Paint/Primer for Cap?

[hyunelan2]

I am building a cap for my 46g bowfront tank and am getting close to the point to prime/paint it (it's going to be black to match the stand). What I was wondering - since I'm not a woodworker - is what kind of primer and paint should I use on the cap? Will a basic latex house-paint be ok, or do I need to use a messy oil-based paint? What about primer?

I have a lot of painting experience in automotive appilcations, but I've never painted something I build out of wood, always stained. Oh, if it matters, the cap is built out of MDF.

 

[Orion]

Primer would be a good thing, as most wood will just soak up the paint. I'm not sure exactly how MDF would react to this, but it's still not a bad idea.

For a small one I built not to long ago I used a can of laquer spray paint. It's black, but has a very nice shine to it. Really once you get the primer on you can use just about any type of paint you want too. IMO spray is about the easist as long as it doesn't run. Then it just looks like crap. lol