Painting Wood Furniture

Tap to Read ➤ Bidisha Mukherjee

Painting can instantly transform the look of your old furniture and make it seem brand new. Let's learn more about the various techniques for coloring wood furniture.

You can give the dull and boring-looking old wooden furniture at your home a new lease of life by painting it. Painting wooden furniture is a very simple task and can be taken up even by beginners who do not have any previous experience in this field. When done on you own, you can save a lot of money too.

How to Paint Wooden Furniture

Before you start painting, you have to arrange for some tools and materials. You will need primer and paint specifically meant for wood, 2-3 paintbrushes, roller brush, drop cloths to cover the work area, rag cloth, sponge, and some soap-water solution. When you are ready with all these things, follow the step-by-step instructions given here:

1. Cleaning

Remove all hardware like knobs, handles, hinges, doors, and drawers from the furniture, and start cleaning all the surfaces that need to be painted with a damp sponge dipped in the soap-water mixture.

This is important to get rid of all the dirt and grease from the surface of the wood to ensure better adherence of paint.

2. Sanding

After the cleaned furniture has dried up completely, it is time for sanding the wood. Applying paint on wood without sanding will not let it stick properly to the surface. You have to select the sandpaper according to the texture of the wood.

Coarse sandpaper has to be used for a rough surface, otherwise, a medium-grained sandpaper will do. Sand the surface mildly in order to slightly roughen it up, however, you need not strip off the old paint completely. Then, wipe off the surface with a dry cloth to remove all the dust.

3. Application of Primer

This will ensure a better bonding between the paint and the wood. Primer is mostly available in white, but you can get it slightly tinted with the same color as your paint from the store itself.

Dip half an inch of the brush into the primer in such a way that it does not over-saturate and then apply the primer on the furniture in small strokes. Always move the brush in the same direction as the grain of the wood.

Cover the entire surface, including the nooks and corners, with the primer. Let the first coat dry up for at least four hours before applying a second one.

4. Application of Paint

After the primer dries out, check out for any rough surfaces and sand them to make them smooth. Wipe off the sanded dust and start applying paint on the corners of the furniture.

Use a brush for coloring the curved areas and corners, and a roller brush for the broader surfaces. Make sure all your strokes are uniform and in the direction of the grain.

Most of the time, one coat of paint is not enough and you may need two thin coats. For this, sand the painted coat once before you apply the next one. If using spray paint, use slow sweeping motions keeping the can at least 8-10 inches away from the surface. This way you can prevent dripping of the sprayed paint.

5. Finishing Touch

Let the color dry up for 24 hours before adding a polyurethane finish over it for protection. If you feel like adding two coats of it, you can do so after the first coat has dried thoroughly.

For a more glossy finish on table tops, dressers, etc., you may require a thicker coat of polyurethane finish. Once you are done with the paint job, reattach all the hardware back to the furniture.

Painting wood furniture can be a really fun experience for you, at the same time helping your home furniture last for several years. This job can be finished off on a weekend even if you are a slow painter.

Finally, carry out the project in a properly ventilated area as the primer often emits fumes which are not good for health. Most importantly, handle the materials carefully by wearing hand gloves.