Top Tips for Painting Wood Furniture

If you want to avoid making mistakes when painting wood furniture, you need to keep the following tips in mind. You need to sand the furniture, remove the residue, prime the wood, then paint it and protect it. If you remember these basic pointers, then your painting project will turn out to be a success.

Sand the Furniture

While many experts suggest you don’t need to sand wood furniture, sanding is, in fact, a must. Sand the surface with 150-grit sandpaper. using an orbital sander. Carefully sand off the old paint or the wood, making sure you don’t gouge the surface area during the process. You just need to sand the furniture enough so the primer can adhere to the furniture. Use 80-grit sandpaper if you are sanding a piece of furniture with a varnish finish.

Remove the Residue and Any Dust Specks

Next, wipe down the furniture surface with a tack cloth. Never use a paper towel: this way, you don’t have to worry about leaving any lint.

Prime the Surface

Use a mini foam roller when priming the furniture. The foam roller is necessary in order to cover any hard-to-reach spots. Allow the primer to dry according to the label instructions. Once the solution is dry, you can sand away drips with a 220-grit sanding block before wiping the surface down with a tack cloth.

Paint the Furniture

Once the furniture is primed, you are finally ready to paint it. Again, use a mini foam roller, and apply three coats of a semi-gloss latex type paint. Permit the furniture to dry about eight hours between coats. Sand the surface between each coat if you spot any residue or drips.

Use a New Tack Cloth

Employ the aforementioned sanding block as well as a new tack cloth. Using a new tack cloth is crucial as you want to remove any type of residue or lint before you apply the protecting layer. A protectant is clear, and anything left behind will slow beneath the protectant if it is not removed first.

Protect the Painted Surface

Next, follow the final step and use a new foam roller to apply the protectant coat. Make sure this final layer is in the form of a polyacrylic water-based gloss. Spread the gloss lightly to smooth out any bubbling. Wait 72 hours before using the furniture.

A Few More Suggestions about Painting

If you are painting a piece of furniture that features a flat section, such as the top of a dresser, use long strokes that cover the entire span of the furnishing. Doing so will ensure a smoother finish. Paint dries pretty quickly. So, by the time you apply the first coat, the paint will almost have dried. If the coat is not yet dry, wait about ten minutes before you apply the next coat.

If you make sure to sand down to the wood and carefully apply thinner coats of paint, you should be satisfied with your work. The furniture’s finish will look smooth and you should be able to see some of the wood’s grain through the paint.