Painted Furniture

Painted furniture is something that always adds beauty and value to your home décor.

However, this depends on the quality of the wood used in creating the furniture. If the wood that has been used is good, and has retained its beauty and its finish, then it possibly looks beautiful just as it is.

Then there are times when you may want to paint your furniture so that it matches your room décor. The painting can also create a shield of protective covering around your wooden furniture items, especially if you are planning to paint those furniture items which remain outdoors.

Here are a few tips for painting your furniture.

• The first thing to choose is, of course, the paint type and color. A variety of different types of paints and an amazing array of colors to choose from are available in the market. Choose the type of paint and the color which will be suitable for you. For example, it makes sense to choose a paint that is not water soluble if the furniture item you are planning to work on remains out of the house most of the time. Water soluble paint will probably wash off in the rain. Nowadays, you can choose from plenty of colors. Choose a color which matches the colors in the room where you intend to keep that piece of furniture. This way you can create a balanced effect in your room.
• The next thing to look at is your furniture itself. Make sure that your furniture item is not an authentic antique which will be destroyed by painting. This is essential, especially if you are planning to paint that old chest of drawers which Aunt Beth left you and which she got from her Aunt Maeve. It just might be an antique, in which case you need to look at polishing and restoring it to its former state.
• Then you need to look at the work area where you are planning to paint your furniture. Ensure that the area is well ventilated. Also, it is of the utmost importance to make sure that there is nothing around in the area which could produce sparks or flames. You are going to be working with wooden furniture, so you have to be careful that you don’t accidentally set it on fire.
• Spread a newspaper on the ground and place your furniture on it. If your furniture has any drawers or doors or handles etc, remove them. Place them, also, on the newspaper.
• Now, you prepare your furniture for being painted. Using sand paper or liquid sander, sand the piece of furniture till it is smooth. You may even consider wearing gloves, dust masks or safety goggles while doing so. Rub across and then with the grain of the wood. Once you have sanded the furniture, you will find that a fine dust collects on the furniture. Wipe this dust or vacuum this dust off of the furniture. Make sure you do not wet the wood while wiping the dust with a piece of cloth.
• The next step is applying the filler. Read the instructions on the pack and accordingly thin down the filler to the desired consistency. You should be able to spread the filler evenly across the wooden furniture, so that it enters the pores of the wood. This is done with a flat bristle brush which is about 2 inches wide. Once the filler sets, then wipe the excess filler off using a cloth. First rub across and then with the grain of the wood.
• Usually, the furniture will be ready for being painted in 48 hours, or as per the instructions on the pack of the filler.
• Now, depending upon the size and the area of the furniture item, you can either apply a coat of brush-on or spray-on primer. Usually this will take about 1 or 2 hours to dry off, or these instructions can be found on the can of the primer itself. Apply at least 2 to 3 coats of the primer paint.
• Between these coats, just check the surface for smoothness and sand off any rough or uneven places.
• Finally, apply the final coat of paint. This can be an enamel coating. Alternatively, one can also use varnish. If you want, you can apply a second coat of paint after the first coat dries off.

After the furniture dries off completely, you can begin to use it in your home.