How can you paint wood furniture to have a perfect finish?

Painting wooden furniture is a skill that will help you breathe new life into your old furniture. Whether you want to reinvigorate a second-hand piece, change your home’s colour scheme or refresh a family heirloom, paint is a useful idea to help you fall in love with your space again. 

You will find endless painted furniture ideas, but be careful, as the process is more complex than it initially looks. To have a flawless and lasting finish, you should prepare your furniture and have a steady hand and a lot of patience. If you rush, you risk ruining the furniture piece, which is surely something you don’t want to happen. 

However, with good knowledge, anyone can transform the look of old wooden furniture. Here is everything you need to keep in mind before starting the painting process.

Prepare your space

Any painting projects require space preparation, and painting your wood furniture is no exception. So, you must first remember to ventilate the area and empty the things from your rooms. The good news is that painting your wood furniture doesn’t require so much work as painting a wall would do, as the furniture piece can be easily moved outside and painted there. However, if the piece can’t be moved outside, you need to lay out a dust sheet to catch the dripping paint. 

Also, you need to open windows to allow the air to come into the house and help the paint dry quicker. 

Prepare your furniture

Before you start painting, it will be good to remove any doors, hardware or drawers for perfect coverage across the whole piece. Also, before you start your repainting project, you should consider sanding to prepare the surface, especially if the furniture has been previously repainted. 

For an unpainted piece, you can use sugar soap to give a good scrub so that you will remove grease, dirt or old polish. However, the beauty of wood surfaces often requires more than just a splash of new paint. This is why it will also be good to consider an interior wood treatment to protect the wood and give it a beautiful finish and a longer life. 

Start painting

Depending on the surfaces you are painting, you might also need to add a coat or two of prime, so your project will have an even layer of paint. After you prime your furniture, you should leave it enough time to dry so that your finished piece will not be patchy or streaky. 

Once your prime has dried, you can start the painting process. You will need a round brush to apply the first coat of paint and ensure that all the details are painted correctly. If you have intricate details, you might need a finer brush, as the larger brushes might not do a good job. Now, you will find on the market plenty of alternatives that will protect your wood while also colouring it in just a single coat. 

For example, Rubio Monocoat has environmentally friendly products that are suitable for any type of wood, and you can choose from more than 40 colours that will preserve the look and the feel of the wood grain. The result? Thanks to molecular bonding technology, you will have beautifully looking furniture pieces and enjoy long-lasting protection and colour. 

Choose the right brush

Although the brush is often overlooked, choosing a good one can make or break your project. When researching the items you need, brushes are a key consideration, and you should pay attention to your choice. The brush also depends on the type of paint you are using. For example, for milk paint, which is quite thin and water-based, you should opt for synthetic bristles, as they absorb less water and stop the paint from drying out too quickly on the brush. 

However, other paints, like chalk ones, work better with natural bristle brushes, as they hold more paint, and you will have fewer brush marks. When starting a painting process, you should look for good quality brushes to avoid bristle shedding and ensure they are perfect even after repeated uses. 

Opt for the right type of paint

You can opt for many paint finishes from the market that will transform the look of your wood furniture. Your choice must depend on what you want to achieve, as you have several options for selecting something suitable. Here are the most common paints you can consider:

• Chalk paint may be the most common option for wooden furniture, getting its name from the beautiful chalky finish it gives. Chalk paint is a good option as it is a paint that works for any surface, and you will not need sanding or priming before you start to use it.
• Mineral paint is created from mineral pigments combined with a binder, generally acrylic resin. The benefits of mineral paint are that it is waterproof and washable, unlike chalk and milk paint, which must be sealed with a varnish or a wax to prevent absorption of moisture or grease. 
• Milk paint is also a common alternative used by plenty of people who want furniture restoration. Milk paints have the advantage of achieving a perfect finish that produces no brushstrokes. 

Last thoughts

Painting your wooden furniture is a good option to breathe new life into your old pieces. However, there are some considerations to keep in mind if you want a successful project, including the type of paint you use or opting for a high-quality brush. Regarding the best time to paint your furniture, you need to know that this process can be done all year long as long as the location is ventilated and dry. Also, the space should not be too cold or too hot, and it will be better to have a less humid environment.