How do I paint bare maple matte?

[ryansalmond]

How do I paint a totally bare maple body matte black? Ideally I'd like to paint it with something that could work like chalkboard paint, but really the info I'm looking for is- does it matter what kind of primer I use?

I've searched quite a bit here and elsewhere, but I've found most of the info makes it hard to distinguish between what the authors are recommending as matters of taste vs. what is actually necessary for the paint job to work and be durable. I am looking for the most general information possible, because when people recommend specific brands they often aren't available in small quantities.

I've also got a bare maple neck/fretboard, that really I'd just like to leave bare, but apparently that isn't safe for it- what is the minimum necessary to protect it? By minimum in this case I mean, what would make it feel/look closest to there being nothing on it.

Thank you TB!

 

[JIO]

My favorite for maple necks is multiple hand rubbed coats of teal-oil followed by 3 or 4 of rub-on (alkyd) satin poly. Once cured it has a very thin, very satiny feel that will protect the wood w/o undue coating thickness.

For the body you'll need to use sanding sealer (2 coats; one to soak in/fine sand and a second coat to fill in/fine sand) Once set/cured you can use a number of different products. You can use black matte spray (no sanding last coat) or satin or gloss and wet-sand it matte. Type of spray (acrylic, lacquer, enamel) is up to you.

 

[ryansalmond]

Thanks JIO- if you could link to photos of this particular technique I'd love to see them!

 

[Hopkins]

I always seal my bodies with the same type of finish as the top coat. In your case, I would use a grey lacquer automotive primer in a rattle can. Spray one coat, let it soak in and dry, scuff lightly and spray another coat. The second coat should star to build.

As far as chalkboard paint
Rust-Oleum Specialty 30 oz. Flat Black Chalkboard Paint-206540 - The Home Depot

 

[Deep Cat]

The chalkboard thing is an amazing idea.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

As for the fingerboard, I would rub on some water-based polyurethane sealer coats. The minwax variety at Home Depot works well for that. It gives you a natural wood look (it will NOT pop the grain at all), and if you don't go crazy and put on great gobs of coats, it will still basically feel like raw wood.

I finished an ash body that way, and the basic technique I used was to brush it on with a foam brush, and then rub it until it dried with clean, lint-free cotton cloth. A light leveling with grey and white 3M scouring pads made that dried coat ready for the next. I did 3 or 4 coats.

If you want to give it a slight amber, a single light rub coat of Tru-Oil before the poly will work well. Just make sure you let it dry completely before you put the wb poly on top of it.