French Polishing and Bespoke Furniture
For furniture it’s best to use a satin or semigloss finish in either a latex or an oil-based paint . Never leave primer unpainted. If you choose a latex paint , a latex primer is an excellent choice for most uses. It goes on easily and blocks most stains, but it doesn’t have the odor of an oil -based primer .
Once your piece is sanded and dust-free, you ‘re going to need to prime it. I prefer to use a spray primer , as it usually gives a neater, thinner coat than a brush-on. Obviously, gray is best to use under dark paint colors, and white is best for light colors. When you prime , you want to do several very thin coats.
Sand the entire furniture piece using a sanding sponge or a piece of sanding paper in fine grit to scuff it up to remove any shine or gloss. This will allow the paint to adhere better to it. It should take no more than five minutes.
Never attempt to paint an existing wood surface without preparing its surface. Applying a direct coat of paint over the old coating will not work and eventually will tend to peel, especially if it has a glossy finish. This painting technique needs to prepare the wooden surface first.
Although wall paint can be applied over wood surface, it is not an ideal choice. This means, you should not buy wall paint to use over wood furniture at any cost. But since the wall paint is not a suitable paint option for wooden surfaces you should completely avoid doing this.
Milk paint , which you can purchase as a powder or premixed, or even whip it up yourself at home, is a nontoxic and biodegradable paint option that’s great for use on wood furniture —and if you mix it with an equal part of bonding agent, you don’t need to sand the piece before beginning.
When You Can Skip Sanding , Deglossing and Priming If the finish on your furniture isn’t damaged or chipping, it’s flat not shiny and you aren’t painting it a drastically different color, then you may be able to just go ahead and start painting . Before painting though, do make sure the piece is clean.
These tips will help you minimize your brush strokes and remove distractions from the smooth, professional finish of your piece. Use the Right Brush for your Paint . Use Good Brush Technique. Paint in the Same Direction as the Wood Grain. Lightly sand in between each coat of paint and after final coat.
How to Paint Furniture Like a Pro Use the Right Tools. To avoid visible brush strokes in your paint job, you need to use the right tools. Know What Not to Paint . Lightly Sand Before You Begin. Use Primer. Water Down Your Paint . Lightly Sand In Between Coats. Finish with Polycrylic. Put Furniture on Blocks.
Here are 5 Ways To Paint Furniture Without Sanding : USE A MINERAL PAINT . Mineral paint is very similar to chalk style paints in that no prep or prime is required. USE MILK PAINT + BONDING AGENT. As I already mentioned, the antique desk in this post was not prep- sanded . USE A BONDING PRIMER. USE A LIQUID SANDER /DEGLOSSER.
Can you paint over varnished wood without sanding ? Yes. There are a few ways to do this, but we choose to use an oil based primer to prepare our varnished wood for new paint . The oil based primer will stick to varnished or sealed wood .
The best furniture paints you can buy Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint. Ronseal Satin Cupboard Paint. Rust-Oleum Gloss Furniture Paint. Ronseal Chalky Furniture Paint. Johnstone’s Revive Chalky Furniture Paint. Hemway Chalk Matt Finish Wall and Furniture Paint. Frenchic Furniture Paint.
The darker colour tends to ‘ghost’ through the new paint no matter how many coats you apply, so you will need to use a primer . If you are painting bare, untreated wood , the answer is definitely yes, you will need to prime the surface first.
Water-based, gloss or semigloss, latex/acrylic interior paint is a common choice for unfinished furniture. Oil -based enamel paints also can be used as an attractive, durable paint for unfinished furniture. However, clean-up for oil -based paints is a much bigger chore than for water-based paints.
You can use a primer to thoroughly cover the old color, then apply 1 or 2 coats of the new paint . Paint & primer in one paints are a newer option, which could be ideal for your situation and even shorten the project.