I'm confused. I have been under the impression for about 30 years now, that modern paints don't need a primer because they've already got the primer in the paint. In other words, the "paint" is actually nothing more than primer with color. I've used paint directly on "raw" wood with fantastic results, so I can't imagine why you'd buy primer unless, of course, you're using wood that's going to be outdoors all the time; for example, the side of a building.

Nayan --- You're probably right, I could just do extra coats of the paint itself. The things I've been painting are pretty rough, though, so they seem to need at least two (preferably three) coats. Starting with a coat of primer seems to work well, and I was assuming primer is cheaper than paint. (Could be wrong, though --- I made Mark pick the cans up. )

I have this exact same conundrum with my pie and ice cream. Where will it ever end???!!!

Cheers and Smiles

Tim Inman! You win the prize for the greatest comment on today's internet!

If you have a hand plane around, planing the wood would give a nice and smooth finish that would require much less paint.

Although nicely planed wood doesn't even need paint in my opinion.

Getting off the subject of paint. I use extra hotdog buns to make breakfast sandwiches. Bacon/sausage lays in the bun, with scrambled egg and cheese over it. Yum! Yum!