How to paint furniture

How to paint furniture

Painting furniture is such a cheap and easy way to transform something old in to a feature piece. The internet is full of ideas on how to do this. You can paint chairs, dressers, console tables, frames, mirrors and so much more. I’ve painted lots of things over the years. I can spot a bargain at a garage sale, or online and I’ll have it propped up in my garage waiting for a new lick of paint. Here’s a list of tips to make sure your paint job lasts.

1. Sand it

I am on the fence with this one. I say that because it all depends on what you are painting over, what paint product you’re using, and what you’re using the furniture for. If you’re painting over laminate, or vinyl, then you must use a good primer first because they cannot be sanded. Generally, the laminate or vinyl may not live as long as a piece of furniture which has been entirely sanded back from the beginning. If you want longevity and a nice paint finish, then sand the furniture back first. Don’t hand sand as this will take forever. Use an orbital sander (they are so cheap to buy from a hardware store).

2. Clean surface

Once you’ve sanded make sure the entire surface is squeaky clean with no lint or residue.

3. Primer

Once sanded (or as mentioned above if you can’t sand it), you need to undercoat with a primer. A product I have used over and over is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint as it has a built-in primer to the colour you choose. I am in love with this stuff. It’s hard to get your hands on though as you need to buy online. But if you’re not up for that then head to the hardware store and buy any undercoat primer in white and give your furniture a coat of that before you put your colour on top. Make sure the primer is fully dry and sand away any lumps or drips, so you have a clean surface.

4. Paint

If you’re after a neat finish, then a mini roller will work wonders. If you’re after a distressed or aged look then a paintbrush will help. Paint always dries darker so remember this when choosing your paint colour. I always do 3 coats of the colour to get an even finish.

5. Sand again

If you are after a distressed look, then you can sand off the edges here and there. Just remember you’ve added a white undercoat in there so you may see some of that show up. I like that look though! If you want the finish to be solid, then grab a fine sanding block and lightly rub over the furniture to give a smooth finish.

6. Protect it

There are a couple of ways of doing this. You can paint on a product or use a wax. For a solid finish paint on Cabot’s Satin Water Based Polyurethane Varnish. Give it at least 3 coats. Stay away from oil based because it does give and orange tinge. If you’d prefer a wax then go for Feast & Watson Mastertouch Carnauba Wax. This product is tops. Rub it in a circular motion with a brush, let it dry for about 20 minutes, then grab a rag and buff. Repeat a few times if you like.

Happy painting! ♥ KC.