- DIY
- Decorating Tips
- How To Paint Furniture
How To Paint Furniture
Painted furniture is undergoing something of a revival at the moment and can be seen in the trendiest of design shops. Luckily it’s also an easy look to recreate at home. Give tired old pieces a new lease of life - or even transform a junk-shop find - with this step-by-step guide to painting furniture.
Knotting solution
Fine sandpaper
Water based primer
Water based acrylic paint for wood
Paintbrushes
Finishing wax or glaze
New handles, if required
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Budget
Depends on paint and primer. Plus £5 for knotting solution and around £2 for 10 sheets of sandpaper.
Time
An afternoon (plus drying time)
Skill
Basic
Step One: Prepare The Surface
Remove any knobs or handles and drawers. If you are working with a piece of furniture that has not previously been painted, first check whether the wood has any knots in it. If so, carefully apply a knotting solution to the area and allow to dry thoroughly. Prepare the bare wood for painting by brushing on a coat of water-based primer. Allow to dry.
If you are painting a piece of furniture that is already painted, remove any old or flaking paint by scraping or sanding carefully with fine sandpaper. Next, wipe or wash the surface thoroughly to make sure it is totally clean, before applying one or preferably two coats of acrylic water-based primer for wood.
Step Two: Paint Carefully And Leave To Dry
Use a brush to apply a coat of water-based acrylic paint, working in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Thickly applied paint will not dry properly so make sure you remove the excess paint from the brush and smooth the paint layer out as thinly and evenly as possible. Leave to dry thoroughly before smoothing off any surface marks with very fine sandpaper and then applying a second coat.
Step Three: Finishing
You can achieve lots of great effects on painted furniture using waxes or glazes designed specifically for the job. Another effective trick is to lightly sand off patches of your painted finish on raised areas or edges of your piece to create a distressed look before applying your final wax or glaze finish. Finally, add your new handles or hardware.
- After painting with water-based paints, simply rinse brushes thoroughly with warm water and soap. No white spirit is necessary, so it’s definitely gentler on the skin. Water-based acrylic paints also dry quicker and have less odour than solvent-based paints.
- The colour finish of quality paints lasts longer. Make sure you buy the best paint you can afford.
- Take extra care when painting over a piece of furniture that has a stain applied to it - often these finishes can bleed through the primer and paint layers. Choose a specialist product that’s a sealant as well as a primer and apply two coats to seal in the stain.
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