How To Paint Furniture

Do you have some old furniture in your house, which you have been waiting to give a new look, since a long time? Or have you got some new furniture, but in an unfinished form and want to lend it a complete and attractive look? In either of the cases, we have the perfect solution for you - paint your furniture. Painting furniture is a long and tedious process and you need to be patient while undertaking it. However, the result is highly rewarding and you feel proud to see you work of art as well. Well-painted furniture can also change the entire interior décor of your home and impart it a new look altogether. With this article, explore tips on how to paint furniture.

Painting Technique For Furniture

Before painting a piece of furniture, whether it is old or new, make sure that its surface is clean, dry and smooth.
Generally, when new furniture bought in unfinished form, it is called “in the white” and has roughness here and there. In old furniture, the rough places are all the more common. You need to make the entire surface smooth, by using the medium coarse steel wool or sandpaper. Finally, wipe away the dust clinging to the furniture, using a wet cloth.
Buy some filler, a thick paste used to fill the pores in furniture. Add benzene to it, for thinning it. Some fillers use some thinning compounds other than benzene as well. So, carefully read the instructions given on the filler can.
Use a flat bristle brush to spread the filler over the furniture. After sometime, you will be able to see that the filler will turn flat in places. This indicates that the filler has set.
Once the filler has filled the pores, take some old rags and wipe the surface of the furniture, which has now been coated with filler. Use the sand grain once again. This process will clean the furniture thoroughly.
It is a great idea to leave the furniture undisturbed for two days, before beginning the painting session. Before you start painting, spread old newspapers under the furniture, so that your floor does not get stained with the paint.
Pour the paint into an empty can and thin it, using about ten percent of turpentine. Apply the primary coat on furniture. Using a brush, apply even strokes of paint on the furniture.
Always coat the paint as thinly as possible, as the thicker coats tend to run off easily and take a long time to dry. You can paint two to three coats as well, to make the paint firm. However, take care that you give 48 hours’ time to a coat of paint to dry, before applying the next coat.
As each coat dries, wipe off the dust and brush marks, using the sandpaper.
Use enamel to give a finishing coat to your furniture paint. Though it’s expensive, it gives the perfect look to your furniture. You should give 2-3 thin and even coats of enamel, over the primary coating. Maintain an interval of forty-eight hours in between two coats, in order to enable the coating to dry properly.
Once you are done with the final coating, allow the furniture to dry. Do not place anything on it, till it is dries completely.

Tip

Instead of brush, you can use a small roller as well, which has the advantage that it does leave any stroke mark.

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