How to Refinish Furniture: Part 7 Painting Furniture

Painting Furniture: How to Get a Smooth, Durable Finish

You’ve cleaned the furniture.

You’ve made the repairs.

You’ve sanded everything smooth.

You’ve primed the surface and taken care of any stains or bleed-through.

Now we finally get to the part everybody has been waiting for:

Painting the furniture.

This is where the transformation really starts to happen.

But getting a good furniture finish is a little different from painting a wall.

Furniture gets touched, bumped, cleaned, moved, opened, closed, and used every day. The paint needs to look good, but it also needs to hold up.

At Brickhouse & Baron, we’ve learned that the actual paint is only one part of getting a good finish.

The paint you choose matters.

The sheen matters.

How you apply it matters.

How thick you apply it matters.

Even how long you wait between coats can make a difference.

The goal isn't just to get color onto the furniture.

The goal is to create a smooth, consistent finish that looks like it belongs there.

1. Choosing the Right Furniture Paint

Walk into a paint aisle and you'll quickly realize there are a lot of options.

You’ll see:

• Wall paint

• Cabinet paint

• Enamel

• Acrylic paint

• Alkyd paint

• Chalk-style paint

• Furniture paint

• Hybrid coatings

• Specialty finishes

So what should you actually use?

There isn't one single answer.

The best paint depends on the furniture, the finish you're after, how you're applying it, and how much use the piece is going to see.

Durability Matters

A decorative cabinet in a guest room and a dresser used every morning don't necessarily need the same coating.

For frequently used furniture, we generally prefer paint that cures to a durable, washable finish.

Look for coatings intended for things like:

• Trim

• Cabinets

• Doors

• Furniture

• High-touch surfaces

These products generally handle wear better than a basic flat wall paint.

Can You Use Regular Interior Paint?

Yes.

We've used quality interior paints successfully on furniture.

But preparation becomes especially important.

A properly cleaned, sanded, primed, and protected surface can perform very differently from the same paint brushed directly over an old finish.

If you're using a general-purpose interior paint, consider whether the piece will also need a protective clear coat.

We'll cover that later in the series.

2. Choosing the Right Sheen

Color gets most of the attention, but sheen can completely change how furniture looks.

The three common choices are:

Matte

Satin

Semi-gloss

Each has a different personality.

Matte Furniture Paint

Matte finishes have very little shine.

They can give furniture a softer, more relaxed appearance.

Matte finishes work particularly well with:

• Rustic furniture

• Farmhouse styles

• Vintage pieces

• Muted colors

• Distressed finishes

They also tend to hide small surface imperfections better than shinier coatings.

The downside?

Lower-sheen finishes can sometimes be more difficult to clean and may show wear sooner depending on the specific paint.

Satin Furniture Paint

Satin is probably one of the easiest sheens to live with.

It has enough shine to give the furniture a finished appearance without becoming overly reflective.

Satin also tends to balance durability and appearance very well.

That's one reason we use satin finishes frequently at Brickhouse & Baron.

It works especially well on:

• Dressers

• Nightstands

• Buffets

• Cabinets

• Desks

• Tables

If you're unsure which sheen to choose, satin is usually a very safe place to start.

Semi-Gloss Furniture Paint

Semi-gloss gives you noticeably more shine.

It can make a piece feel cleaner, sharper, and more polished.

It also tends to be easy to wipe clean.

Semi-gloss can look especially good with:

• Dark colors

• Whites

• Modern furniture

• Brass or gold hardware

• High-contrast designs

But there's something to remember:

The shinier the finish, the more imperfections it tends to reveal.

Sanding scratches, uneven filler, dents, and surface texture become easier to see.

If you're going semi-gloss, spend extra time on your surface preparation.

3. Brush Painting Furniture

You absolutely can get a beautiful furniture finish with a brush.

The key is using a good brush and not overworking the paint.

A high-quality brush can make a huge difference.

Cheap brushes may leave:

• Heavy brush marks

• Loose bristles

• Uneven coverage

• Excess texture

Work With the Shape of the Furniture

On flat areas, use long, consistent strokes.

On detailed furniture, follow the direction of the trim and molding.

Try not to brush randomly in every direction.

That creates unnecessary texture.

Don't Keep Brushing Paint That's Already Drying

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make.

You see one little spot.

You go back over it.

Then another.

And suddenly the entire section has brush marks.

Once paint starts setting up, leave it alone.

Let it dry.

You can fix small imperfections before the next coat.

Sometimes trying to make wet paint perfect actually makes the finish worse.

4. Rolling Furniture

A small roller is another great option.

Rolling works particularly well for large, flat surfaces like:

• Dresser sides

• Cabinet doors

• Drawer fronts

• Tops

• Table aprons

The type of roller matters.

