The No-Fuss Guide to Painting Furniture

From supplies recommendations to the step-by-step process, this must-read guide will help you become an expert in painting wood furniture.

---

This post is created in partnership with Handy Products. Thank you for supporting brands I truly love and personally use.

The pièce de résistance of my parent’s master bedroom makeover is giving their 1980’s Chippendale-style dresser a new lease on life. A piece my parents bought when they were first married, it’s an expensive pine dresser that was given a dark stain and “fancy” Chippendale-style pulls back-in-the-day to dress it up. My mom was SO on board with re-doing this piece for her new space, and I was more than up to the challenge!

I have to admit this dresser gave me a run for my money. At first, I was stumped as to how to bring it into the now. Knowing that the inexpensive pine wood might not strip down the best, I turned to paint and landed on a serene grey-green. I didn’t yet have a clear direction on hardware, so I decided to start painting hoping that would offer some clarity.

I was surprised at how removing the hardware and adding a simple coat of paint transformed the once dated-feeling scalloped base and faux-dentil molding details. Suddenly these elements felt more handcrafted and bespoke, like ones we’re seeing from designers like Beata Heuman .

From brass scroll pulls to Danish-style mushroom knobs, the hardware swap made for an all-around more casual feel. I also shifted the placement of the knobs on the bottom three drawers so they align vertically with the top two drawers. A detail often found in Shaker-style furniture, vertically aligning the knobs further distanced the piece from its 80’s Chippendale roots.

When the current stay-at-home ban is lifted, I’m very much looking forward to delivering this beauty back to my parents bedroom, but for now it’s sitting pretty in our office!

General Painting Guidelines for Wood Furniture

Now that you have some backstory on this project, let’s get into the specifics of how exactly to go about painting a piece of your own. Below I’ll cover general information such as brush/roller, paint, and paint vessel recommendations, the step-by-step process for painting wood furniture, as well as tips for swapping hardware. Through this guide you’ll become an expert in tackling your own piece!

Brushes and Rollers

Rollers: For most furniture projects, I use a good quality 4” microfiber roller to apply the first coat of paint. The roller creates a thin base layer, and you can cover a lot of surface area in a short amount of time, making that first coat of paint fly by and also dry quickly. Microfiber helps prevent bubbles of paint from popping up on the surface as you paint, and it’ll give you that nice, flat finish.

Brushes: For water-based paints like the paint I’m using here, I use a good quality synthetic fiber brush, like a 2-3” sash brush. The synthetic fibers are slippery enough to release the paint as you brush it on, leaving behind fewer brush marks.

Before you begin, run your fingers through the fibers and bristles of your rollers/brushes and pull out any loose material like fuzz or bristles. Even good quality brushes will lose bristles from time to time. 

Why Decant Your Paint?

Anytime you’re painting or staining, it’s a good idea to pour the paint into another container and then paint from the separate container to avoid introducing dirt or anything else that might change the color/consistency of the paint you’re not yet ready to use. There are two vessels I find make the painting process easier:

Handy Craft Cup

I’ve used the Handy Craft Cup on several projects, and I love it for the thumbhole feature that makes it really convenient to take around with you as you paint your piece. Not to mention, it’s super lightweight, so no thumb-fatigue here! It’s a great size for painting furniture pieces like a dresser because surprisingly dressers don’t take all that much paint.

Handy Craft Tray

The Handy Craft Tray is the perfect companion to the 4” microfiber roller because it has a built-in 4” roller pan, and like the Craft Cup, it has the ergonomic thumb hole for carrying your paint and roller around with you while painting furniture.

Paint Recommendation

The paint I use on nearly all my large painted furniture projects is a water-based paint called Fusion Mineral Paint. Overall, I’ve found it’s the easiest paint to work with. On most wood surfaces, even lacquer, you don’t need a primer—just a good scuff with 220 grit sandpaper. Not needing to prime saves a ton of time spent on your project. It also has a built-in topcoat, and is a Zero VOC formula. For this project, I’m using color: Bedford.

Step by Step Painting Guide

Supplies Checklist for Painting Furniture:

• 220 Grit Sand Paper
• Face Mask (wear while sanding)
• Natural Surface Cleaner/Lint Free Cloth
• Water Based Paint
• Handy Craft Cup
• Handy Craft Tray
• Synthetic Fiber Paint Brush, such as a 2” Sash Brush
• 4” Microfiber Paint Roller

Furniture Prep

Prepping your piece is super important as it sets the foundation for good paint adhesion. Don’t skimp on prep! With that said, if your piece is stained or painted and in pretty good condition (not much chipping paint, rusty metal, etc.), the prep work is pretty darn easy.*

1. Wipe down the piece with a surface cleaner and rag/paper towel.
2. Lightly rough up the entire surface of the piece with 220 grit sandpaper to help paint adhere to it. Then wipe down again to remove sanding dust. And that’s it. Now we can get to the fun part!

*If the piece has a wax finish, (if you can lift the surface with a scratch of your fingernail) use mineral spirits to remove the wax finish.

1. “Decant” your paint into a separate paint cup or vessel and begin applying paint with nice long, strokes whether with a roller or a brush. Try to paint edge-to-edge, if possible.

• I like to do my first coat with a small 4” roller, and use a paint brush for the 2^nd coat for a subtle hand-painted look.
• Don’t overload your paint brush or roller with paint. Use the scraper lip on the Craft Cup and Craft Tray to remove excess paint. It’s better to do two thin coats than one thick coat. Less is more.
• Try to resist over-brushing or rolling once you’ve applied paint to avoid prominent brush strokes and unwanted texture.
• No need to paint in the direction of the wood grain, like you would when staining. You can paint uni-directionally.

2. Allow paint to dry about 2-4 hours between coats, though 12 hours is optimum, especially when painting over glossy surfaces.

Recommendations for Patching & Swapping Hardware

If you’re decided on new hardware prior to painting your dresser, I’d recommend patching/sanding/redrilling holes prior to painting. I, on the other hand, needed to see the dresser painted before I could make a decision, so I did my hardware patching between coats of paint.

Supplies Checklist for Patching Holes & Swapping Hardware

• Wood Filler
• Putty Knife, Scraper, or Credit Card (Basically anything with a crisp, flat edge)
• 220 Grit Sandpaper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Electric Drill
• New Hardware

1. If changing your dresser’s hardware and moving from a handle to a knob, or vice versa, use wood filler to fill in unwanted holes. The somewhat unconventional method that I’ve found works great is squeezing the wood filler directly into the hole from the tube. Then using a scraper to pull and flatten the putty around the perimeter of the hole, leaving a bit excess putty protruding out from the filled hole. You want a little extra to sand off once it dries, leaving a perfectly flush surface with no sign of the original hole.
2. Allow about 2 hours for the wood filler to dry. Then sand with 220 grit sandpaper until you reach a smooth surface to the touch.
3. While the wood filler cures, mark and drill for your new hardware location.

Folks, that’s a wrap on painting wood furniture! Logistics aside, I say equip yourself with the right supplies and GO FOR IT! You’ve got this. I have a feeling you’ll find it pretty, darn relaxing once you’re in the groove! Have questions? Leave them below, I’ll do my best to help!

More DIY Furniture Adventures:

• DIY Danish Modern Coffee Table
• DIY Floating Media Cabinet
• DIY Quirky Little Stool