Painting Wooden Furniture

Painting wooden furniture will transform dull and outdated wood and make furniture sparkle again. These simple steps will totally transform old furniture to make it young.

Preparing the work wood

New wood

To prepare new wood you need to sand the wood and remove any rough edges. An electric sander will save you masses of time and also your arm. Once you have sanded the wood down to the required finish, the dust need wiping off, this can be done with a cloth and white spirit.

Caution – Dust masks should be worn when sanding.

If your timber has any knots then knotting should be added to them, this will stop any resin leaking and ruining the finish.

Use a suitable wood filler to repair any cracks or gaps, the filler should be proud of the gap so it can be sanded down when dried.

Old paint work

If you want to remove the paint to show the grain it will have to be removed with a special paint remover or a heat gun. Caution must be used with both of these products as the heat gun gets very hot and can burn the wood. The paint remover contains strong chemicals and safety protection must all ways be worn.

If you want to re paint over the old paint depending on the condition it can be rubbed down with sand paper and ready for paint.

If the paint is flaky this can be removed with a scraper and finished off with sand paper.

Are you ready for painting wood furniture ?

Applying the Primer

The primer acts as abase for the paint to bite to, so when painting wooden furniture apply an even coat of primer working it well into the grain of the wood; ensure to give a good coat to the end grain and any knots.

Allow to dry, and then rub down with fine sandpaper, wipe the door down with a clean cloth to remove any dust.

Applying the Undercoat

The undercoat will dry to a smooth finish ready to provide the protective coat undercoat is very thick and applying an even coat using smooth wrist actions following the grain of the wood ensuring to catch any runs as you work.

Depending on the state for painting wood furniture you might need to apply a second coat, if so the first coat should be finely sanded and wiped down to remove the dust.

Old Paintwork

If the paintwork is in sound condition then you may not need to prime or undercoat the door (especially if it is the same colour), although it is advisable to sand down the existing paintwork and apply a thin undercoat, for this follow the instructions above.

Painting wooden furniture - the final lick of paint!

With all the paint dry it’s time to add the final coat this is usually an oil based gloss. Before you gloss lightly go over the furniture with a fine piece of sand paper taking of any small bumps and wipe down so its dust free.

Gloss need to be applied in a clean place and given time undisturbed to dry.

When you add gloss the trick is to add it thinly as this is a lot runnier that the under coat and you don’t want it to dry with drips.

painting wooden furniture