A smoother roller will generally create less texture.

Don't Overload the Roller

Too much paint creates problems.

You may end up with:

• Heavy texture

• Ridges

• Bubbles

• Runs

• Slow drying

Load the roller evenly and apply thinner coats.

Several controlled coats almost always look better than one heavy coat.

Watch Your Edges

Paint tends to collect along edges when you're rolling.

After completing a section, check underneath the edges.

That's where drips like to hide.

Catch them before the paint starts drying.

5. Spray Finishing Furniture

Spraying is our preferred method for many furniture projects at Brickhouse & Baron.

Once the setup is right, spraying can produce an extremely smooth and consistent finish.

It also works very well for furniture with:

• Trim

• Decorative details

• Multiple drawers

• Cabinet doors

• Corners

• Complex shapes

And it can be considerably faster when you're refinishing multiple pieces.

Setting Up Your Spray Pattern

Before spraying the furniture, test the sprayer on:

• Cardboard

• Scrap wood

• Paper

• Another disposable surface

You want to see how the paint is actually coming out.

Check:

• Fan width

• Paint flow

• Atomization

• Pressure

• Coverage

It's much easier to adjust your sprayer on cardboard than on the front of a dresser.

Keep the Sprayer Moving

Never point the sprayer at one spot and then pull the trigger while you're standing still.

Start moving first.

Then trigger the spray.

Move across the surface.

Release the trigger.

That helps prevent heavy spots at the beginning and end of each pass.

Keep a Consistent Distance

If you move too close, too much paint lands on one area.

That creates runs.

If you're too far away, the paint may partially dry before reaching the furniture.

That creates rough texture and overspray.

Try to maintain a consistent distance from the surface throughout each pass.

Follow the recommendations for your particular sprayer and tip.

Overlap Your Passes

Each spray pass should overlap the previous one slightly.

This helps create even coverage.

If your passes are spaced too far apart, you may see stripes.

If you overlap excessively, you may put down too much paint.

The goal is a wet, even surface without flooding it.

6. Paint Thinning

This is where people often go too far.

Not every paint needs to be thinned.

And not every sprayer requires the same paint consistency.

Before adding anything to your paint, check:

• Paint manufacturer instructions

• Sprayer recommendations

• Tip size

• Application method

Some paints spray perfectly straight from the can.

Others may benefit from slight thinning.

Don't Automatically Add Water

If you're using water-based paint, that doesn't mean you should automatically pour water into it.

Too much thinning can change:

• Coverage

• Durability

• Sheen

• Leveling

• Dry time

• Color consistency

If thinning is recommended, start small.

It's easy to add more.

You can't easily take it back out.

Strain Paint Before Spraying

This is one of those simple things that can save a lot of frustration.

Paint can contain:

• Dried pieces

• Small clumps

• Debris

• Skin from the container

Those can clog a spray tip.

Running the paint through a paint strainer before spraying can make the process much smoother.

7. The Multiple-Coat Technique

One of the biggest differences between an amateur-looking finish and a clean furniture finish is how the coats are built.

Don't try to get full coverage in one coat.

Especially with a sprayer.

We would much rather apply:

Two or three controlled coats

than one giant wet coat.

Your First Coat Doesn't Need to Look Perfect

This is important.

The first coat may look:

• Slightly uneven

• A little thin

• Patchy in places

That's okay.

You're building the finish.

Let the first coat do its job.

The second coat will improve coverage.

The next coat can bring everything together.

Trying to force the first coat to completely cover everything is one of the easiest ways to create runs.

Let Each Coat Dry Properly

Follow the manufacturer's recoat instructions.

Paint that feels dry to the touch may not be ready for another coat.

Recoating too early can cause:

• Soft paint

• Dragging

• Wrinkling

• Poor curing

• Longer overall dry time

Give the coating the time it needs.

8. Light Sanding Between Coats

You don't always need to sand every coat.

But if you feel:

• Dust nibs

• Small bumps

• Rough overspray

• Minor imperfections

a very light sanding can help.

Use fine sandpaper.

You're not trying to remove the paint.

You're just smoothing the surface.

Then remove all sanding dust before applying the next coat.

9. Avoiding Orange Peel

If you've ever looked at a painted surface and noticed a texture that looks a little like the skin of an orange, that's where the name comes from.

Orange peel is especially common with spray finishing.

Instead of flowing together into a smooth surface, the paint dries with a textured pattern.

Several things can cause it.

The Paint May Be Too Thick

If the coating isn't atomizing properly, the droplets may be too large.

Check whether the paint is suitable for your sprayer and whether thinning is permitted.

Your Pressure May Be Wrong

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