I am building a hifi turntable from mdf with a granite core. I am going to veneer the top with a nice piece of redwood burl which I have and plan to paint the sides gloss black. The redwood will be finished with tung oil. The painted faces will be sprayed with automotive paint, probably acrylic, I'm not sure yet.

My question is what order should the finishing be done in?

The sides to be painted have a few coats of high build primer and have been sanded to 240 grit. The top will be veneered today and trimmed and sanded flush after the glue has had some time.

If I mask the top will a coat of high build primer penetrate the end grain of the veneer?
Or should I sand and oil the veneer before I paint the sides?

I don't know whether it matters but the veneer is unbacked and I will use heat lock iron on glue.