

Can I varnish the entire door 1st, then lightly sand the varnish on the side to be painted, and prime with something like Zinnser 1-2-3?

I want to obviously seal and finish the "wood" side 1st, to eliminate the chance of any overspray getting on the bare wood.

I know from painting the trim for this door on the hall side that something (tannins?) will bleed through the 1-2-3 by itself.

Any thoughts on how you would approach this?


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

I can't offer any advice on this due to the fact that painting cherry is an utter sin.


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## Carl (Jun 18, 2011)

No, you do not want to varnish the entire door first. Finish complete the stained side of the door and then prime the painted side with an oil based primer or BIN, then apply topcoats. If you paint over the varnish, the end result will be less durable than if you just primed the raw wood with a primer. In other words, varnish is not a good primer for paint, at all.


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## OraarO (Oct 19, 2007)

I planned on using B-I-N in the event the varnish wasn't a good option. B-I-N applies so thin and really blocks any bleed issues.

And yes, I know painting cherry is a sin. :jester:

Thanks/


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