Paint....beautiful paint!

Paint is my favorite way to make something new and different...whether it's an entire room or a lamp, paint can totally transform.  If you do it correctly, paint can give new life to a piece of furniture. 

That said, I will tell you the tale of two children.  The first baby, a boy, was highly anticipated and dreamt of.  His parents were exceptionally excited at the thought that they would be parents.  They spent big bucks on new baby furniture and buying pieces they didn't really need, but this child definitely had it all.  The second baby, a girl, was equally loved, but the parents had, by this time, learned their lesson and bought an inexpensive crib and re-used an old dresser for a changing table.  The dilemma came later when said boy's furniture converted into a full-size bed that was more than appropriate for him and would last until he left for college.  But the girl, on the other hand, had a crib she had outgrown and had to give up her dresser because it came from the guest room where its matching pieces were located.  The poor baby girl had no furniture and mom and dad did not want to spend a lot of money because we all know girls get tired of everything eventually.

So....mom shopped around on Craigslist and found the correct number of pieces of furniture she wanted plus it was a four post bed and the furniture had nice details and curves.  A full-size bed, six drawer dresser with mirror, two drawer nightstand and six drawer lingerie chest for $200.  Problem was the finish was atrocious.  It was a veneer that was supposed to look bleached or pickled.  And I'm supposing you've guessed by now that mom is me and that girl is my daughter.

Here is the only before picture of the furniture I could find.  I had completely redone her room with the canopy and all but was afraid to touch the furniture because I had never painted something that large and feared the paint wouldn't stick.

After a few months I decided it had to be done.  I did some research online and pulled different things from different places.  What I decided is that oil-based primer is the way to go...it's just superior.  Problem with anything oil-based is cleanup...it's a booger.  You have to use mineral spirits to clean up.  I decided to go with original Kilz primer.

Then I started thinking about durability.  What is the most durable paint?  Exterior house paint.  It has to be or it wouldn't withstand the elements.

So I picked up a gallon of exterior enamel, the Kilz, some fine grit sandpaper, foam brushes, foam rollers, a paint pan, latex gloves and plastic drop cloth.


Time of year, weather, where you are painting...these all need to be taken into consideration.  If you are painting in the winter, when it is raining, in your garage, it will take a great deal longer for paint to dry than if it were in the hot summer.
When you are working with paint, particularly oil-based, it is a fantastic idea to wear latex gloves.  You will save yourself from needing to drown your hands in paint thinner.
In my opinion, you should always sand.  You don't have to knock yourself out sanding but go over it moderatley...especially if it's something like veneer or something with a gloss to it.  You want to knock off the shine...paint doesn't stick to shine.
Then one coat of primer all over.  You don't have to be perfect with the primer...you are going to paint over it.  Some primers take a while to dry...read the directions.  If you are using original Kilz, it will be dry very quickly.
Then two coats of paint.  You do need to be perfect with the paint.  I recommend using foam brushes and rollers on furniture...I just hate brush strokes and wall rollers were only made for drywall. 
It is important to work quickly on large surfaces, like the top of a dresser or table, as you don't want it to start drying before you have finished rolling it or you will see the lines where you started and stopped...roll from one end to the other in a straight line...no "V" rolling like you would do on a wall.

Ally's room after painting the furniture.  To see more picture so the room, check out my Flickr link on the sidebar.

I don't like to use polyurethane unless I just have to.  It tends to bubble and not give a smooth finish and drives me crazy in general.  If I were painting a kitchen table, I would use polyurethane, but that's the only instance I can think of.  If you are determined to use it, don't shake the can to mix it up.  Gently stir it with a foam brush to avoid causing bubbles and make sure it's not damp weather when you are applying it.  It takes a super-long time to cure so be prepared to wait days.

For small pieces, like lamps or mirrors, spray paint is the way to go.  I don't usually sand these types of things unless they are just super shiny.  I do use a spray primer and then spray paint.  The key to spray paint is number of coats.  You cannot put on a thick coat of spray paint...it will run.  Use several light coats, waiting a few minutes in between.

I hope this helps with projects you've been thinking of tackling with paint but didn't know where to start.  Thanks for reading!