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Ok, so by now you guys know how much I love to paint and decorate! I have probably said it 1000 times already! When I say that painting is my respite and therapy, I truly mean it! It is literally my escape most times from this crazy world we live in. I’m guessing I have painted over a couple hundred pieces or so in my lifetime and I know I’ve got much more than that left in me!
I am going to give you my best painting tips, some you may already know and some may come as a surprise to you! Quite frankly, my hope and prayer is that you gain some knowledge here and that it would enrich you even more!
This of course does not encompass all types of painting but for now I am going to dive into my best painting tips for painting furniture pieces!
You guys, if you follow me on social media you will know I am a stickler for prepping your piece. I cannot stress enough how important it is to PREP!! Prep is everything when it comes to painting furniture! If you just try to lay on a coat of paint, you are totally wasting your time. Paint does NOT adhere to dirt, dust or grime!
Let me say this again, PREP IS EVERYTHING! Remove the hardware first and take the time to clean your piece thoroughly from top to bottom! Yes, I know it is time consuming and you want to get to the fun part but if you want your paint job to last you have to do it. I like to use several different products and it really doesn’t matter which one you use as long as you use them. I have used Krud Kutter, Sprayway, and TSP. They all work well! Make sure after you have thoroughly cleaned your piece to rinse it with water. I like to use an old t-shirt rag and a bucket with water and just dip my t-shirt rag in the water, squeeze most of the water out and rinse my piece that way. It’s much easier than making 30 trips back to the kitchen faucet! Trust me, I did that in my early days until I grew up and became smart!
Krud Kutter – https://amzn.to/2TDGgC8
Sprayway – https://amzn.to/2WBg90H
TSP – https://amzn.to/2HL589z
Depending on your piece and the look you are going for, you may need to sand! Yes, I said it, SAND! I hear you groaning from here!! I know, it’s my least favorite part too which is why most of the time I use Dixie Belle’s chalk mineral paint or Debbie’s Design Diary DIY paint! There is no sanding with this type paint depending on your piece. I would say if your piece if very shiny or slick then it might be a great idea to give it a light sanding with 150 grit sandpaper.
Now that your piece is cleaned and sanded, you want to make sure you get all of the dust off your piece. I like to use a glorified cheesecloth called tack cloth. You can find it in your local hardware store or here https://amzn.to/2OyVnvM . If you have never used tack cloth before, I’m warning you now, it is STICKY! Hence why we are using it to get the sand off our piece!! Ta da!!!
Once you have cleaned and sanded your piece you are now ready for paint! Yay!!! I am a fan of and mostly use chalk paint for my furniture pieces. I will say that before you begin to paint, make sure that you choose a high-quality brush. This is not really a step but one of my best painting tips. I have used both natural and synthetic brushes. I can say that I really admire the Paint Pixie paint brushes for natural bristle brushes. They are really good quality and do not shed very often. If you like the feel of a synthetic, then Dixie Belle has a great brush called the Mini. I like it because it has a short handle and is very comfortable in your hand.
Now that your piece is ready to go and you have a great brush, it’s time to paint!!! As I have said, I use lots of Dixie Belle products and DIY paints because they are high quality paints and are self-leveling which you need! Either one is great!
HOT Painting tip alert: Wet your brush!!!! Yes, I said to wet your brush and squeeze out the excess water. You want to start out with a damp brush as this will limit brush strokes and your brush will not drag!
Also, do yourself a favor and buy one of these:
This little bottle that you see above is a gem! Use it to spray your piece as you are painting and mist your brush too! Your paint will go further and you will end up with a smooth finish in the end!!!
When you are laying your first coat of paint on, don’t worry about the coverage. Almost always, the first coat is going to look a hot mess! Allow your first coat to dry which is usually done by the time you are ready for your 2nd coat.
Paint a 2nd coat on your piece and you should really start to see your piece coming together by this point. Most of the time, only 2 coats are needed but you should be able to see if you need 3 or not.
HOT painting tip alert: Sometimes if you are painting white or a very light color, depending on the age of your piece or the type of wood it is, you can have bleed through from the tannins in the wood! To avoid this, get some spray shellac and spray over the areas that look yellow and paint right back over the area once the shellac has dried! If you want to prevent this from the get go, then I highly recommend Dixie Belle Boss before your 1st coat of paint as it will block the tannins from coming through your paint job. As a plus, it blocks odors which are helpful if your piece is really old or has been sitting for a while.
Let your paint dry thoroughly (I like to wait a full day) and then you always want to protect your paint job! Before sealing your paint, I like to use an ultra fine sanding sponge https://amzn.to/2HLDDNh to go over my paint job to make the finish very smooth, this is what will make the paint finish look professional.
You can either wax or use polycrylic which is water based. I say this because if you are painting your piece white I would NOT use polyurethane as it may yellow your piece over time!
HOT painting tip alert: If you are painting a piece where the top will get heavy use then you definitely need to use polycrylic or a product from Dixie Belle’s line called Gator Hide. Say for example you have a table that will be used heavily for sitting drinks and plates on and could be subject to water damage, then I would use Gator Hide to top coat with. Gator Hide is an excellent product; it repels water and will keep your table top fully protected.
Once you wax or top coat, I would leave your piece to fully dry and cure based on the manufacture’s recommendations. You would hate to put all your time and effort into painting a piece only to start pre-maturely using the piece before it has had time to cure.
I hope you have gained some knowledge and are inspired to paint that piece you have been putting off!
Love and Hugs,
Melanie
