Painting your own furniture seems like a great idea until you realise it’s not that simple. It takes more than just grabbing a brush and lathering your tables and chairs with paint right away. It’s a delicate process and Country Living has a few tips on showing you how to properly paint any piece of furniture in your house.
1. Sanding is an important step which you absolutely cannot skip. Sand all surfaces with sandpaper. Be sure to not damage the surface. This is a vital step before adding the primer.
2. Remove residue. Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth to remove any shavings or residue. Do not use a paper towel.
3. Prime it. Apply a coat of wood surface based primer onto your furniture. Prime using a mini foam roller. Use a foam brush to get into any hard-to-reach areas. Let dry according to can instructions. Once your primer is fully dry, sand away any drips with a 220-grit sanding block, and wipe your piece down with a tack cloth.
4. Start painting Using a mini foam roller, apply three thin coats of semi-gloss latex paint. Allow 6-8 hours in between coats. It is important that you sand in between coats if you have any drips or residue on the piece. Use the same sanding block and a NEW tack cloth. The new tack cloth is very important here. Remove every speck of lint and dust before applying the Polycrylic in the next step.
5. Protect it. Finish your a new foam roller to apply a thin coat of Polycrylic water-based protectant in gloss. Coat very lightly with the foam roller to smooth any bubbles. Allow 72 hours for drying before using.