Carpentry and Woodworking - Highly Thinned Paint for a finish

I am building a furniture cabinet out of red oak and there are parts that I want to be black, but yet show some grain. I have used ebony stain on a test piece, and it is not as black as I would like. I talked with a paint store person and they mentioned using a highly thinned (1:1) black paint for the finish. Is this acceptable? Should it be a simi gloss? Could it be water based? Can you use polyurethane over it? Also, can you use for a joint over a painted surface? Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

You can thin paint and use it for a stain [although it isn't as good as a stain formulated to be a stain] It must be coated with poly/varnish because it has no properties to resist any kind of wear. Generally flat paints will work better than enamels when you thin them down to stain consistency. Both oil base or latex paint will work although oil base may be easier to work with.

"Also, can you use for a joint over a painted surface"

I'm not sure I understand:confused:
You can't really stain a painted surface although you can alter it's appearance using a faux painting technique.

Thanks for your help. I can see why you didn't understand "Can you use for a joint on painted surfaces" as I left out the word "glue" I was thinking I would finish the parts of the project before assembly, but I need to use some glue joints. I am concerned that the joints won't hold as there will be paint in between the glued surfaces if I paint or stain the parts before assembly. I am using Titebond III glue. Thanks again for all your help.

jameswil,

"Can you use for a joint on painted surfaces"

Not recommended. Titebond III is a wood-to-wood glue and requires wood-to-wood contact between surfaces in order to be effective. If there is any way to assemble first, that's the way to go. In some cases, you may be able to mask the surfaces to be glued before painting, but you don't want to paint a surface that is to be glued together.

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear.:(

Thanks for your comments. It is exactly what I expected to hear. Your idea of masking the surfaces to be glued should work just fine for the cabinet I am constructing. As with all projects, changes occur and the project is adapted. The color selector has decided on a different color scheme and it will make the problems with the joints go away - I think. Again, thank you for all your comments and help.

If necessary, you can scrape the finish off of the glue areas.