Painting old wood, the complete story

Have a piece of old furniture that you are not sure what to do with?  Thought about painting it?  Time to get over your "purist, never paint over wood" point of view.  Here is a secret.  Most wood in your home, even old stuff is not genuine hardwood.  Yes, it may be wood, but chances are it has a veneer (a thin layer of wood), usually something that looks like Oak, over a lesser expensive wood.  This has been a trick of the furniture industry for many decades now.  When you go to try to "refinish" these pieces, the veneer will come off in chunks, or simply wear down to reveal something not as lovely underneath.  Time to give that old piece a new look.  Before we go on, I have another trick to bring old wood back to life, even veneer, but not in this story....To do a "redoux" here is the primer:

 

 

 

 

This is somewhat what your pile of supplies will look like:

 

 

Supplies needed: 

• TSP cleaner
• Rubber Gloves
• Old Rags
• Palm Power Sander (a must for doing furniture, you can purchase a good one for around $40)
• Tack Cloths
• Big Chip Brush (for dusting out crevices where tack cloth cannot reach)
• Good quality Primer.  My personal favorite is "Zinsser" brand.  I prefer Water based, unless working in bathrooms, or iron bed pieces.....that is a different post.....
• Medium Grit Sandpaper for power sander
• Fine "" ""
• Sheets of Fine Grit sand paper (for reaching hard to reach places, if you prefer)
• Plastic Paint Trays
• Rollers with fuzzy nap (for Primer and two or three coats of paint)
• Foam Roller (for top coat)
• Good Quality Angled brushes.  I like "Purdy" brand
• Big paint cans or Big cans to "Prop" your piece up on while you work
• Latex gloves (esp. during priming, you will have a very difficult time getting this off your hands)
• Paint or your choosing, I like Sherwin Williams for the color and quality.  I choose "Duration" because it holds up well on furniture 
• If I am doing a Basic White or Black, with Glaze, or Kitchens.....
• My #1 go to is "Modern Masters, zero VOC paint.  This must be special ordered through a dealer. 

http://modernmasters.com/  

• My #1 choice of paint dealer from your neighborhood?  Sherwin Williams
• Top Coat in your gloss of choice.  (I use Minwax)

 

Make sure you have everything handy before you start.  If you are an avid cook, then consider the supplies your "mise en place".  Meaning, you have everything you need in place.  That way, you won't go searching for the right item, when time is crucial.

 

To get a more even coverage, (and not introduce dust particles from the floor), I always like to "prop" my pieces up on old paint cans. 

 

 

 

 

1)Before beginning work on a new piece, I always clean it thoroughly with TSP.  This ensures a proper adhesion of primer and paint.  If you skip this step, or do it after sanding, you run the risk of oils and dirt in the wood working their way out of the wood over time to damage your hard won finish.  Be sure to wear your rubber gloves in this step! 

 

2)After cleaning, (it dries fast), lightly sand the piece with a power sander with medium grit paper, if piece is poor condition to even out the finish.  Go over the piece again with Fine paper to smooth it out.  The point here is to just give the finish some "teeth".  You do not need to sand off the finish.  A big waste of time if you do this. 

 

3) Take your large chip brush and "dust" off as much as you can.  Go over it again in great detail with a tack cloth. 

 

4) You are ready for prime time!  Poor only what you think you will need into the tray.  DON'T EVER pour paint back into the can after you have used it in the tray.  It is contaminated with dust particles now, you will only contaminate your whole can of paint if you do this.  Roll in long strokes back and forth with fuzzy roller to cover as much of piece as you can.  Use good quality brush to get in nooks and crannies.  Wrap brushes and rollers in plastic bags, tight, while you wait for primer to dry.  When dry to the touch, lightly sand with fine sand paper, repeat tack cloth process.  Apply second coat.  When dry, lightly sand again, repeat tack process.

 

5) Follow same steps with paint as you did with primer.  Two or three coats of your color choice will probably be enough, depending on your color choice.  Reds, Oranges and bright greens tend to take more coats.  Be sure to lightly sand between each coat.

 

6) When you have achieved desired look, you can either slightly "distress" the edges for an antiqued look, or leave as is.  Poor small amount of top coat into a paint tray.  Use the "Foam" roller for this step.  Roll in one direction, then overlap coming back, (like vacuuming).  If necessary, use a foam brush to smooth it out.  Apply two to three coats. 

 

Let dry for 24 hours before using or moving.

 

Voila, you have a new "Redoux"!