The 5 Biggest Mistakes You Make When Painting Furniture

Improve a less-than-stellar piece with paint, patience, and my tricks. I had the oops moments; now you can learn from them.

There is no shortage of tutorials about painting furniture online. And I've used a lot of them to paint dressers, console tables, chairs, mirrors, and more. But I have found problems/issues with a lot of the tutorials-paint chips, finishes aren't smooth, and paint peels. I have had to redo several furnishings, so I decided to compile all the mistakes I've made to help your give your furnishings a makeover that will last.

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Here's how to paint a piece of furniture-without making a major mistake:

1. Sand it. There are lots of tutorials out there that claim you don't need to sand. There are also lots of primers and paints promising no sanding necessary. From what I have learned, sanding is a must. Sand all surfaces with a 150-grit sandpaper. (I use an orbital sander with variable speeds.) Be careful not to gouge the surface. You're just looking to rough it up a little so the primer has something to adhere to; you're not trying to strip the surface. Use 80-grit if you are sanding a furnishing with an existing varnish.

2. Remove Residue. Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth to remove any residue. Do not use a paper towel. Don't speculate on whether something is a lint-free cloth. Just use the tack cloth.

3. Prime it. If you're priming laminate furniture, use a Shellac-based primer. Otherwise, most primers will work. 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.

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4. Paint it. Use a mini foam roller to apply three thin coats of semi-gloss latex paint. Allow six to eight hours in between coats. It is important that you sand between coats if you have any drips or residue on that piece. Use the same sanding block and a NEW tack cloth. The new tack cloth is very important here. You need to remove every speck of lint and dust before applying the Polyurethane Topcoat in the next step. It's clear so everything shows. I've blamed everything from the dog to the paint for the tiny pieces of fuzz I've found when applying the Polyurethane Topcoat, but because I didn't remove everything with the tack cloth.

5. Protect It. Finally, use a new foam roller to apply a thin coat of Polyurethane protectant in gloss. You want to make sure you go over this coat very lightly with the foam roller to smooth any bubbles that can occur with the foam roller. Allow 72 hours for it to dry before using; otherwise, it can get sticky.

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Article provided via Country Living