Homespan Painting Skills span Wallpaperspan Home & Domestic span Interior Decorating span Professional Decorating

Painting Furniture: Painting and refurbishing an old chair.

The secret of successful and enjoyable furniture painting is careful planning and preparation.

If you paint in the correct order then you are less likely to get covered in paint.

The correct order to paint anything is usually a matter of common sense. You don't want to be reaching over wet paint to get to an awkward surface.

e.g. When painting a window you would be asking for trouble if you painted the window sill first.

Likewise when painting a chair it is advisable to begin by turning it upside down and painting the underneath and interior surfaces first.

Bozzle.com image:old chair cleaned off Bozzle.com image:old chair upside down
How you approach furniture painting depends on what kind of surface you are aiming at and the kind of paint you are using.
Below are general rules to guide you.

Bozzle.com image:painting under seat area Bozzle.com image:painting inside chair legs
To begin: Carefully examine the piece of furniture before you begin, turning it around and upside down; testing the surfaces with your index finger and taking note where it is sensible to paint first.

This step will save you time and grief later.
Old newspapers are great to paint on whatever paints you are using, and they can be used to cover surrounding surfaces.

If you paint the furniture right down onto the newspaper then wait until the paint dries.

The paper will then stick to the bottom edge of the furniture/ chair legs; don't just pull it off but cut round it with a sharp blade or craft knife.
Bozzle.com image:lower underside painted Bozzle.com image:chair stood the right way up
Check the surface of the furniture before you begin preparation.

If the surfaces have a good varnish without chips or deep scratches it will be unnecessary to sand down to the bare wood.

A good quality primer will get it ready for further painting.
Bozzle.com image:paint inside of seat area Bozzle.com image:paint bottom half of chair except back
If there are stains they can be blocked out with a suitable primer.
Small items, (e.g. handles) can be dipped directly into a container of the finish coat and hung to dry.
Bozzle.com image:backsupport painted except top rail Bozzle.com image:turn chair round

Bozzle.com image:paint back of chair last Bozzle.com image:close-up of joints needing filled
Tip:
A Paper Plate under your paint tin will prevent mess.
Throwaway Paper Cups
For small touchup or accent paint jobs, keep a supply of little paper cups on hand. This way you can work with tiny amounts of paint without much wastage.
Dust mask.
It is advisable to use a mask when sanding or using aerosol paints..
Bozzle.com image:the chair glossed up Bozzle.com image:chair finished with old seat re-covered
Use Glue to Crackle the surfaces to imitate aging.
This technique is used only on varnished surfaces.

Did you know that the expensive "crackle medium" you buy in cans is really just plain old white (elmer's) glue?

Any white glue will work just like the really expensive stuff in cans.

This technique is great for covering up flaws.

Using thick glue will produce small fine cracking; using thinned out glue will produce wide large cracking.

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