How to: Paint Furniture
/Have an out-of-date piece that needs some revamping? Or maybe you’ve found a hidden gem on the side of the road that needs some TLC. Whatever it is, don’t fear for Clancy’s is here to help you create a jaw-dropping piece with high-quality paint.
Here is all you’ll need to get the job done right!
Prep Supplies
TSP
Drop Cloths
Painter’s Tape
Sanding Blocks
Tack Cloth/Microfibre cloth
Paint Supplies
Brush(s)
Mohair/Microfibre Roller 4”
Roller Handle 4”
Mini Paint Tray
Let’s get started!
PREP
Take off any pieces you don’t wish to be painted or cover them with plastic/tape.
CLEAN
Ensure the piece of furniture is free of grease, dust, dirt and grime to ensure maximum adhesion with products. Use soap and water or TSP (a heavy duty degreaser) for hard to clean spots.
SAND
To ensure the best adhesion, sanding is always recommended. Whether it’s varnish, old paint, or factory finished materials, sanding will create a flat surface to apply paint to.
CLEAN again
After you’ve sanded, it’s important to get rid of any and all dust residue so that it won’t clump up the paint. A tack cloth (sticky to pick up dust easier) or a microfibre cloth work best!
PRIME
For BEST adhesion practices, priming is vital because it creates the base coat for the paint to stick to. Its process of adhesion differs from sanding because it also aids in coverage for the paint. When a substrate is bare, it is usually quite porous, so priming will help seal the base coat for the finish coat to cover better on top. For extra coverage, ask to get your primer tinted, especially when doing darker colours.
STIX primer is an excellent high adhesion primer for any hard-to-stick surfaces. It is both interior and exterior and is available in quarts or gallons at your local Clancy’s Rainbow Benjamin Moore dealer.
PAINT
Now is finally time for the best part! Benjamin Moore’s waterborne alkyd paint called Advance is an excellent product for furniture. This product cleans up with water but dries to a hard oil-like finish to ensure maximum durability. Available in Pearl, Semi-Gloss or High Gloss finish in both quarts and gallons tintable to almost any colour, you have plenty of options for your project needs. Advance is great to use in a sprayer, rolled on or brushed on; it has excellent leveling properties to not see so many brush strokes for your finished piece.
Key Notes about Advance:
Dries to touch in 4-6 hours (meaning it’s safe to move a piece if you need to adjust things)
Re-coat time is 16 hours (doing it before it is dry may result in paint peeling because wet paint won’t stick to semi-wet paint very well)
Cure time is 5-7 days minimum (this varies depending on environment - humidity, heat, etc.)
Patiences is a virtue when it comes to painting, and mostly it’s about the prep, but the payoff is well worth the time and effort! Repurposing furniture has many benefits and is accessible for more than just professionals to obtain high quality results!
