Painting plywood with raw edge

[bsr]

I would like to make some furniture from plywood. I plan to leave the edge raw (clear Matt varnished) and the faces painted.

Any tips on how to get a good finish? I will roller the faces using a short pile gloss roller. Would masking be sufficient to get a crisp edge? Or would you paint the face, then sand / trim the edges before varnishing them? I guess I will need a furniture grade plywood to avoid too much filling of voids and to get a smooth face.

Any other thoughts?

 

[bsr]

Oh and I've looked at faced plywoods (phenolic or melamine) but they're cost prohibitive, around £200 to order a single board. A shame as they would be the perfect solution.

 

[bsr]

No one?

 

[opps]

Tetrosil (read: tetrion) sell a honey coloured filler (2 pack)

Stonefill

The catalyst is white but the mixing ratio is so small that you can end up with a honey coloured finish.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Running a router on the edge will help get a decent edge, although it may still need sanding.