How to Paint wood Furniture

In this post I share my steps on how to paint wood furniture. Years ago My sister Nicole and I started Double Arrow Designs. You can read all about it here in my blog post.

My bedroom had an assortment of mismatched furniture pieces. Painting the wood furniture would be an easy way to make everything cohesive. I have mentioned in my last blog post, can read here, about my good friend Nicole Delacruz who went from designing children’s wear to Interior Design.

We spoke in great lengths on what I envisioned my new bedroom should look like. We decided on “paper white” by Benjamin Moore for the walls, then a deeper grey “Ashland Slate” also by Benjamin Moore for my painted wood furniture pieces and black spray paint in pearl finish for my wrought iron bed.

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Clean your piece

Take a wood cleaner, or damp cloth and take all the dust and grime off your piece. This is so important because you want a smooth surface. Painted dust is not a pretty sight.

Prime it!

I do not sand it, I prime it. The reason for this is that a primer will block out any wood that may come through and sanding is just such a long, tedious chore that will make you lose interest before you even finish.

Choosing your Paint

I have tried chalk paint, I am personally not a fan. I like to use regular house paint for a few reasons:

1. You can choose any color that a brand has to offer this gives you a huge choice of colors. I personally like Benjamin Moore.
2. I buy the Benjamin Moore “tester” this small amount of paint is sufficient to paint a whole dresser with 2 coats. It goes a long way.
3. All “tester” colors come in eggshell finish which I prefer on my painted pieces. I do add a sealer that I will talk about later in this post.
4. Price! My local hardware store sells testers for under $10.00.

Once I have chosen my color, I will apply two coats of paint over my primed piece. I prefer to use Purdy brushes. Buying a pack with different sizes will help when painting different areas. They are a little more expensive, but I have had mine for years. As long as you maintain and clean them they will last a long time.

Sealing your piece

Once I have completed all three layers on my piece, I now seal it with a poly acrylic. I use MINWAX POLYACRYLIC I like this product because it seals your paint and protects it. I use the matte finish so that my finished product has an eggshell appearance.

Adding hardware

I love to change, or add knobs where I can, this adds a whole new look to a newly painted piece. For my credenza I chose 30MM crystal knobs 12 pack that I bought on amazon that will carry out to my night tables so that they all have a cohesive look.

Now this is where I can add a finishing touch that can make an ordinary painted wood furniture super special.This process when used it sparingly can add a pop to any piece. I use Barnabas Blattgold genuine silver leaf. I like the sheets because its easier to manage and you do not need a lot! First I use speedball Monalisa Adhesive. Use a small paint brush and you paint the area you want the foil to adhere to. Let the glue dry slightly so its tacky, then with a clean small brush carefully apply the foil to the glued area. I use painters tape to give myself a sharp clean edge.

There you have it! My whole process on my painted bedroom pieces. I will follow up when I have the whole room redone. My end result will be spectacular! Check out my other post here, where I paint an old wrought iron patio set!

1. Silver leaf Sheets
2. Metal Leaf adhesive
3. Gliding Brush
4. Purdy Brushes
5. Painters Tape
6. Poly acrylic sealer
7. Benjamin Moore sample colors in grey