Painting furniture: 5 main rules and master class

It’s a familiar situation when you want to update the boring furnishings in your home, but you don’t have the money to buy new furniture. And the old Soviet cabinets look strong and solid. The only “but” is the shabby appearance. However, everything can be changed - for example, you can take and repaint furniture with your own hands (On this site you can select and purchase paint and varnish products), restore and decorate it to your own taste. And classic vintage pieces are back in fashion.

What does it take to repaint furniture?

To repaint old furniture made of chipboard, laminated chipboard, MDF or wood, you should take care of the necessary tools and material in advance.

To update your furniture you need to acquire:

• spatula, sandpaper - soft and coarse-grained, sander;
• a piece of wood, masking tape or tape and a container;
• primer, putty, paint and varnish;
• brushes and roller.

Rules for choosing brushes and rollers

When choosing a brush, it is important that the bristles are held firmly, otherwise hairs falling out during painting will spoil the appearance of the surface. Use brushes to paint small and medium-sized details, protrusions and bas-reliefs.

It is worth purchasing two brushes:

1. narrow and flat
2. wider, with a beveled cut.

During breaks, it is recommended to keep your brushes in a jar of water.

Smooth, even surfaces are painted with a roller, which can easily cope with smudges. A suitable roller is covered with velor; there is no need to purchase a foam “coat”.

Using aerosols, surfaces can be easily made perfectly smooth.

Stages of preparing furniture for repainting

It is recommended to prepare a separate room for working with furniture, because dust and odors cannot be avoided during restoration. And no one will touch the object. It is also worth taking care of safety glasses, gloves and a gown.

Inspection

A thorough inspection of furniture items will help identify and eliminate malfunctions, breakdowns and defects.

Dismantling is not necessary, but individual parts are easier to paint. Fixed fittings and difficult to attach elements are not removed. To protect them, use masking tape or tape.

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Small objects or simple designs can be painted without disassembling. They also do not disassemble it in cases where only the façade of the furniture is painted.

Removing old coating

Soviet wooden furniture is covered with varnish, which can be cleaned off, but first of all the product is washed with a sponge and detergent and dried with napkins.

To repaint furniture, you first need to remove the varnish, which is quite difficult. To do this, use one of three methods:

Mechanical . Removal with a spatula; a flat screwdriver will help in hard-to-reach places. It's easier to do this if you take a sander or coarse sandpaper.

Chemical . Use special washes. They are applied and left for 2-3 hours - a more precise exposure period can be specified in the instructions.

The blistered surface is cleaned using a spatula or sandpaper. The remaining wash is removed using a weakly concentrated vinegar solution.

Thermal method . It is safe and effective to use a hair dryer, the hot air of which softens old paint. All that remains is to take a spatula and remove the layers of coating.

In rare cases, the varnish coating is removed with a grinder to which a metal brush is attached. Care is required here so as not to damage the wood.

Sanding

A necessary procedure to improve the adhesion of a smooth surface to paint. Sandpaper makes wood or laminate rough. First, sand with fine-grained sandpaper, then with zero-grade soft paper.

Movements are performed along the wood pattern, and not across. After this, degrease using white spirit (acetone). Apply with a brush and let dry.

Putty and priming

Old furniture often has scratches, cracks, and chips, which are repaired with latex or epoxy putty before painting. It is worth priming the surfaces before puttying, this will cover small defects, leaving severe damage visible.

After drying, the putty areas are treated with zero-grade sandpaper and primed in 2 layers. Dry for 12 hours.

Prime with a special solution with an acrylic base so that the paint is distributed evenly and adheres firmly. The polyurethane composition is more expensive, but is suitable for wood, glass, tiles, and other surfaces. The quality of the primer affects the strength of the paint layer.

Important! Before priming, do not use a damp cloth or sponge to remove debris.

Sequence of work

It is important to remember that to paint lacquered furniture you will need sandpaper, especially when processing corners, decorative elements, and small parts. If you do not follow the sequence of work, you can damage small parts in the process. Before you start painting furniture at home, the surface is prepared in several stages:

• remove fittings and decorative elements;
• disassemble furniture;
• clean off old paint;
• prime;
• painted.

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The steps must be carried out in this order. The removed fittings can be replaced with a more suitable color to match the new color or coated with a colorless metal varnish.

If you plan to paint leather furniture with soft filling, you need to remove the old padding.

Furniture disassembly

It is better to disassemble the products into individual elements and remove the fittings. In this form, carrying out all subsequent stages is much simpler and easier; no special equipment is required for painting furniture. The paint will penetrate into all areas, even the most inaccessible and invisible at first glance. It is also necessary to remove internal partitions, shelves and other structural elements.

