| Q: I want to paint new cedar wood that will be used to build an exterior piece of furniture. Will Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint work if I first apply a coat of water repellent and then a coat of stain-blocking primer?
A: It depends largely on the water repellent you choose. Some are made to go under paint while others are not, but I suspect in any case that it is probably overkill. Water repellents are popular paired with stains that have nowhere near the resistance of paint. In this case it is most likely unnecessary. You will probably do just as well to use your exterior stain blocking primer followed by Universal. You might want to check the moisture content of the wood before finishing, though. Cedar is sometimes sold very wet. Exposed to air outdoors, it will stabilize at around 14% mc in a fairly short time, and that is about where you want it to be when you finish it.
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