When I first moved into my house six years ago I started upcycling furniture because buying everything new was expensive and would have resulted in every room furnished from the same IKEA catalogue. I’ve fallen into the habit of upcycling because I enjoy doing it—it means every piece tells a story—but also because I discovered that good paint finish is the difference between amateur and investment-quality looking furniture.
What follows isn’t tricks of the trade that professionals don’t want you to know. There are no egregious secrets squirrelled away by the decorators’ trade. This guide is made up of techniques that genuinely make a difference, explained clearly so anyone can do it. Some of these tips cost more money, some save you money. Some take extra time, some save you time. If you understand why and when to use each technique you can make your own decisions about what matters to you most—saving money, getting great results, or limiting your DIY time.
All furniture painting starts with two basics. What you paint with, and how you prepare the surface. Getting either of these wrong can ruin an upcycling project, so choose your paint carefully and leave time for proper surface prep. You don’t need to be a professional painter to achieve amazing results. But you do need to know how paints perform differently depending on what’s underneath them, and what kind of prep will give you the perfect smooth finish.
| Concern | Solution |
|---|---|
| You care about cost | Deciding whether to upcycle furniture yourself comes down to how much your time is worth. Painting furniture can be highly affordable if you do it yourself, but it also takes time. Use mid-range paint on well-prepared surfaces and your DIY skills will look as professional as anybody charging for labour. |
| You care about ethics | Furniture refinishing is a $10 billion industry (IBISWorld). When you do it yourself you can choose whether to use eco-friendly paint, keep harmful chemicals out of landfill, and exactly how much labour you pay someone else for if you can’t do it yourself. |
| You care about your walls | Did you know painting furniture produces tons of dust? Sanding, spraying, even brushing produces fine particulates that can stain your walls. Mask door frames and nearby walls if you’re painting furniture in the room it will live in, and always paint in well-ventilated areas. |
| You care about the end result | Upcycling furniture is partly about making old pieces look fresh and loved again. But if you choose flat finishes on pieces that will get daily wear you’re going to end up trying to clean greasy fingerprints off painted surfaces every day. Choose paint finishes that match how you will use the piece. |
Upcycling furniture isn’t just for boho-chic settees and crafts fair coffee tables. You can upcycle existing furniture to make stylish rooms that work for your life, rather than gravitating toward whatever looks are retail venues pushing at the moment. Here’s how to make sure your finished pieces look like thousands of pounds worth of interior designer, rather than something your teenage son painted while she was waiting for him.
By far the biggest mistake I see from DIY furniture painters is choosing paint without thinking about what it will do to their health. Oil-based paints, proper paint gloss, solvents for cleaning brushes. All of these contain VOCs. Volatile Organic Compounds. They’re chemicals that evaporate at room temperature. When you paint they make their way into the air you breathe.
Lead is the best known VOC, and it used to be common in household paint. It still is in some parts of the world. Lead poisoning from old paint is very rare in the UK. What you don’t know about VOCs can damage your health. Always work in ventilated areas, ideally outdoors, when upcycling furniture. Open windows and use extractor fans if you’re working indoors. Wear a mask if you’ll be painting for longer than a few minutes. But ideally choose low-VOC paint options wherever possible.
Skip the White Spirit and brush cleaner—the toxins they contain are almost as bad as oil-based paints—and buy brushes you can clean with soap and water. Wash your brushes immediately after painting and hang them to dry bristle-down so the water doesn’t damage the glue that holds them in the ferrule. They’ll last for years that way.
Paint Types and Varnishes
While we’re on the subject, what’s the difference between paint and varnish anyway? Lovely, environmentally-conscious reader that you are, you may be asking how quickly different paints biodegrade once they end up in landfill.
First things first. Paint and varnish are not interchangeable. Varnish is applied on top of paint to protect it. It’s usually hardwearing and wipe-cleanable once dried, and comes in different sheens from matt to high gloss. We’ll talk about that later when choosing paint finishes.
Until next week, keep calm and carry on upcycling!
## What’s in Your Tool Kit?
Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, the next step is gathering materials. Having the right tools for the job means your projects go smoothly and you’re less likely to injure yourself using cheap paintbrushes with bristles that fall out. If you’re buying brushes for the first time stop reading and go buy brushes right now. I’ll wait.
Good ones.
Different surfaces require different prep techniques. Paint doesn’t bond to glossy paint and it sticks poorly to high-gloss varnish. Cleaning is important—paint won’t stick to grease or dirt. If you’re upcycling antique furniture and want to keep the ingrained dirt for aesthetic reasons, that’s fine. Mask it off before you prep surrounding areas. A tricky surface like this is where using specialist gels really helps paint adhere.
If you’re painting laminate furniture it should already feel slightly rough to the touch. If it’s glossy or super-smooth, you need to scuff it up before painting. Done properly, using the correct paint and prep, you can paint over laminate without it showing through no matter what colour you’re painting over.
Similar rules apply for varnished surfaces and treated wood. Sand thoroughly before painting. Once you’ve removed the gloss you can paint over varnished wood and expect great results.
Got furniture that’s already painted but doesn’t match your room? Once you’ve done your prep and made sure the paint is in good condition you can paint over paint just like you would with new wood. It helps to tint your primer the opposite shade of the colour you’re painting over to ensure complete coverage. Use white primer to cover dark paints and grey/black primer to cover light colours.
One last surfacetype to mention—fabric covered chairs. You can paint upholstery too! It won’t look like new upholstery but you can combine fabric painting with re-upholstery techniques to refresh any chair or cushion that’s suffered years of scratches and general family wear.
Upholstery fabric paints are designed to flex when seated and retain colour better than regular paint. Don’t paint seats that will get heavy use with outdoor paint or you’ll have slick blue chairs when the summer heat hits.
(This is an updated version of an article that originally appeared on 2 July 2020).
People who are ruthless about setting things aside will paint whole rooms while holding their regular intake of food and drink in one hand. If that’s not you (and please don’t let paint lime-green Coachbags, body parts are surprisingly porous), make sure there’s plenty to eat and drink within reach before you start painting.
It should go without saying, but wear old clothes you don’t mind getting paint on and cover your floors. Eating and drinking helps, but be careful not to drink yourself silly while you’re painting furniture indoors. Water-based paints are low-VOC, sure, but they’re still nasty stuff you don’t want to breathe.
Let’s talk technique. Most people have heard you should “cut in” paint at edges and around details with a brush. Then use a roller or larger brush to fill in larger areas. That’s not wrong; you absolutely should use a brush as your primary tool for painting edges and fine furniture.
What you might not know is how to cut in like a professional. Painting takes patience. Even when you know what you’re doing every coat is hundreds of brush strokes that all need to be applied carefully and consistently.
Don’t forget to paint beneath doors and door frames! Paint will stain and look obviously reused if you skimp here. Again, you want nice smooth edges. This technique helps.
Start by painting the very edge of your trim with brush held vertically. Next, hold your brush at a 45-degree angle and paint parallel to the edge, starting and finishing with a vertical stroke.
Paint around the edge, stopping about six inches from the corner. When you reach the corner, paint across it diagonally, just as you would cut in along a straight edge. Paint down the adjacent wall, again finishing each stroke with vertical brush strokes. Pro tip: use the brush from your roller kit to cut in. It has a neat angled edge that’s made for this exact purpose.
Got this far? Congratulations, you know how to paint like a pro.
Want to make sure your finished pieces look fantastic no matter what technique you use? Keep reading for furniture painting tips that every DIYer should know.
