What type of paint is the best for use on outdoor signs?
Keep in mind that no matter what paint you use on wood it won’t hold up forever when exposed to the elements. Just look at an old painted wooden house – that’s what you’ll get in time: Pealing, cracking, discoloring, etc. There are lots of different opinions about painting and you can always ask a professional painter or someone experienced at your local paint store if you want a second opinion. But here’s what I usually do: I use high quality alkyd (oil based) enamel, but I’m not particular about a specific brand. If I’m painting on raw wood, instead of using a white-pigmented primer, I’ll use a thinned down coat of the finish color as a primer coat. My dad, who was a boatswain on Great Lakes freighters, taught me this trick. This way, one finish coat should give you adequate coverage. There’s no advantage in piling up a thick layer of paint – it will just crack and fail in time. Just use what you need to get good coverage.
