How to Paint Unfinished Furniture

Matt and I are slowly (okay, we are stalling) building an end table for our bedroom.  It will be a DIY project that we will share when it's complete.  We have all the pieces cut & now we just have to start putting them together.  It's sort of a daunting task, and I've finally decided that doweling the pieces in is probably the best way to put the table together, but once it's done, we'll need to paint it.

Now we have painted nearly every wall in our house.  We have painted some of the aluminum siding outside.  We painted the fence, but we have never painted furniture.  So I went searching for a quick "how-to", on how to do it correctly.  It seems simple enough, it's just about taking time to do it well.  Here is a quick tutorial from Real Simple on how to paint unfinished furniture:

1. Lay down a drop cloth:  If painting inside, you want to protect your other belongings, remove any pulls, wheels, or hardware from the piece.

2. Sand the Furniture:  For a smooth finish, use a flexible-foam sanding sponge or 220-grit sandpaper. If your piece has knots, sand them until they’re even with the grain

3. Dust Furniture:  To remove residual grit, you can use a clean cloth or a vacuum.

4. Prime:  To seal the wood, roll or paint a coat of primer over the entire piece. You can also use spray primer. Priming hides imperfections and provides a surface for the paint to adhere to. Let dry for at least an hour.  Aha! If you’re not sure whether you want a shiny or a flat finish, try flat first. You can always re-cover flat with a satin or a semi-gloss, but it’s harder to go in reverse and cover the sheen.

5. Paint:  Using a roller on large surfaces and a brush on smaller ones, apply a coat of latex paint.

6. Let Dry for at least Two Hours:  When the paint is dry, use a clean brush to apply a second coat of paint (two coats are generally the minimum needed for a nice, even finish).  Tip: Between coats, put your brush in a plastic grocery bag and stash it in the refrigerator to keep it moist. That’s faster than cleaning it and waiting for it to dry.

Check out the DIY here:  How to Paint Unfinished Wood Furniture