All parts of the furniture must be painted, and damaged fittings must be replaced with new ones. Fixed parts that must remain intact (glass inserts, stained glass windows, handles) must be protected by covering with masking tape. Once the paint has dried, it will be easy to remove.

Removing old coating

Before applying new paint, you must remove the old layer. This can be done in various ways. The most affordable option is mechanical. Using sandpaper, preferably fine-grit, sand down all the old paint down to the wood base. Sandpaper will not damage the structure of the material itself. Painting MDF and laminated chipboard with your own hands requires first removing the protective film covering the furniture.

To speed up the process, it is better to use a grinding machine and a special attachment. If you don’t have such equipment, you can cover a wooden block with sandpaper and remove the old paint with sweeping movements. The oil coating is removed with a hair dryer. Under the influence of high temperature, the layer will heat up and can be easily removed with a regular spatula.

Another way to get rid of old paint is with a special chemical remover. It is applied to the coating, left for a certain time, and then easily removed again with a regular spatula.

The technology for painting furniture involves the use of protective equipment - glasses, a respirator, gloves.

After getting rid of the old coating, you must carefully remove all dust and small debris (you can vacuum the cleaned surface). Next we start priming.

Clean off the old coating with a sander

Remove old paint with sandpaper

The oil coating is removed with a hair dryer

Use a chemical remover

Remove all dust and small debris

Primer

This stage is necessary for reliable adhesion of the paint to the surface of the wood. The procedure is easier to perform with a wide brush or a large lint roller. The entire surface must be treated. For wood, it is preferable to choose a latex-based primer. It is suitable for further processing with acrylic paint, oil and silicone compounds.

Ideas for remaking furniture with your own hands, necessary tools

Primers dry within a few hours and do not form a greasy film on the surface of the wood. They perfectly penetrate into the structure of other composite materials. After complete drying, the entire surface is degreased with gasoline or solvent, and the remaining irregularities are treated with a special wood putty, which is applied in a thin layer, pressed tightly with a metal spatula. After drying, small roughnesses are smoothed out with sandpaper.

Treat furniture with primer

Degrease surfaces

Cover the unevenness with putty, smooth out the roughness with sandpaper

Coloring

Furniture tinting is done with acrylic dye, stain or aerosol (compositions that are absorbed into the wood fibers). Before you start painting old furniture, protect the floor and surrounding objects with film. It is also recommended to open the windows and provide fresh air into the room. The paint is sprayed from a distance of 30 cm using smooth movements. This will prevent streaks and unpainted areas from appearing on the wood. It is best to use a spray gun to paint furniture.

Continuous painting is done with oil, water-based and silicone compounds. If the liquid is in cans, you should use a tray and apply the paint with a roller; for small parts and elements, use a small brush. After complete drying, a second layer is applied. It is needed to obtain rich color.

Furniture varnishing is carried out in a similar way. You can choose a colorless varnish; it preserves the texture of the wood and creates a protective layer on its surface. You can also use tint compositions. Painting furniture with acrylic paints looks good.

Aerosols are sprayed from a distance of 30 cm in smooth movements

Apply liquid paint with a roller

For small details use a small brush

Apply a second coat of paint

Varnish surfaces

Choosing paint for repainting furniture

The material of the furniture affects the choice of paint.

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Acrylic paint is popular for painting wooden furniture. Among its advantages:

• increased stability due to good absorption;
• quick-drying;
• economical, as it is diluted with water;
• the smell is not aggressive;
• can be used without priming;
• antiseptic properties,
• non-flammability.

Minus: only white color, which can be tinted with color.

The spray in a can speeds up the painting process, applies evenly, and dries quickly.

For a glossy surface on wood, choose enamel varnish paint.

To prevent the surface from shining, use an oil matte finish.

To preserve the natural structure of the wood, a colorless product is purchased, which is available in shades.

Water-based paint is used more often in the bedroom and children's room. It does not smell, dries in a matter of time, and is affordable. The downside is that it does not tolerate moisture.

The surface painted with latex composition can be washed. The paint is not afraid of water and sunlight, but is expensive.

Expensive paints also include silicone paints with the addition of acrylic. The paint penetrates the wooden surface and is not afraid of moisture.

How to paint furniture yourself?

How to paint furniture yourself? Believe me, everything is not as difficult as it seems. Yes, of course, your furniture has lost its former appearance, chips have appeared, so the varnish has simply peeled off in places. But this is not a reason to throw it away as an unnecessary thing. These flaws can be easily corrected by repainting. In this case, you can either simply coat it with varnish or give it a completely different appearance by decorating the elements with different colors. You will be very pleased with the result of your work, and your guests will appreciate it.

