How and with what to treat wooden furniture before painting

Today, professional decorators and designers choose acrylic paint in their work. Having the advantage of paints of previous generations, it has a number of its own advantages, having lost the main disadvantages of oil paints and enamels.

Its main advantage is its ease of application, and you can not only repaint old furniture, but also carry out any decoration yourself.

Acrylic paint for furniture is environmentally friendly, odorless and has no harmful effects when used indoors. You can use it for children's rooms and be sure that it will not harm your child.

Advantages of acrylic paints

Let's choose acrylic paints and other water-based acrylic materials - varnishes, stains, azures and other decorative coatings for painting and painting furniture.

If you decide to paint your furniture with acrylic paint , be sure that you have made the right choice, because it has a number of advantages.

Acrylic paints have been around for over forty years, and many users rightly prefer them. These paints consist of three main components - color pigment, acrylic polymer binder and water. The coatings obtained by applying such paints are resistant to moisture and color fast.

In addition, they are vapor permeable, that is, wooden furniture elements “breathe”.

Quick drying is an excellent property of acrylic paint. After 30 - 40 minutes you can apply the next layer.

What kind of work do we do?

• Restoration of Italian furniture
• Restoration of lacquered furniture
• Restoration of kitchen facades
• Restoration of luxury furniture
• Repainting of any carpentry: doors, cabinets, tables, chairs, shelves, etc.
• Repainting IKEA products
• Restoration of acoustic systems
• Elimination of defects, replacement of paint and varnish coating, application of decor

  Factory quality, huge selection of shades and special effects.

Choosing acrylic paint for decoration

To paint furniture surfaces, you need to buy dispersed acrylic paint in a specialized or hardware store. All leading manufacturers of paints and varnishes offer a wide range of such paints.

When choosing the required color of acrylic paint for wooden furniture, you can immediately turn to the catalog, which presents at least two hundred shades, or, having purchased a white base color, you can tint it yourself. For example, using acrylic paint purchased for painting in an art salon.

The paints are perfectly mixed and tinted and are ideal for painting furniture by brush, roller or spray. Acrylic paints are sold in liter metal cans. The word “acrylic” may not be written on them. Read the fine print on the label, it says exactly what kind of paint it is, and the solvent is indicated (for acrylic paints - water).

To varnish or not

The varnish coating fixes the color, protects the surface of the furniture, and the product looks antique and well-groomed. Be sure to protect with varnish the furniture that is often opened and closed.

For varnishing, use specialized furniture (not parquet) matte or transparent varnishes. The second layer is applied 24 hours after the first coating.

Varnish choice:

Alcohol varnish is used when restoring antique objects.

New, popular acrylic varnish, odorless, suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Economical product - water is used for dilution.

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Durable alkyd varnish film withstands abrasion. A solvent is used for dilution.

Little oil varnish is used; it is often used to cover the floor. For dilution you need drying oil that dries for at least a day.

Polyurethane (ship) varnish has increased wear resistance due to the appearance of a protective, quick-drying film.

Nitrovarnishes are inexpensive and form a durable protective film. No special primer is required before coating. When applied, it is diluted with a solvent.

How to paint furniture with acrylic paint correctly

Remember an important rule: before starting work, always apply new paint to a test surface, because... Paints from different manufacturers may differ in color, even if the color name is the same.

As a rule, there are no difficulties with choosing paint of ordinary colors, but how to paint old furniture in the color of gold, silver, tin, bronze, copper or get various imitations of these colors?

To do this, you need to purchase metallic acrylic. This acrylic paint reproduces all these colors. It is necessary to obtain various imitations when painting and decorating objects and furniture elements.

To get started, purchase a selection of metallics in various shades of gold and silver. If such a set is not found, buy acrylic paint separately - light gold with any name. For light silver, buy metallic No. 806. Gold has many names, as well as shades; you will need to purchase both warm and cold tones.

Sometimes the promised paint color indicated on the tube or in the samples may not match the contents of the package. Therefore, it would be right to buy paints where you can check or see the color.

Choosing gold acrylic paint for decoration is not difficult, but choosing silver and bronze is a problem. Silver is mostly offered in dark gray, dull shades, while bronze is often copper-colored. Take advantage of the offers of Italian manufacturers.

