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
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
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 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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The best thing about this painting design is that no measuring is required to get those perfect lines!
Tuxedo Bar Front Design
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 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!
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Jeannie St. Pierre says
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.
Jenna says
Yes, it sounds like you should be good to just go ahead and paint it if it’s roughed up from sanding enough.
Janelle Hunt says
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.
Jenna says
You should probably strip or sand all that old paint off, Janelle. Painting over chipping or flaking paint tends to never work out well. 🙁