Thread: Pine, do I need to paint it all?

Hey guys, I've built this pine frame which I'm going to be painting. (image at bottom) You can see the top edge where I have some pilot holes, that I'm going to be screwing an ash board onto (making it a step).


The ash board is not being painted.


My question is, should I be painting the top surface of the pine there, where the pilot holes are? Do I paint the entire surface of the pine, with no exceptions?
The alternative being I stick a bit of painters tape across that top of the "box" and paint everything else.

Asking the question because I've seen stories where a board has been finished on one side but not the other and cups or bows or what have you.. Noting in those scenarios it was generally a poly or something rather than paint. I haven't been able to find a clear answer to this question anywhere.

Any help is much appreciated!