Gesso as Sealer?

[SGFanboy42]

So I was watching some video reviews for the kit I ordered and I realized that a.) I haven't really considered surface prepping the wood for painting, I was just thinking about slapping some paint on because b.) I thought the wood was sealed but apparently it's not. After some reading online I found that artists gesso can be used (and was used in ancient times) as a wood sealer. Has anyone ever tried using gesso to seal wood? Does it handle sanding well?

I found a recipe to make it online using white acrylic paint, baking soda and white glue. So what I was thinking was using the gesso to seal and prime the wood before finally applying the color, which will be an opaque acrylic paint. 

[Bizman62]

My daughter has used gesso for several purposes, including sealing wood. She said that it works as a filler and primer at the same time. Rather several thin layers and sanding with fine grit in between. According to her it sands easily.

Reading that recipe sounds like there should be no chemical issues with the gesso and the paint since they share one ingredient.

[SGFanboy42]

50 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Reading that recipe sounds like there should be no chemical issues with the gesso and the paint since they share one ingredient.

Do you think adding water to the recipe would be a good idea? The viscosity doesn't seem to be too bad from the video I found to make it but I'm not sure if I need it thinned to get into the grain.

[Bizman62]

I wouldn't make the sealer/gesso any thinner. The idea is to seal the pores on the very surface, not to soak the wood. As long as it grabs it's thin enough. The less material you have inside the pores the more resonant the wood will be as the pores act as micro sound chambers.