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You are here: Home >> Furniture Makeovers >> My Best Tips and Tricks for Painting Furniture

April 26, 2016 By Jenna 4 Comments

My Best Tips and Tricks for Painting Furniture

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Are you a furniture painter or want to learn how to paint furniture? Then DO NOT miss this article - it's filled with the best tips for painting furniture!

I started painting furniture 10 years ago. I had no “how-to” guide and my internet was still dial-up, so needless to say, that wasn’t much help. I had no clue exactly what I was doing, but I dove in anyway. Needless to say, those first few pieces didn’t turn out so great. But, I kept going. I’ve learned a lot since that first piece and today, I’d like to share with you my best tips and tricks for how to paint furniture. 

When I painted my first piece of furniture nearly 10 years ago, I would have never dreamed painting furniture would become “all the rage” in the DIY world. Now, you can’t get on Pinterest without something about painting furniture popping up within five minutes.

In all honesty, I had no idea what I was doing when I first painted furniture. I do remember using a black Sharpie to mark up the piece, then painting over it, then sanding where the Sharpie marks were to distress it. See – I had no clue. Distressed furniture isn’t my style too much anymore, but in the last decade, I have learned some best practices for painting furniture.

Tips and Tricks for Painting Furniture

Prepping Furniture to Paint: When to Sand, When to Degloss, When to Prime

How to Paint Furniture | Tips and Tricks - Prepwork

Prepping Furniture to Paint

First things first – prep work. No, you cannot simply just start painting furniture without the proper prep work! Read this article to determine what prep work you need to complete first before painting.

Best Paint for Furniture

Best Paint for Furniture

What kind of paint do I use on that? 

Having trouble figuring out what type of paint you should use on a certain surface? This article will guides you through the various types of paint and what kind of surface you can use each one on.

Best Top Coats for Painted Furniture

Painting Furniture - Top coats for painted furniture.

Painting 101: Topcoats and When to Use Them

Topcoats used to elude me. I had no clue what kind of topcoat to use when. This post breaks each topcoat down and gives examples of what topcoat to use when.

Peeling Paint on Furniture?

Furniture Painting Tips and Tricks - Peeling Paint

Why is my Paint Peeling?

This had to happen to me a few times before I figured out what I was doing wrong. Have you had paint peel on a piece of furniture you painted? Is it not one of the most frustrating feelings in the world?! This post helps fix that little problem.

FAQ: Painting Furniture

FAQ: Painting Furniture | Every question you have about painting furniture answered in one place! Great information for beginner furniture painters!

FAQ: Painting Furniture

I get questions often about painting furniture. To make it helpful to everyone, I started putting all those Q & A’s in one place.

Best Painting Tools and Supplies for Furniture

The BEST tips for painting furniture - 12 must have tools and supplies for getting painted furniture right the first time!

12 Must Have Tools and Supplies for Painting Furniture

There are a few tools and supplies for painting furniture that I’ve become partial to. They haven’t let me down yet.

How to Use a Paint Sprayer for Painting Furniture

This post has THE best tips for not only how to use a paint sprayer but also how to paint furniture in general. If you're a furniture rehabber, don't miss it!

Power Tools 101: The Ultimate Guide to Using a Paint Sprayer

For bigger furniture painting projects, I tend to use my paint sprayer. I’ll be the first to say, I used to detest paint sprayers. The problem though was that I hadn’t found the right one. After I finally did find the right one, I fell in love.

Furniture Painting Techniques

The No Priming, No Topcoat Way to Paint

Furniture Painting Techniques

The No Priming, No Topcoat Way to Paint

If you’re looking for the easiest way out when painting furniture, then you need to read this one.

How to Get a Beachy Colored Look when Painting Furniture

Oh my goodness! If you love the beachy washed out look in home decor, then you have to see this! It's so easy! How to Create a Beachy Colored Look with Paint | Beach Decorating | Nautical Decor | Ocean Living | Beach Living | Aqua | Furniture Makeover

How to Create a Beachy Colored Look

If you’re a fan of a washed-out “beachy” look, then you will definitely want to see how easy it is to create a beachy colored look with paint and glaze.

