Painting unfinished furniture

Finishing wooden furniture generally comes under the topic of including stain & lacquers, but people often forget the versatility of paint. If you’ve ever wondered just how versatile painting wooden furniture can be, then read on.

In this article you will not only learn how easy it is with today’s modern paints how to create a finish that will be as good as any done professionally, but you will learn ways of applying the different types of paint, and also how to keep your finished furniture looking like new.

Today’s paints have come along way and you have an abundance of choices that you can choose from. Basically, apart from the color & finish that you require, you really only have two choices to make, when choosing paint.

1.    Solvent –thinned based.
2.    Water- thinned based.

Solvent-thinned paints, usually alkyd-based require a solvent, such as mineral spirits, commonly known as paint thinner, or other types of thinner to clean up your brushes after use. These types of paints are also more durable than their water counterparts, and able to cover in thicker coats.

Water-thinned paint, being more commonly latex, can be removed from your brushes with warm soapy water. Whenever you have any over spills, or smears, you can remove with a damp rag. These types of paints also have the added benefit of drying quickly.

For the purpose of this topic, which is painting wooden unfinished furniture, the choice of paint will be water based. The reason being is that I’m assuming the furniture is in a reasonable state otherwise it would be sitting on the roadside waiting to be taken away! With that in mind, it doesn’t require the qualities of solvent types.

Generally speaking, the glossier the surface the more durable it will be. So the choice would be a semi-and high-gloss for interior wood.

Before you apply the gloss paint to your furniture of choice, apart from the fact that it needs to be sanded, it will also need to have a primer applied. This is basically a sealer, for untreated wood, and it provides a surface for the topcoat to adhere to.

If your furniture is already varnished but you wish to apply paint, you will need to lightly sand the surface, and apply primer also, before painting.

The primers that you use should match the topcoat. So if for example you were using a solvent-based primer, you would need a solvent type topcoat. Failure to adhere to this may result in a chemical reaction between the two paints.

Paint application for furniture is best applied with a brush, or roller depending on the surface area. Sponge rollers are fine, although I would normally use a brush for a more blended look. By this I mean that if your furniture piece has small mouldings, these are sometimes difficult to get to using a roller. A brush will be able to cover everywhere. Synthetic type bristles are best for water-based paints as they retain their shape when using latex. Generally speaking, two coats will be enough on top of one coat of primer. Making sure to let each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next.

To protect your finished surface, and increase durability, you can apply a polyurethane finish of two coats that will help protect the surface, from dirt & grease etc. These urethanes are also available as a water base, but most are solvent based. So, please check the manufacturers instructions on the label before commencing with any product.

Providing the furniture to be treated has been sanded, and primed, and the above applications are followed through, you should be left with a piece of furniture that would make a professional proud to have been involved with.