In this blog post, I will share 10 tips to painting furniture that will save you time, money & headaches!
Happy Flipping!
10 Tips to Furniture Painting
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Choose the right Furniture
Although you CAN paint faux wood furniture (such as laminate/particle board) I don’t recommend it. I highly recommend sticking to painting solid wood furniture. Real wood is so much easier to paint & will yield a higher quality look once painted.
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Inspiration
Create a board on Pinterest dedicated to the look you want to accomplish. I am such a visual person & like to have a solid idea of what look I am aiming for so that I can reference for gathering my supplies & takes a lot of the anxiety out of the equation.
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Have a plan
Now that you have your inspiration & a solid piece of furniture- Its time to put pen to paper. I find the entire project goes a hell of a lot smoother if I write out a game plan for the entire project from start to finish BEFORE I start. Writing out my game plan allows me to stay organized & saves me money by preventing silly mistakes that I tend to make when I just “wing it”. Here is an example of how I write out a plan of action before I get started.
You can find an example of how I write my plan of action here.
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Supply List & budget
Use your plan of action breakdown to formulate a supply list! Once you have a list & have determined all the purchases you will need to make- you can then have a better idea of exactly how much money you will need to spend on products.
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Before & After Photos
DON’T FORGET to take a BEFORE picture of your project! I don’t know why this is something that I always forgot to do when I first began this hobby & I was always so bummed! There is something magical about being able to put the before & after project pictures side by side!
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The “right” Paint
There are so many excellent brands, colors & specialty paint on the market today! Make sure you do a little research before hand to select the best paint option specific to your project. You can shop my favorite DIY paint brands on the Reconciliation Furniture Amazon store front by clicking here.
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Project Preparation
Proper preparation is a MUST. Always thoroughly clean your furniture with a quality degreaser. Even if the furniture looks clean- if it isn’t brand new out of the box, it is going to have a layer of grime that may not be visible to the naked eye. Applying paint to uncleaned surfaces can present paint adhesion problems & significantly affect the quality of the finished product. JUST CLEAN IT!
Sanding- I lightly sand every piece before I paint. Lightly sanding the furniture with a medium grit sandpaper is going to allow the paint to grip to the surface. (Check out the sander that I recommend & use here.)
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mise en place
The term “mise en place” is a French term used in kitchens which means “everything in its place”- & I use this phrase to refer to gathering all of your supplies BEFORE you start the project. Have everything you need to accomplish each step without having to stop what you are doing to search for things. Have everything you need ready to go.
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Paint in sections
I find that painting in sections allows for less mistakes & a better quality finish. Concentrate on painting one side or one drawer at a time. If you work in small sections- you are less likely to miss accidental drips & can accomplish smooth brush strokes more easily.
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Have Fun & don’t give up!
The most important part of painting furniture is to enjoy it! Be kind to yourself and have fun with the process! Know that this is not something that people become professionals at overnight & that practice makes perfect. Believe in yourself & learn from your mistakes as you go!
If you find that you need help in your painted furniture journey, please reach out by email to schedule a zoom meeting with me & I will help answer any questions you may run into!