Decoration

You can decorate old furniture with decor; this process is not at all difficult. This approach will be considered radical and fashionable at the same time. The main thing is to know what paint to apply the decor with, and which one to use to consistently carry out the decorating process. You can use anything as decoration: a drawing, make contrasting inserts, treat parts of the facade with fabric, and so on. Here are the easiest ways to restore old interior items:

1. Vinyl stickers. Not everyone is eager to first sand old furniture, then putty and prime it. If it looks very boring, despite the fact that it is new, you can decorate it with vinyl stickers. With their help, you can stylishly and efficiently revive your interior in a very short time. You will still have to degrease the surface before gluing;
2. Replacement of accessories. Sometimes simply replacing handles with more creative and stylish ones can change the appearance of furniture almost beyond recognition. Especially if they have unusual shapes, for example, animals or are made in vintage style;
3. Decorating with simple wallpaper. No special effort or knowledge is required to wallpaper furniture. The adhesive here should be PVA glue. It is applied in an even layer to the canvas and pressed tightly with a roller. After drying, the wallpaper can be coated with transparent acrylic varnish in one or several layers;
4. Furniture painted in the same style, all at once, will look colorful and unique. It is better to paint the children's room in light shades, decorating it with delicate patterns or flowers;
5. It’s easy to liven up a room if you paint all the furniture in shades contrasting with brown, for example, brown and yellow, brown and blue, brown and green go well together, red is also suitable;
6. Painting old furniture with patina or craquelure varnish is also a good option. This way it will acquire a completely new, vintage look;
7. As an alternative to painting, you can cover worn interior items with self-adhesive film, matched to fashionable valuable wood species. But this method is not considered reliable and durable. Painting in this regard is more reliable and durable.

Nuances and secrets of coloring particle boards in a new way:

1. All materials that will be used in the work (primer, putty, paint or varnish) must be purchased from the same manufacturer. This way you can achieve maximum compatibility of products with each other;
2. There is no need to be afraid of playing with colors and shades. With the right choice of color palette, you can visually increase or, conversely, decrease the space;
3. Painting old furniture should be done with brushes of different thicknesses and shapes; large areas are best painted with a roller;
4. To prevent paint from accidentally getting onto those areas that are not planned to be repainted, you need to seal it with masking tape.

To preserve the appearance and protect furniture made from very old solid wood from drying out, it should be primed before painting.

There is no need to immediately discard your old furniture. An exclusive approach, a little imagination and a few hours of time will radically change your attitude towards her. Knowing how to paint antique furniture can extend its life for several more years.

Self-adhesive wood-look film

Replacement of accessories

Vinyl sticker

Wallpaper for decoration

Contrast of coatings

Patina

Artistic acrylic for decoration and painting

Artistic acrylic is sold in tubes or jars in art supply stores. Paint in a tube resembles the consistency of oil paints; paint in jars is more liquid and similar to gouache.

To start painting furniture with acrylic paints, you need to buy a standard set of tubes in a package containing the primary colors. In the future, gaining experience when working with paints and colors, you will consciously and accurately choose what you need.

To decorate with acrylic paint, in addition to the main colors, you will need the following paints: ocher, burnt umber, natural umber, chromium oxide, olive, marsh, English red, Indian red, kraplak, Neapolitan yellow, Neapolitan blue, cobalt blue and whatever you like ! And be sure to use whitewash - they are needed for mixing paints.

White primer can be used for mixing instead of white, and black primer can successfully replace black paint.

You will need acrylic artistic primer to coat wooden objects before painting. It comes in white and black and is sold in packages of different capacities. The amount of soil required will depend on the size of the furniture. Keep in mind that the primer is applied in two layers.

Tools and materials

How to paint furniture to get a quality product that will last for many years? The process is quite serious and has some peculiarities. The production uses special painting equipment. You can purchase it or make it yourself. In the latter case, you will need diagrams and drawings for the paint booth.

If you are painting furniture yourself, you need to understand what types of paints there are and how they interact with different materials. Tools and materials needed for painting furniture:

• putty knife;
• sandpaper, a piece of whetstone (grinder or other alternatives);
• dye;
• varnish;
• brushes or roller;
• masking tape;
• putty;
• primer.

