Paint Wooden Furniture

Painting wooden furniture is a way to give new life to an older chair or other type of wood piece. The process itself is relatively simple, requiring a few basic tools and some time. This is an ideal weekend project, and it is possible to paint wood furniture and adapt the piece to just about any color scheme.

Steps

Prepping the Furniture

1. Prepare the area for the painting project. Place drop cloths on the floor, and open any windows and doors to allow plenty of ventilation into the area. Position the wood furniture that is to be painted on the cloths. Put on a face mask, and possibly gloves, before beginning the project.
2. Remove any necessary hardware from the furniture. Maybe you're renovating a chest of drawers, or a dresser; in that case, you want to remove any hardware that's attached to the furniture before you paint it. This does two things:
   • It ensures that the hardware is paint-free when you reattach it, and that the entire piece will be adequately covered with paint if you decide that you want use different hardware.
3. Patch any chipped, holed, or pitted surfaces with wood filler. Apply most of the wood filler to the damaged part of the wood, not to the undamaged wood, although there can be some overlap (and you'll be able to sand it down later). Use the putty knife to scrape away excess wood filler and allow it to dry.
   • If you're going to replacing any hardware on your furniture, fill in the old holes where the previous hardware was attached. Scape flush to the board with a putty knife and let dry.
4. Sandpaper the surface of the furniture. This can be managed by using a piece of sandpaper with a sandpaper block, or by using a hand sander for larger pieces. The goal is to remove any protective varnish or lacquer that is on the surface of the wood, making it easier for the primer coat to adhere.
   • Pay close attention to any scroll work or other indentations in the wood, making sure to sand those by hand as thoroughly as possible.
   • Pay special attention to the areas where wood filler was applied. Sand enough so that the filled portions are flush with the rest of the furniture.
5. Remove any residue left after sanding the furniture surface. Wiping gently with a clean tack cloth will help remove the residue and leave the clean surface. If necessary, use a mild detergent and wipe the wood surface dry with the cloth.

Priming and Painting

1. Prime if you want an even look on your furniture. Using a paintbrush and a roller, gently brush an even coat of the primer on the surface of the wood. Use a paintbrush along corners, edges, and harder-to-reach areas; use the roller to hit wide-spaced, even areas that aren't contoured. Allow the primer to dry before moving on to painting the furniture piece.
   • Do you really need to use a primer? If you want your coat of paint to adhere evenly to the wood, and you want the paint to last long, you're going to want to add a primer before you paint. Don't worry about getting even coverage with the primer; as long as it coats what you're going to paint, you're good to go.
   • If you're going for more of a weathered, distressed look on your furniture, you may want to skip the primer. Note that the paint may eventually chip if no primer has been set down before painting.
   • Prime often-used surfaces extra thick for added coverage. If you're painting a tabletop or a desktop, you may want to lather on a couple layers — or one thick layer — to give added protection and sheen to often-used parts of your furniture.
2. Sand the primed surface after it has dried. Go over every area of primed surface with a fine-grit sandpaper. This will help your paint bond to the primer even better than it already does. Be sure, however, to wipe away any sawdust or residue with a tack cloth before you hit the surface with paint.
3. Paint the wooden furniture, first with a roller and later with a brush. Go over even surfaces of the furniture with a foam roller, if possible. Then, using even strokes, redo the area with a paintbrush, paying special attention to the places where rollers cannot apply paint — such as edges and corners. Allow the coat to dry, and inspect the piece for any areas that are not completely covered by the paint.
   • Consider using a paint conditioner to make your job easier. A paint conditioner, such as Floetrol for latex paints and Penetrol for oil paints, will slow down the drying edge of the paint, allowing you to get a more even look on your paint. (Paint that dries too quickly can look patchy or uneven.) Paint conditioners, although added to your paint, won't change the color.
   • Get a good quality paintbrush for the job. Poor-quality brushes will result in inferior looking projects; bristles will come loose and get stuck in the paint, or the coverage just won't look uniform. A good paintbrush is slightly more expensive, but with proper care, should prove you wise by lasting for several years.
4. Apply a second coat of paint, if necessary. Most painters will find that a coat of primer and paint won't give the furniture that professional look that they're seeking. Wait for the first coat of paint to dry (overnight is best, but at least 6 hours), and then hit it with another coat of the same paint, using the methods described above.
5. Seal the paint job on the wooden furniture (optional). Once the paint is dry, apply a lacquer or sealant to protect the paint from nicks and scratches. This will also add a slight gloss to the piece, a feature that works well in many decorating schemes. Make sure the sealant is dry before moving the piece into the area of the home where it will be used.
6. Finished.

Tips

• Depending on the size of the wooden furniture, it may be possible to use an acrylic spray paint to create the look you want. When this is the case, there is usually no need to apply a sealant after painting, as the acrylic will provide adequate protection.
• One trick that will help minimize the number of coats needed is to add some of the paint to the primer. This makes it possible to create a thicker barrier between the paint and the wood, and minimize the chances of the wood grain bleeding through a single coat of paint.
• You can scrap paint (with a protective coating) to get a really nice rustic look.

Things You'll Need

• Drop cloths
• Sandpaper
• Face mask
• Clean cloth
• Paintbrushes
• Primer
• Paint
• Sealant or clear lacquer

Related Articles

• Paint on a Wood Surface

Sources and Citations

• http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/03/how-to-paint-wooden-furniture/
• http://www.spazzticcrafts.com/paint-wood-furniture.php
• http://www.designsponge.com/2010/09/before-and-after-basics-wood-filler.html
• http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/04/how-to-paint-furniture/

See also

• Ombre Paint a Dresser
• Paint a Fabric Chair
• Paint Laminate Furniture
• Remove Shellac
• Wax Furniture
• Paint a Metal Bed Frame
• Spray Lacquer
• Stain Wooden Furniture
• Refinish Metal Patio Furniture
• Oil Teak Furniture

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