5 Easy Steps to Painting Furniture – Without Chalk Paint!

Oct 18, 2017 68 Views

I’m not a fan of these new ‘Chalk Paints’ which claim to taker away the need to sand and prime any pieces that you need to paint. Call me old fashioned, but sometimes the old ways are still the best. If you’re looking for a distressed look then these paints are fine as they will chip and add to the effect!!!! However if you have a nice piece of furniture that needs a lift then following these simple 5 steps could transform it into something to be proud of again.

Painting Furniture – 5 Easy steps

Sand it
Clean it
Prime it
Paint it
Protect it.

Sand it:

There are lots of tutorials out there that claim you don’t need to sand. There are also lots of primers and paints promising no sanding necessary. From what I have learned, sanding is a must. Sand all surfaces with 150-grit sandpaper (Fine). Be careful not to gouge the surface. You’re just looking to rough it up a little so the primer has something to adhere to; you’re not trying to strip the surface. Use 80-grit (Medium) if you are sanding a furnishing with an existing varnish.

Clean it:

Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth to remove any residue. You can also use white spirit with a lint free piece of material to remove any grease or stubborn marks. Even the best of primers won’t adhere to oil and grease

Prime it:

Use a good quality primer suitable for the type of surface to be painted.There are several good quality all purpose primer available which will work on most surfaces. If your top coats are to be oil based use an oil based primer and likewise for water based top coat finishes.

Paint it:

Use good quality water or oil based paint.Eggshell provides a hard wearing quality finish. Available in Matt,Satin or Gloss. If you’re applying white paint it’s worth noting that a water based paint will not yellow as quickly as oil based. The modern water based paints are nearly as hard wearing so worth a try. You can get almost any colour you fancy mixed up at any good paint suppliers.

Protect it:

If you are looking for a long lasting and very hard wearing finish it is worth finishing your piece with clear varnish. Again use water or oil based varnish depending on the paint product used.

Top Tip!

If you are painting pieces that have large flat areas, its worth using small foam rollers. They give you a lovely smooth finish and will cut your labour time considerably!!!

I have been painting furniture way back since ‘Changing Rooms’ made it popular…yes Lawrence Llewlyn-Bowen. …!! Anything from ‘Shabby Sheek’ to wood-grain effects. So if you find it all a bit confusing and ‘need to get someone in’ give me call.

Up-cycling is the new re-cycling………..