When Restoring Furniture, Should I Paint (or Repaint)?
The Process
Deciding to paint a piece of furniture is not as cut and dry as it may seem. It is not simply brushing some paint on; jobs like this require a lot of effort and a hearty dose of patience. First, you should consider your intentions with the piece. Do you want to keep it as your own, or resell it to a prospective buyer? For the sake of argument, let’s assume you want to keep it and paint it. Great! Below is an outline of the next steps to take and how to handle the furniture:
- Tackle Residue – you will want to remove any residue from the piece before you do anything else. Use a mild soap, such as Murphy’s, and a tack cloth, which helps remove any adhering particles. Make sure to follow the directions on each product you use to guarantee proper application.
- Sand – you will need to sand the furniture in order to remove any previous paint work or stain. Make sure to remove any hardware and drawers from the piece first. Using an orbital sander with variable speeds and 80 to 150-grit sandpaper, carefully go over the entire surface of the furniture. There is no need to get crazy with this step; just make sure that any prior paint or finish are removed and that the surface is rough enough to work with.
- Prime – priming is the only way to assure a smooth and even look when you get to the painting stage. We recommend a primer by Zinsser, whose oil-based cover stain is thick but cures quickly, or their water-based primer, which gives a professional look but takes about 3 days to cure. After the primer is completely dried and cured, go over the furniture again with a tack cloth to remove any excess primer residue.
- Paint – Yes, finally, paint! The idea when painting restored furniture is to apply multiple thin coats to achieve a perfectly even and smooth finish. Paint three thin coats of latex-based semi-gloss paint, allowing several hours of drying time between each coat. It is preferable not to use a flat-finish paint as it will show any and all flaws once dry. After you have applied your final coat of paint, allow at least one day for the furniture to dry completely.
- Seal it – Now it is time to protect all that work you just put into the furniture. Simply brush on a water-based polyurethane top coat and bask in the smooth and gorgeous finish. This piece is now easy to wipe clean and has a lovely satiny finish. Allow 3 days to fully dry before moving the furniture.
Milk and Chalk-based Paints
While the steps listed above are necessary when using most types of paint, using certain paints means you can skip some of the stated steps. Chalk-based and milk-based paints are growing in popularity in the DIY world, and the best part is that you can paint reclaimed furniture without sanding or priming the piece.
Another interesting thing about these paints is that a different sealant is recommended to protect the piece. Since this type of paint allows for a more porous texture, using a finishing wax makes for the perfect sealant. Rub a thin layer over the furniture with a cloth, allow for the wax to dry, and then buff it smooth with a clean cloth until it is no longer tacky. You will also want this to dry for a full day before moving the furniture should you follow this route.
You May Not Want to Paint If…
There are a couple factors to keep in mind before you buy all your supplies and commit to painting a piece of furniture:
When you are restoring furniture, a lot of consideration and hard work goes into each piece. If you are second-guessing yourself or if you prefer experts to handle the extensive restoration work, give Rahn’s Furniture Restoration a call and allow us to make your restoration vision a reality.
- Firstly, going back to your intentions with the piece, do you want to keep it for yourself, or do you plan to resell? If you are certain the answer is the latter, keep in mind that while painting furniture may seem like a great idea now, down the road it may look outdated. If you are uncertain if a potential buyer will be attracted to painted furniture, it may be best to leave it alone.
- Consider the source of the furniture. If this is a piece that you bought somewhere, the only attachment you have to it is what you put into it, right? But if this is a cherished family treasure that has been passed on, you may regret being so hasty and completely overhauling it!
- Certainly do not paint the piece if it may be valuable! We’ve all seen those television shows where a simple-looking piece of furniture they purchased at a garage sale or that has been handed down to them is actually an antique worth a lot of money. Painting would certainly ruin the value of that piece.