I have been painting my own furniture for years now. And though I am all for just painting a piece without any prep work, I have come to learn that that strategy is immediately gratifying but will not withstand the test of time or wear.
I picked up some new pieces of furniture that I wanted to be able to handle heavy wear. So I researched all over the internet the best way to do that. I used three separate sources that worked for what I wanted my finished product to be as well as what was available to me at the hardware store. I used a combination of three reliable sources:
Altar'd Furniture Painting Ebook {A wonderful Ebook on painting furniture in general. Highly recommend it.}
Here are the before pieces. Both were found at Goodwill for about $30-40 each. I found them the same day and at least five other women came by to look at them as I waited for my mom to come buy with her van to help me load. Five minutes later to the Goodwill and they may have not been mine. It was a lucky day.
The top and bottom of the hutch:
First I sanded with this little guy from Harbor Freight using 80 grit sandpaper. You only have to sand it enough where you get the shine off.
Then I primed using Zinsser Cover Stain. I rolled on the paint for the smooth edges and used the spray can kind for inside smaller crevices. Using a combination of both really saved some time and sanity. If you were working outside or in a garage, just the spray can would probably be great. But I am a crazy lady and cannot lift heavy furniture down a back porch. And even though I left fans running and windows open, when it is nearly 100 degrees outside, there is no winning. I am too impatient to have to wait for my husband to get home from work to help me move things. So I stopped breathing for a couple of days.
See how I rolled...the parts uncovered were sprayed with the can. And I even laid out some old sheets to protect the carpet. Painting revelations people.
I also found this awesome mirror during my Goodwill trip. That's why we needed two cars. My poor neighbor saw my mom and I trying to bring this all in the house and offered to help out. I am sure my neighbors think I am crazy. Cute house. But crazy.
Once primed, I sanded until all flat surfaces were smooth to the touch.
I then painted all the pieces in Behr Ultra Pure White paint with primer. I now buy all my paint with primer...and no longer at Walmart. I will take any extra help I can get from my paint.
After two coats of paint I finished everything off with Deft Clear Wood Finish. It is important to finish off white painted furniture with something that will not yellow. There were a few places where it was a bit goopy and it did turn yellow. So make sure to use thin coats.
And ten million years later {that's about how long it seemed}...but really it was about a week later...I had these beauties:
The inside of the hutch was painted with Valspar Distant Valley. It is less minty in person.
And that is how you paint furniture the correct way. I spent many hours trying to figure out what was best for getting my furniture to withstand the long haul and it was well worth it. There is a definite difference in how much more quality these pieces appear compared to previous furniture that I simply painted. From now on I will do things correctly. Pinky promise.
And I sold my old hutch on Craigslist for $100. I originally bought it for $20 and selling it paid for my two new pieces. Win win. I was a little sad to see it go but I have decided to go with a more neutral theme and plus I like the bones of this new hutch so much more. Full dining room updates soon!