In order to paint furniture at home, next we will get acquainted with the basic principles of the process.

Paint selection

Before you start painting furniture, you should choose the right paint to cover it. The final result of the entire process depends on the choice of coloring composition. Don't forget about it. At the same time, it is impossible to name, for example, one type of paint and varnish coating as more suitable - everything is determined by the type of furniture and the result that you want to get.

Let's take a closer look at how to choose the right paint. The choice of paint directly depends on the quality and type of coating:

• Wooden furniture should be coated with the wood composition.
• Metal paint – metal interior items.

In some cases, the paint must have:

• Waterproof property.
• Frost resistance.

You need to start from the type of coating, it can be:

• Glossy.
• Completely matte.
• Transparent, that is, covered with a varnish composition.

In cases where fire protection of furniture is necessary, the surface is coated with special fire-retardant paints. At the same time, both wooden and metal parts need to be treated with this product. They use fire-retardant paint, such as “Polistil” or its analogues.

Important! If you need to paint metal garden furniture made of metal, then the most basic requirement for this dye is protection against possible corrosion. In this case, we recommend Zings conductive paint, which will help create both barrier and cathodic protection.

For different furniture, not only different types of paint are used, but also different painting technologies. At the same time, many of them are radically different from each other.

Instructions on how to repaint furniture

Rules for achieving a positive result:

1). The paint is applied to the surface in an even layer. First of all, use a brush to paint the protruding parts, then take a roller. It is important to apply the composition without changing direction.

2). More often they make a two-layer coating. The second layer is applied after the first has dried. It is allowed to be applied across the first, but if this is the last coating, the paint is applied along the wood fiber.

3). To speed up the work, use a spray gun or aerosol cans.

4). For the Provence style, original irregularities and stains are created.

5). To achieve an interesting result, it is worth experimenting with the choice of color.

6). Before purchasing paint, read the instructions and use the product correctly.

How to paint furniture white?

Are you dreaming of a wooden cabinet in Provence style? Not sure how to paint a polished cabinet white? This is quite easy to do.

Important! Before painting lacquered furniture white, you need to check that the purchased paint does not fade in the sun. Otherwise, the paint will quickly turn yellow, and you must admit, it will not be very beautiful.

White furniture in the Provence style can be decorated in an antique style, while still being modern and very stylish. You need to go through these two steps:

1. Surface whitening.
2. Light sanding with sandpaper.

Important! Furniture made from oak, birch, pine or beech wood is ideal for these purposes.

What will you need for this?

How can you repaint a veneered kitchen? Now we will tell you what paint to paint furniture white, and what is needed for this. So, for work you need to prepare the following materials and tools:

• Acrylic paint white or several different colors.
• Dark dye.
• Candles made from regular wax.
• Tassels of different widths.
• Water based varnish.
• Sandpaper of different grits.
• Steel wool.
• Rags.
• Textile.
• Knife.

We paint furniture in Provence style

The process of painting furniture white consists of several important steps:

• It is necessary to clean the surface of various contaminants - dirt, dust. To do this, wipe the furniture with a soft cloth and leave it for some time to dry completely.
• If the surface has previously been painted, then you should remove the varnish layer using sandpaper (start with coarse, end with fine-grained sandpaper).
• The areas you want to highlight need to be painted with dark dye. These can be slats or edges - everything is at your discretion.
• In order to get a fashionable effect of antiquity, made in the Provence style, areas of dark coloring must be waxed. This is done so that the next layer of paint does not adhere tightly, thereby creating the effect of antiquity.
• Now we cover the entire surface with white paint, preferably several times.

Important! Do not forget that the paint must dry thoroughly before each coat. Since it is white, try not to stain the surface while working.

• Places where black paint and wax were previously applied must be rubbed with a knife. We advise you not to press too hard - this way the effect will be much better.
• If desired, the top of the furniture can be varnished.

To varnish or not

The varnish coating fixes the color, protects the surface of the furniture, and the product looks antique and well-groomed. Be sure to protect with varnish the furniture that is often opened and closed.

For varnishing, use specialized furniture (not parquet) matte or transparent varnishes. The second layer is applied 24 hours after the first coating.

Varnish choice:

Alcohol varnish is used when restoring antique objects.

New, popular acrylic varnish, odorless, suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Economical product - water is used for dilution.

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Durable alkyd varnish film withstands abrasion. A solvent is used for dilution.

Little oil varnish is used; it is often used to cover the floor. For dilution you need drying oil that dries for at least a day.

Polyurethane (ship) varnish has increased wear resistance due to the appearance of a protective, quick-drying film.

Nitrovarnishes are inexpensive and form a durable protective film. No special primer is required before coating. When applied, it is diluted with a solvent.