Painting furniture is a very simple household task actually, and it can help you save a lot of money. Just adding a coat or two of paint on your furniture will make them look like new, and will make them better resistant to termites and weather excesses. That will save you from buying new furniture repeatedly. And you can learn to paint furniture yourself; there is no need to call in the carpenter each time and spend money.
This is a basic how-to guide on painting furniture. The following are the steps you need to follow:-
Basic Precautions and Safety Measures
Painting furniture is a safe job for the most part, but you must bear in mind that paint itself (and the varnishes, thinners, turpentine and primers) is inflammable. Hence you must do the painting job away from any flame, and avoid smoking near the paint materials. Another issue is of allergies. Many people are sensitive to the smell of paint. The smell of paint can also aggravate other allergies. Do the painting job in an airy room. Keep a newspaper or a disposable cloth on the floor, and then place the furniture on it. This will protect your floor from ungainly paint stains.
Initial Preparations
The first thing to do is to remove all the accessories like knobs and fasteners by unscrewing them from the furniture. Then, if the furniture comes apart (and if you can reassemble it easily afterward), then it is a good idea to separate the parts and paint them individually. For example, with cabinet units, you can remove all the doors and shelves and paint each of them individually. You will probably be painting on the floor, and you will be painting one side and then the other. So, a good idea is to make some stilts on the floor where you can elevate the piece of furniture. By doing this, you will not be spoiling the already painted first layer when you are doing the second.
After the surfaces are disassembled, lay them out on the floor one at a time. With the help of sandpaper, rub each surface thoroughly. This will remove the older paint, and will make the surface very smooth to take up the coats of paint. Make sure by vacuuming the surface, which will remove any hidden particles from it.
Applying the Primer
The primer is the preliminary treatment that is done on the surface before the actual paint is applied. The primer ensures that the coat of paint will adhere properly with the surface. Primers are applied either with a brush or with a spray painter. You must make sure that the primer covers every portion of the surface. Wait for a couple of hours (as indicated on the primer can) to allow it to dry completely. Without the primer drying, the paint will not hold well.
Applying the Paint Coats
When the primer is dry, you can think about starting the actual painting. It is better to stick with the custom colors already available with the manufacturer, or you can blend a couple of colors to get your own combinations. But be sure to blend enough quality at one time only, because once your customized shade is over, it will be very difficult to get the same shade again.
Take a paintbrush, soak it properly and uniformly with the paint, and then apply it uniformly on the surface. You must make sure to go in the direction of the word grain, and never repeat your brush strokes over the same area. Keep the brush strokes full and unidirectional.
When done, let the paint dry up. It might take a couple of hours. When it is perfectly dry, repeat the procedure for a second coat of paint. A second coat is essential to get a smooth finish.
This is the end of your painting job, but then you will have to leave the furniture for several hours (better if you leave it overnight). When that is done, reattach all the fixtures and assemble the furniture in the correct manner. That's it; you have probably saved a lot of money here.
