Painting wooden furniture

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Nov 04, 2006 7:50 pm

I have a project in mind but need some advice. I want to paint wooden ladderback chairs and a table with white paint as a base coat and then paint designs on both with different colors of paint. Questions- Do I need to sand the wood first to get better results with the white paint? And, after the project is done, do I put some kind of protective coating on them? This will be used daily in my kitchen. Thanks in advance for your help! Susan

maidofshade · Post by **maidofshade** » Nov 04, 2006 8:50 pm

Hi, I have a little experience with this and it totally depends on what finish is currently on the set now. If it is a poly finish you will have to sand. You can try a really good primer and not sand like a Kilz-- oil base is the best but lightly sanding first no matter what is on the set now is what I would do. You don't have to get down to bare wood but make sure you degloss any finish that is on them. Kitchen use is hard with all the clean up and after I was done with the paint I would apply a poly based sealer. For the long term oil base primer and paint is probably your best choice. (I am an antique dealer on the side and the prep work although tedious is the most important step.)
Cheryl

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Nov 07, 2006 8:47 pm

Cheryl- Thanks so much for your advice

Old earth dog · Post by **Old earth dog** » Nov 11, 2006 12:18 am

If it's not to late I'd like to stress the primer before the paint. It's actually the primer that helps the paint bond to the surface. Paint by itself is more apt to peel.

maidofshade · Post by **maidofshade** » Nov 11, 2006 10:09 am

OED Right you are

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Nov 14, 2006 9:16 pm

OED- Not too late at all! Would I use paint that is actually called primer or any white paint? I thought the main reason to use it was to make the colors stand out more..... Thanks for the advice

CarolA · Post by **CarolA** » Feb 27, 2007 11:50 am

I also have questioned on how to go about painting furniture. If what you want to paint had already been painted with enamel paint, would you still need to sand? What would happen if you didn't? The top coat you say to use, do you put that on with a brush? What brand do people use? What weight sandpaper do you use?

maidofshade · Post by **maidofshade** » Feb 27, 2007 8:57 pm

Here is my advice on the painting. You will need to sand a little, What that does is gives the new coat of paint something to stick to and bond with. They call it giving it some tooth. If you don't sand and sometimes people are going for this look the paint may loosen where it can't bond with the surface of the old paint and then you will get peeling or blistering of the new paint coat.

( people actually will rub wax on furniture where there would be wear and then paint over the whole thing. then they sand the newly painted surface to reveal the old paint color underneath-- a faux antique look)
I like to use a wipe on poly topcoat because you don't have to worry about runs, like on the legs of things. I use a lint free old sock over my hand to apply this. It comes in satin or gloss and you can get it at any home store and I think even Walmart carries it. A little can does a lot of projects it goes a long way. Just make sure to wipe off the threads to the screw on cap cause I had to punch a hole in one can that I slopped on the cap and couldn't unscrew it

I use a fine grit sandpaper cause I don't want to get down to the wood just remove the paint a little. You don't have to sand real hard unless the surface is uneven(pitted) or has a zillion layers of paint on it already. The sanding is just to get the paint to bond better. I hope this helps

Cheryl
P.S. Make sure you wipe down the piece to get the dust off before you start to paint. If I use oil base paint, I wipe down with paint thinner, if latex just use a dampened cloth and let it dry before repainting.
Some people use a product called liquid sandpaper instead of sanding. I have never used it myself. Maybe someone out there has and can offer a tip or two.

impatience · Post by **impatience** » Mar 01, 2007 12:13 am

I have just done woodwork, like crown molding, with the liquid sandpaper (it is also called Deglosser in some stores) so I don't know that I am qualified to give much in the way of advice.

But, here goes anyway. I thought the deglosser was the greatest. You need really good ventilation, but it just zips off the dirt, grease and the "shine". Everything that I have used it on has lasted well.

I decided to try the liquid sandpaper\deglosser on our home projects as the house was built in 1954 and I am sure that the paint is lead-based. I didn't want lead dust floating around.

Hope this helps.

maidofshade · Post by **maidofshade** » Mar 02, 2007 1:08 pm

imp, Sounds like you are taking on some real projects in your house. The liquid sandpaper sure sounds like a great idea. I have done an old cabinet that was surely lead based painted and I wish I would have tried it on this project--not only was wearing a mask and sanding no fun but the paint was "really on there" and took alot of effort to get a clean surface for repainting. I will be sure to give this a try. Thanks for the input!
Cheryl

ICGardner · Post by **ICGardner** » Jun 01, 2007 3:12 pm

Wow! Thanks for all the help! Will the liquid sandpaper work on non painted surfaces? The table I want to work on isn't painted but does have a somewhat shiny surface. It might be easier to get into all the cracks and crevices, especially on the legs, with something liquid. I gotta get this project started! Just a little hesitant....... Thanks again!