Learn How to Paint Furniture Like a Pro: A DIY Beginner's Guide. Read this post for all the pro tips!
We like to go on walks as a family and during a walk this summer we came across this dresser on the side of the road with a "free" sign. After we checked it out we saw that even though it looked a bit rough it appeared to be solid wood and was even made in Canada! We hauled it home and decided it was worthy of a refresh and second chance. We decided to create a Beginners Guide to Easily DIY Paint Furniture like a Pro since we were so happy with how this makeover turned out and have gotten so many questions on how we finish out furniture pieces.
In this post we will give some simple steps and a bunch of tips and tricks to easily paint wood furniture
like a pro. We will show you want to look for when refinishing your next furniture restoration project!
*This post may contain affiliate links. When you buy a product throug one of our links, we get a commission at no cost to you! Thank you for supporting our blog so that we can continue to bring you posts like these. This post was sponsored by Wagner. All opinions are our own.*
Choosing your Pieces of Furniture
The first thing you want to do when choosing a furniture piece is to look over the entire piece. You want to make sure the piece you are going to restore is worth your time. Look for pieces that are solid wood and stay away for pieces made from chip board or particle board. Solid wood pieces are best but you can also work with plywood veneer pieces. Restoring furniture takes a bit of hardwork and elbow grease, but is so rewarding when you can give new life to a old worn out piece. Follow this Beginners Guide to Easily DIY Paint Furniture like a Pro to get some great tips and hints for your next furniture makeover!
Finish Selection
When you go to select you finish you will have multiple options, starting with the kind of paint:
Type of paint:
- oil-based paint / oil-based primer
- water-based paint /water-based primer
- latex paint
Finishes:
- satin finish
- eggshell paint
- high gloss
- matte
Other Coating:
- different brands of chalk paint
- milk paint
- mineral paint
- clear coat like Polycrylic
To get better results consider going with a higher quality paint brands. We find paint from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams work better than the brands found at your typical hardware store. The speciality paint stores tend to have the best paint products and really good onsite production information. Their paint tends to level smoother, coat better, and have a higher durability than the generic hardware store brands. For primer we have had good luck with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3
Tools
Having the correct tools for your painting projects is really important. To get a nice smooth finish on those old furnitures projects a good quality paint sprayer is really the way to go. We used our Flexio 3500 from Wagner to spray our dresser and the paint job turned out really well. You can also use a few extra tools / supplies like a turntable or a paint leveling product to help really bring your painting diy projects to the next level and give your that professional-looking finish.
- paint sprayer
- high quality paint brush
- tack cloth / clean cloth or shop towel
- drop cloth
- micro-fiber or foam roller
- fine-grit sandpaper
- sanding block
Mask off any areas you don't paint to get to. Its always a good idea to use a good quality painters tape and some plastic to cover any areas you don't want paint to get into especially when applying the paint with a paint sprayer.
Painting
1st Coat - Sealing/Primer
Before you start make sure you have a nice clean surface and spray area to work in. You can use a tack cloth to remove any debris and dust from the piece you are planning to paint. Try and work in a shelter area or an area with minimal dust to prevent any debris from getting into your paint coat.
You are likely going to need to do multiple coats of paint to complete your project. Your first coat of paint
will likely be a primer product if you are painting the piece. The first coat of primer will help seal the surface to ensure no bled through into your top coat.We have had good luck using a
Once the stain is cured and dry you will want to apply some sort of top coat like a polyurethane, polycrylic, lacquer, shellac, oils, or a penetrating finish.
Using a Paint Sprayer
First off when using a paint sprayer make sure your wear the proper safety gear.
Paint sprayers are awesome for paint detail work and working around edges and corners without getting any runs. Take your time and do multiple coats, letting each coat dry and giving a light sand between layers.
If possible paint so the piece is sitting with the face to paint up, this allows the paint to cure smoothly and gives a really nice finish.
Using a product like
We added some new hardware for drawer pulls and just left the original slide mechanism. I always test and fit the pieces before I paint to make sure everything fits and minimize any damage to the fresh paint coat once the piece is all painted.
End Results
We couldn't be happier with how the piece turned out. The paint turned out smooth and even and the piece functions great! Now to find the next piece to revive!
Sarah Addison
Wednesday 20th of November 2024
This guide is so helpful for beginners! The step-by-step approach makes transforming furniture seem achievable and fun.