In addition, you will need the product itself and protective equipment: gloves, clothing and glasses. To apply paint in an even layer, you can use a spray gun or spray gun. Such tools are mainly used when the surface area to be painted is very large. They will help speed up the process and save time and effort. For small products or their parts, it is recommended to use brushes or a roller. The paint is applied in one direction. One layer is often not enough, so the work is repeated 1-2 more times. The second and subsequent layers can be applied only if the previous layer has dried well.

Recommendations for working with paint

To work with acrylic paint, it is better to use synthetic brushes. Acrylic dissolves in water, and brushes and palettes are washed with water. After drying, acrylic becomes insoluble and can ruin brushes if they are not thoroughly washed immediately. When this is not possible during work, let the brush be in a jar of water. After finishing your work, be sure to wash and dry your brushes.

When painting old furniture with your own hands, it is important to know that dried acrylic cannot be removed with water; it can hardly be scraped off and sanded.

Recommendations for working with acrylic paint:

• If you stain your clothes, the paint must be washed off immediately, before it dries, by rinsing the fabric in plenty of water.
• After work, you should tightly close the tube or jar, otherwise the paint will dry out. Pre-clean the neck of any remaining paint so that you can open the package without effort next time.
• Once applied to the surface, water evaporates from acrylic paint and it becomes frost-resistant. But leaving paint packaging (cans and tubes) at subzero temperatures is strictly prohibited; the paint will deteriorate, losing all its properties.

Stages of preparing furniture for repainting

It is recommended to prepare a separate room for working with furniture, because dust and odors cannot be avoided during restoration. And no one will touch the object. It is also worth taking care of safety glasses, gloves and a gown.

Inspection

A thorough inspection of furniture items will help identify and eliminate malfunctions, breakdowns and defects.

Dismantling is not necessary, but individual parts are easier to paint. Fixed fittings and difficult to attach elements are not removed. To protect them, use masking tape or tape.

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Small objects or simple designs can be painted without disassembling. They also do not disassemble it in cases where only the façade of the furniture is painted.

Removing old coating

Soviet wooden furniture is covered with varnish, which can be cleaned off, but first of all the product is washed with a sponge and detergent and dried with napkins.

To repaint furniture, you first need to remove the varnish, which is quite difficult. To do this, use one of three methods:

Mechanical . Removal with a spatula; a flat screwdriver will help in hard-to-reach places. It's easier to do this if you take a sander or coarse sandpaper.

Chemical . Use special washes. They are applied and left for 2-3 hours - a more precise exposure period can be specified in the instructions.

The blistered surface is cleaned using a spatula or sandpaper. The remaining wash is removed using a weakly concentrated vinegar solution.

Thermal method . It is safe and effective to use a hair dryer, the hot air of which softens old paint. All that remains is to take a spatula and remove the layers of coating.

In rare cases, the varnish coating is removed with a grinder to which a metal brush is attached. Care is required here so as not to damage the wood.

Sanding

A necessary procedure to improve the adhesion of a smooth surface to paint. Sandpaper makes wood or laminate rough. First, sand with fine-grained sandpaper, then with zero-grade soft paper.

Movements are performed along the wood pattern, and not across. After this, degrease using white spirit (acetone). Apply with a brush and let dry.

Putty and priming

Old furniture often has scratches, cracks, and chips, which are repaired with latex or epoxy putty before painting. It is worth priming the surfaces before puttying, this will cover small defects, leaving severe damage visible.

After drying, the putty areas are treated with zero-grade sandpaper and primed in 2 layers. Dry for 12 hours.

Prime with a special solution with an acrylic base so that the paint is distributed evenly and adheres firmly. The polyurethane composition is more expensive, but is suitable for wood, glass, tiles, and other surfaces. The quality of the primer affects the strength of the paint layer.

Important! Before priming, do not use a damp cloth or sponge to remove debris.

Mixing acrylic paints: table and rules

When painting furniture with acrylic paint, you can immediately buy paint of the required color or shade. Or you can learn how to mix acrylic paints yourself by purchasing only the base white color. But to paint and decorate furniture, you will in any case have to mix the paints yourself to achieve the desired tone.

Let's look at the rules and the process of mixing acrylic paints using the example of obtaining ivory paint. The volume of the mixture components is indicated conditionally so that the proportions are clear. It is impossible to give an exact recipe, since each manufacturer of artistic paints has its own color saturation of pigments, and paints with the same name rarely match in color.