How to Make Colored Stain

Did you know you can make COLORED stain?! How about trying this instead of painting furniture the next time?! Lots of other great furniture painting tips here too!

How to Make Colored Stain

Colored stain definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s a fun technique to use on smaller pieces. It’s also really easy to make.

How to Make Furniture Glaze in Any Color

Instead of using antique glaze, make your own COLORED glaze! How fun would this be for a beach house or a kid's room?! There are lots of other great tips for painting furniture in this article too!

How to Make Furniture Glaze in ANY Color

Another type of thing that isn’t for everyone, but fun and easy to make. You can make furniture glaze in any color and then layer it on top of your paint. I really like the way most colors look layered on top of white – it has a beachy feel to it.

How to Strip & Restain Furniture

The least messiest way to strip furniture and then restain it. How to Strip Furniture and Restain It

How to Strip and Stain Furniture

Sometimes you might want to stain a piece, rather than painting it. This post will walk you through how to strip furniture to restain it.

Caribbean Blue Layered Furniture Painting Technique

Easy furniture painting technique - create a Caribbean Blue finish by layering colored glazes.

How to Get a Layered Color Look

This technique uses three different colors to achieve a layered look when painting furniture.

Aged Pink Look on Furniture

Gorgeous rich color! And no priming required with this paint! Glamorous Dresser Makeover

Aged Pink Furniture Painting Method

Use this tutorial to achieve an aged pink look on furniture. It helps to calm down those ultra bright hues, like fuchsia a bit.

Painting Designs on Furniture

How to Paint a Plaid Pattern

Painting designs on furniture

How to Paint a Plaid Pattern

 The best thing about this painting design is that no measuring is required to get those perfect lines!

Tuxedo Bar Front Design

DIY Tuxedo Bar | Learn how to paint a bar front or any piece of furniture with a mostly flat front to look like a tuxedo jacket. Awesome idea for a furniture makeover!

DIY Tuxedo Front Bar

This was such a fun painted design to do on a bar front – it wasn’t too hard either!

Polka Dot Furniture Painting Pattern

Simple Polka Dot Chair Makeover - She used Velvet Finishes to paint the chair and upholstery! So adorable and very Kate Spade inspired!

Simple Polka Dot Painting Technique

Painting polka dots on furniture is a piece of cake!!

Do you have any great tips for painting furniture? Please share with the rest of us in the comments!


You’re going to want to see this too…

Wall Painting Ideas and Paint Designs ANYONE Can Do! This article is FULL of DIY painting ideas including wall painting techniques, wall painting designs and other painting ideas!

Wall Painting Ideas & Paint Designs Anyone Can Do

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Tips for Painting Furniture | How to Paint Furniture | Furniture Painting Techniques | Furniture Painting Ideas | Furniture Makeover Ideas

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Filed Under: Furniture Makeovers Tagged With: furniture painting tips, how to paint furniture, painting furniture

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Comments

  1. Jeannie St. Pierre says

    September 9, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    I have a dresser that is kind of stained but is just on top and not soaked into the wood. I washed it and sanded it. I wiped with cloth and a tack cloth. Can I just paint this now with a black melamine paint? Do I HAVE to prime the thing first? Its all sanded and roughened up. Primer cost as much as the pain and really don’t want to buy it.

    Reply
    • Jenna says

      September 12, 2017 at 7:03 am

      Yes, it sounds like you should be good to just go ahead and paint it if it’s roughed up from sanding enough.

      Reply
  2. Janelle Hunt says

    April 4, 2018 at 9:39 am

    I purchased an old, small little table at a garage sale. It has ancient paint on it, and a lot had already fallen off. I washed the table, sanded, and wiped with a tack cloth. I bought the chalk paint, and I was all ready to go until life happened which it inevitably does! Now, it has sat for months. When I moved it, more of the old paint fell off. I’m wondering if I should strip all the old paint before painting with my chalk paint for fear of the new paint job falling off with the old! I’m new with all of this, so I’m starting with small pieces to practice and learn.

    Reply
    • Jenna says

      April 17, 2018 at 10:52 am

      You should probably strip or sand all that old paint off, Janelle. Painting over chipping or flaking paint tends to never work out well. 🙁

      Reply

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