While a purist might find it sinful to paint furniture, all of us inevitably arrive at the need to slap some color on wood to make it look up to date and fit comfortably into a new scheme. But nothing could be more counterproductive than to do a sloppy paint job on an important piece of furniture. Attention to detail will help alleviate many painted furniture traumas.
Correct Application Tools
Take a cue from the professionals -- air is better. Spray-painting furniture with a professional compressed air spray gun is by far the best approach to furniture painting. Spray-painting reduces waste and eliminates brush strokes. It is fast and easily mastered after just a few minutes of practice. Beautiful lacquered surfaces are within reach of just about anyone when a professional spray gun is used. If you want to use canned spray paint, use a spray handle attachment and practice for many minutes on scrap lumber before approaching the real thing.
Barring spray applications, use high-quality paintbrushes. This is no place for cheap brushes made of foam. Have several brushes on hand, a 4-inch wide brush, a smaller 2-inch sash brush, and a ¾-inch artist brush with a square-cut natural bristle. Lamb's wool roller brushes can eliminate brush strokes, but sometimes create an orange-peel texture that is not acceptable.
Preparation is Key
Remember: half the painting is preparing to paint. Move the furniture to a spacious, clean, well-lighted work area. Remove drawers and empty them. Remove any hardware. Prepare furniture pieces with a deglossing agent. Fill or sand out any nicks or scratches on the surface. Repair any veneer that is lifting or blistered. Remove any dust from the piece with a tack cloth. Prime the surfaces.
Painting is a Slow Process
Take your time. A good furniture paint job should take several hours over several days. Paint every surface you can see, head on, as you move around the piece. Let this work dry overnight and then reposition the piece to reach areas previously unseen. Paint everything including backs and bottoms. Check each brush stroke for stray bristles and be on constant alert for drips.
Direction of Stroke
Move your brush, roller, or sprayer in a horizontal direction relative to the floor. This will allow gravity to pull brush strokes out of the paint. Never paint a surface while it is laying flat, face up, because you will not have gravity to help you.
No Paint Here
Refrain from painting inner parts of drawers. Except for the fine inner edge of the drawer face, do not paint the inside or outside of drawer boxes or the drawer guides inside the cabinet, desk or dresser. The thickness of the paint on these surfaces will cause the drawer to stick and jam.
Paint and Repeat -- and Repeat
Put one-pass paint jobs out of your mind. Fine furniture painting requires two coats for most types of paints and three coats for lacquered enamels. Lightly sand the surface between coats and clean with a tack cloth before applying the second or third coat. This applies to sealants, too: use two coats and sand between coats.
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