To mix, take paints: white 96%, light ocher 2%, cadmium yellow 1%, lemon 1%.

1. Start mixing, gradually introducing ocher into the white with a brush, then all the other colors.
2. While mixing, do color tests on a sheet of white paper.
3. Based on the samples you have made, gradually add white paint or other components of the batch.
4. Experiment with the ingredients, achieving different shades, but do not forget that acrylic paints darken after drying, changing tone.

When mixing paints yourself, use burnt umber instead of black paint to create more organic, subtle dark shades.

Below is a visual table for mixing acrylic paints with which you can easily experiment and create new colors:

Varnish coating

To give painted furniture the necessary shine, the surfaces should be varnished. To do this you will need:

You can paint furniture with a brush or spray.

• acrylic lacquer;
• a brush for working with varnish or a foam sponge;
• latex gloves.

After the paint has completely dried, we begin to apply the varnish coating. To do this, we use acrylic varnish, which we apply to wooden parts with a foam sponge or brush in one direction. The varnish should be applied in 2-3 layers.

After applying each layer, you must wait until it dries according to the instructions for use.

Practical advice

When painting furniture, as in any other renovation work, there are certain secrets. They will not only help you do everything faster, but will also allow you to save money and also provide an excellent appearance.

1. 
   When selecting materials (primer, putty and paint), it is better to identify one good manufacturer and buy all products only from him. This is based on the fact that often the manufacturer develops a coating for a specific type of surface to suit the operating conditions. This will make it easier to choose a material that is ideally compatible with each other.

2. Play with colors. Correctly chosen colors will make it possible to visually enlarge the space. The color of furniture and walls in contrast will give the perfect style in any design.
3. Before you begin, you should purchase a few rollers and brushes. Rollers work well on wide surfaces, and brushes are good for painting fittings.
4. Masking tape. Using tape will help you prevent unnecessary painting from areas that have already been painted. You should not rely on a solvent - when used, it will dissolve not only unnecessary paint, but also that which is on the layer below. Masking tape will help you prevent such mistakes.
5. When painting, use a respirator in the form of a mask or do it in a well-ventilated area. Although many paints and varnishes do not contain toxins and do not have a strong odor, such precautions will not be superfluous.

Restoring leather furniture

If your favorite leather sofa has scuffs, or a soft, comfortable chair is cracked, you can restore them to proper condition at home. Of course, it is better to entrust complete repairs to professionals who have special tools. But painting leather furniture will help refresh the appearance and give the interior nobility.

Furniture varnishing

To do this, you need to purchase a leather dye. Using different colors, you can achieve the natural desired shade. But it should be remembered that you should not try to dye it white if you have skin that is too dark.

Painted shelves in the kitchen

Before you start painting leather furniture, you need to degrease it and remove all accumulated dirt. To do this, it is recommended to use acetone, which completely prepares the skin for coloring.

Red chair

Experts recommend slightly moistening the furniture so that the paint is better absorbed. It is better to apply the liquid using a spray bottle. It is worth painting in small sections, starting with inconspicuous areas, moving towards the middle of the furniture.

Painting furniture in Provence style

To achieve the optimal effect, it is necessary to apply several layers of paint, but after the previous one has completely dried. Usually about 3 applications are required. To secure the result, a topcoat for the leather is used. Depending on the chosen style, a glossy or matte finish is used.

Painting an old bedside table

Almost any furniture can be restored. This does not require expensive means or special skills. It is enough to have the skills to work with a brush, purchase sandpaper, paint and get in a creative mood. Then any grandma’s chest of drawers or a dear buffet will literally sparkle with new colors and fit into a modern apartment.

Features of painting furniture

To ensure that the coloring result does not disappoint, you should carefully consider the choice of paint. On the jars, a conscientious manufacturer always indicates the composition and what materials it is suitable for. So, due to their properties, pentaphthalic paints are suitable for working with garden furniture, but are completely unsuitable for home use.

To create the effect of plastic and glossy shine, thixotropic paint is used, which has a viscous texture, so you need to get used to working with it.

For an impeccable stylish interior, antique furniture painting is often used. To do this, it is important to preserve the structure of the tree. Therefore, it is imperative to use stain, which is presented in a wide range of color shades of natural wood. Stain brings out the natural grain of wood on antique-painted furniture.

Painting leather furniture