I know there have been several threads about this what is your process? What paint do you use? What do you use for filler? Do you stain? Let’s here it!
Tung Oil 
if paint, first, prime. Light coats. If you want a glossy finish, sand the primer well before applying paint (i use automotive primer). If I want it really glossy, I will use 1000 grit or higher to wet sand the paint and add a final coat.
if painting something porous like mdf or hdu, I will sometimes coat it with acrylic paste in order to cover the pores.
if not painting, i have used beeswax and orange oil mix. food safe, smells good and looks good
My wife and I have been making kids puzzles. Since they are made out of MDF I wanted them totally seal with an “child safe”** paint. So I’ve been priming with a 100% acrylic primer, thinned and put through a HVLP spray gun, then spraying regular craft acrylic that has been thinned water (most craft acrylic has the AP seal on it, child use approved) and finally spraying water based clear straight through the sprayer. The results are pretty good!
*Through some research, most paints sold in Canada and the US are inert and non-toxic when cured. I find having water based products seems to ease peoples mind apposed to telling them they are finished with spray paint.
just bought a wagner hvlp sprayer and must say… it’s awesome! will take some getting used to, but it’s already proving itself to be a great asset.
this was the first project I tried with it
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Do any of you deal with extreme cold? I’m not sure what to do about painting this winter. I live in New Hampshire and it’s pretty frigid. I can’t spraypaint in the house and both the barn and workshop are far too cold.
temperature control is the only way i know of. I am about to design and build a box that will have 3 compartments before it.
dehumidifier with filter on the intake (it’s humid here in tx) > space heater compartment > fan blowing slowly into the compartment with painted parts > exhaust to the outside with a filter
thats the idea at least, will be doing more research to see if i’m on the right path or not.
oh, another way i read about is to heat the part first a little. the article i read was regarding car painting and using uv curing lamps.
I’m in Canada and right now it’s pretty cold about -10 to -20 deg C. My shop isn’t heat, but is insulated so it only gets to about 0 to -5 in there. The nice thing about using the acrylic/water-based products is they don’t have that bad of odor after they have been applied.
What I do is spray everything in the shop, and then bring it in to dry in the basement.
Pro tip - I keep my paints inside and to help them from getting too cold while I spray I let the container sit in warm/hot water, pour it into my gun and then spray. I have only done this with my clear so far, and it works great! I’m going to attempt it with my paints too soon ad its about to get colder here!
Something like this could also help with storage: