Overheard at the lumber yard: paint grade vs stain grade debate got me thinking

So I'm grabbing some 2x4s yesterday and this older guy is telling his son to always buy stain grade for any visible trim, even if you're painting it. He said paint grade knots will bleed through in 6 months no matter how much primer you use. But I've always gone with paint grade for baseboards and just used a good shellac primer, never had issues. Is the extra $1.50 per board really worth it or is that just old school thinking? What do you all do when you're building out a room?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_brian25d ago

Man, that old timer is definitely stuck in his ways. How many times have you actually had knots bleed through on paint grade with a good primer? I feel like if you're using decent shellac it's not really an issue.

abby_singh25d ago

Shellac based primer is cheap and works every time. No guessing. No come backs. Three coats of kilz water based still let a knot bleed through on a cabinet job last year. Had to strip it down and start over. That cost me a full day and the customer was pissed. A quart of BIN shellac costs like 20 bucks and seals it in one coat. Not worth cutting corners on paint grade for me.