I am sure surfing all day on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest make you want to try all those hacks for sure! Especially ever since people have started picking up pieces from the flea market and sold them for literally ten times the price they got for just after minor tweaks and painting!

Everyone definitely wants to learn the trick for painting their own furniture at home even if they don’t plan on selling it. Because if you know how to paint your furniture you can always give your house a fresh new look without spending hundreds of dollars just on labor!

 

Before we get to the painting part here are some essential supplies you are going to need.

  1. A face mask preferably KN 95.
  2. Sanding Pads (Grit 80,100,120)
  3. Tack Cloth (An Old T-shirt is perfectly fine)
  4. Wood Glue
  5. Wood Filler or Putty
  6. Putty Knife
  7. Paint Brush for Paint.
  8. Foam Brush for Primer

 

Once you’ve got all your supplies all you need is some motivation and creativity to get started! Oh and don’t forget your furniture piece.

Step 0 Prep Your Furniture

Whether you got your furniture piece from craigslist, the flea market or your home you will definitely have to prep your furniture. This step requires you to remove any hinges, drawer knobs/pulls, etc. If your piece has doors and drawers make sure you remove all of them so that you can easily paint each part of the furniture. This part would make it easy for you to get to all the nooks and creaks and you won’t see any unpainted edges in the end so don’t forget to do this step!

Step 1 Fix Your Furniture

This is where the real work has just started. The first step may require more time depending on your piece. If you are using an older antique furniture piece then these repairs are essential. You need to spend some time fixing it so that you don’t face any issues immediately after using it. For some furniture, you’ll have to fix the edges. Others would require some filling with the putty. Make sure that if there are loose joints you get them professionally repaired and if the legs are in a shaky position definitely have a professional look at them because you don’t want to spend all that time for the piece to not even stand in the end!

 

Step 2 Sand

Put on your KN 95 mask and This is the most oddly satisfying part for me. Depending on the type of wood you need to pick your sandpaper or a sand machine if easily available. Never believe those youtube videos that promise to give a smooth finish by just using a primer that thing never works! You need to properly prepare this surface but remember the purpose is not to gouge the surface. All we need for it is to roughen up a little so that everything is on the level and the primer can easily stick to the surface. If the furniture is already painted you need to start with an 80 grit sandpaper and work your way to the 220 grit paper. You can easily skip the 80 grit sandpaper if your furniture is not already painted.

Step 3 Clean

Sanding tends to leave a lot of residues and makes everything very dirty so it’s time for some heavy cleaning. You can use a normal all-purpose cleaner with a tack cloth to clean the surface and prepare it for the primer. We strongly recommend using a tack cloth and not a lint-free cloth because tack clothes don’t leave any residue back. The surface will easily retain small particles so you need to be careful with the kind of cloth you are using.

Step 4 Prime

This is the part where you’ll finally feel like it’s all coming together. Priming is an important step especially if you are working with highly stained wooden pieces that tend to bleed through light colors. The most common color beginners want to paint their furniture is white and white always requires more quotes than usual so don’t forget to prime to prevent any bleed-throughs. Laminate furniture may allow you to get away with priming but if you are looking for a smooth and refined finish you should use a shellac primer. Don’t forget to let the primer cure and dry!

Step 5 Paint

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for is here! Wear your dirty clothes (if you haven’t already) get your new paintbrush and your paint bucket out and let’s get working! Whatever type of paint or paintbrush you are using there are some general rules you should abide by. Always paint in long strokes and wait to apply the second coat. Make sure there aren’t any big paint drips. If you want to paint in carvings go for a smaller brush and if it’s a flat long surface a mini roller would be a very feasible option for you. Additionally, you can also switch to spray paints. They have a very professional finish.

Step 6 Wax Or Seal Paint

Bring out your foam brush and after your paint has fully dried up and cured really well. Its time to seal it in. Depending on the finish you’re looking for you can use a matte or gloss finish wax or sealant. Polycrylic can be used for a glossy finish as well now let it sit for 72 hours before you use or touch it.

Time to get working. Let’s go!