I would use a Behr paint from Home Depot just on the underside of the plywood. We like Behr, but as it happens, Consumer Reports recently recommeded Behr Premium Plus Flat Enamel. The paint will dry by tomorrow morning, but will continue to get harder for several days.

Thank you!

Does it require a primer coat first?

Primer is a good idea. Fortunately, it only takes a couple of hours before you can add the color coat.

Any reason you can't paint it after the stainless is put on it? Certainly not as convenient as before - just wondering.

What are you trying to protect the plywood from exactly? A coat of paint isn't going to prevent moisture or anything like that, and frankly, it's better off for the plywood to be able to breathe / dry out if it did somehow get damp.

I appreciate the idea of painting it for aesthetic reasons - looking up into your base cabinets it would be nice to see a clean neat finished sheet of plywood vs. bare wood.

No, not for aesthetic reasons.

As this is the dish-washing area, I wanted to protect from moisture only. Am I wrong?

I can paint the visible part later on but it is the front piece I am concerned about. The SS will be wrapped around it but no glued to it. I won't be able to get to it.

Perhaps, I am over-thinking it.

You are overthinking. We are on our second stainless counter with integrated sink, and it's just simply not necessary to protect the substrate.

Deb,

But there is no harm in painting or staining it, right?

Here is why I had the idea to paint or stain the plywood. We have just demo'd the kitchen and the pantry. The ovens were removed before that and I had to look at all that unfinished plywood a long time. It always felt old and "unclean" and - IMO - was creating or contributing to dust.

The unfinished or "under-finished" parts of the pantry shelves also felt "yucky" to me. That is why I was determined to have no unfinished wood/plywood anywhere.

But I could use a lesson (or two) in wood maintenance, LOL.

Thanks!

Bumping for more input

I'd leave it unpainted so it can dry out...

It's not like you can see it...you can barely touch the segment of the ply that sticks out from the cabinet when you feel the underside of the counter. It's less than an inch of ply on mine.

If you are really worried, paint it. But you asked if you were overthinking, and I am telling you...you are. Go for it if you having nothing better to do. But it's time you could be spending sleeping, eating, or learning a useless foreign language. (Or reading responses on a random message board.)

LOL.

Yes, I have better things to do - like organizing stuff after the demolition. It happened so fast that I have no clue where my stuff is. :-)

Thanks!