Reddit mentions of Krylon K05131307 ColorMaster Acrylic Crystal Clear, Satin, Clear, 11 oz.

Ugh, yeah, that sounds annoying. Repeat after me: "Thank you for making that suggestion. I appreciate that you always share your experience and knowledge with us. Let me write this down to discuss this with FH, since it is his wedding, too, and I want to include him to make for a good partnership and marriage." Take a pen and write down her suggestion. Toss the idea, secretly.

For the deck boards: cut / saw them into the shape you wish for, write whatever you want to write on them and spray paint them with 'clear finish' (acrylic paint, like this). Then dip all edges into wood glue and glitter. It won't be ridiculously expensive, but it will look finished and upscale IMO.

I used this to finish all of the spray painted pieces.

Krylon Satin Finish Crystal Clear Interior and Exterior top coat.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VKY3I4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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It feels the same as a regular store bought controller to me. I see the indentations but I don't really feel them on the painted vs unpainted ones. They pretty much feel the same to me overall. There's 1 or 2 spots on the purple one I missed with the clear finish that I may redo at a later time but it's kind of where your left index finger sits below the L and ZL buttons so I'm not super worried about it.

TL;DR -- I did not use a primer, and I did completely paint the inside and outside of both panels. No fitment issues, only issue due to extra thickness from the paint was the screws struggling a little bit during re-installation.

Satin Black

Satin Clear

Those are the paints I used. I did not use a primer. I went with satin on both because I was after a matte look like the main black body on the stick. I didn't want them glossy like the original white panels. I did paint the entire surface of the panels. The only thing I noticed was the screws struggled a little bit during re-installation but that was to be expected and really wasn't an issue. I didn't and haven't noticed any other fitment issues from the paint.

For preparation, all I did was wash the panels to remove any dirt/oils and then used the finest sandpaper I had on hand to sand/scuff up both panels to help the paint stick better.

If I remember correctly, I did two (maybe three? sorry it was a while ago) coats of each the black paint and the clear top coat. You will want to spray a good distance away from the panel you're painting, at least 8-10 inches, and nice smooth motions, you kind of want the paint to fall onto the panel lightly, if that makes sense. It helps to avoid runs and imperfections.

I used a paper clip in the screw holes to help me manipulate and hold the panel up as I was spraying so I avoided finger prints and also keep it propped up during drying so it didn't stick to the cardboard box I was using. Between coats check the entire panel for runs or clumps and if there are any, wet-sand those areas smooth with the finest grit sandpaper you have before you apply the next coat.

Once I was satisfied with the look/finish, I let it dry for 72 hours. I just wanted to be sure that everything was DRY before securing them back on the stick. Obviously, you can still use the stick during this, it just looks weird without the panels.

Doing it this way was not 100% ideal or correct I'm sure, I'm not a painter and haven't had much experience with it to be honest. There are one or two imperfections, which I suppose I could wet-sand and repaint, but I don't notice them. They are small, and i don't feel like doing that process again for one or two small imperfections. I am very happy with the look and outcome of the little project and happy I did it. They look so much better black than they did white.

Hopefully this post is of some help. Good luck, you will be very happy you did it. It is worth it, the stick looks so much better.

Krylon K05131307 ColorMaster Acrylic Crystal Clear, Satin, Clear, 11 oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VKY3I4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hWU3CbYZKKJJC

I sprayed it on half at a time so it would dry without any marks

This is what I was thinking of: Krylon 51313 Satin Finish Crystal Clear 11 Ounce Aerosol https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VKY3I4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C.pZBbK7DTVWF

It sprays on shiny, but clear.

Yeah, I couldn't be much happier with how it turned out. Watch the spray tip on the Montana paint, mine gummed up a bit and caused a little blob on the right controller (which was my first/test one).

Primer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KZ6LLZW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Base:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JZINNC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seal:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VKY3I4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1