I get a lot of questions from people asking me about how to paint
furniture. I am no expert, but I have made so many mistakes, and had
some small successes. So to the best of my experience here are my tips
for an even profession look to DIY painted furniture.
Sometimes
I use spray paint for projects and other times I use canned paints.
Most furniture pieces that have a veneer, are metal, or plastic I use
spray paint, because you can get a uniform finish that will stick. For
wood that is unfinished or sanded down I like to use a brush and canned
paint, because the wood is going to "absorb" the paint and if you do it
right you can get a pretty smooth finish. My favorite spray paint brands
are
Krylon and
Rustoleum. And my go to interior latex is
Benjamin Moore's Natura line because it has no VOCs. I use Kilz primer because that's what my mom taught me and you don't mess with that advice.
METAL:
For
metal I only prime if I have rusty, exposed spots. I use Rustoleum's 2x
primer because its good for metal wood and plastic, if priming is
necessary. Once I have a good base of primer I usually use Krylon if I
want bright colors, they have lots of great colors. If I'm going more
subdued I stick with Rustoleum that have good cream, white, and grey
tones that I like. Sometimes it all depends on whateve brand the
hardware store carries, you can;t go wrong with either of those options.
The
key to painting metal is scuffing up the surface with steel wool or
sand paper to remove debris and rust. And allowing adequate drying time.
I can't tell you how many botched paint jobs I've seen because someone
didn't read the back of the can. Spray paint will look awful if you:
hold the can too close to the object, paint in extreme temperatures, and
don't allow for proper drying time. I maybe know this from experience,
maybe...
VENEER:
Veneers are tricky and you have to
feel them out in their own situations. In most cases I skip sanding all
together with this type of furniture. I HATE sanding. So I avoid it
when/if possible. I try to give it a few light coats of primer before my
final coat and I rarely have problems. The biggest issue I have run
into is with flat and satin spray paint. If your final coat isn't even,
you can get a streaky-stripey looking finish, not in color but in the
sheen of the paint. I have found that this is best avoided when the can
of paint is full. When it starts to run out you can't get even coverage,
even though it appears to be coming out even- its not. Do your final
coats with a full/almost full can of paint. And make sure you aren't
painting in direct sunlight, or on a hot day- it can make the paint
sticky and you won't get an even coat.
 |
| I am sitting in the direct sunlight, don't paint my top or my finish will be uneven... |
NATURAL WOOD:
You
should sand down all natural wood, and prime it first. I like to
lightly brush on my primer and lightly sand in between coats, being sure
I follow the grain of the wood. I prefer synthetic bristle brushes and
foam brushes, because you get less brush marks in the final coat.
Sometimes I'll even use a foam roller, just steer clear of the natural
bristle brushes, they loose bristles so easily, they do not last as
long, and they leave streaks and bristles behind, you are basically
throwing money away on these. I used this technique on my dining table
and it came out looking amazing. I get compliments on it all the time,
its hard to believe it was a $10 thrift find.
 |
| Even sheen from painting with a synthetic brush. |
PERFECT PAINT LINE:
My secret to the
perfect paint line with no bleeding or drips is to tape off the area
you want to paint and then paint a base coat of the background color. On
this nightstand I painted my first layer of stripe in blue, then 2
coats of white. if the paint is going to bleed the only color that will
bleed is the blue. It acts like sealed barrier, now only the un-taped
parts with be white, and you end up with a crisp, clean paint line.
