How to Paint Furniture & A Reveal.

I finished the little project I was telling you about! We had little cabinet in the dining room that had beautiful lines but the color and painted floral pattern were far from my taste. On the weekend, I got to priming the piece and giving it a couple of coats of Martha Stewart's Plumage paint. Using this color was a bit out of my comfort zone but I must say, I'm really loving it!

I've painted a lot of pieces over the years so here are my painting tips based solely on what I have learned. This project didn't turn out as well as others so I will also share where I think I may have gone wrong. If you aren't interested in painting furniture, fair enough, scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the finished product!

1. A light sanding of the piece. It was a bit glossy and I wanted to get rid of the sheen so that the paint would adhere properly. I like sanding sponges in a medium grain. 

2. I washed it with TSP and rinsed it well with a damp cloth. Let dry.

3. A good coat of tinted latex primer. It may not have been necessary to use tinted with this color but I had it on hand. It doesn't have to be perfect even in tone. Just make sure it isn't too thick and that it's evenly coated. Let dry overnight or at least the drying time listed on your can.

I had the primer out so I figured I might as well do a couple of other pieces I've 

been meaning to do, as well. More on those another day!

4. A good brush and a small foam roller are my tools of choice. I did two thin coats, allowing drying time between each. Brush in all the nooks and crannies, then roll all the flat surfaces blending the brush strokes. Thin coats are key. Three thin coats always wins over two thick goopy ones!

5. Let paint dry completely then apply a couple thin coats of water based Varathane or Minwax Polycrylic with a sponge brush. This will give the piece a protective finish in a satin, semi-gloss or gloss sheen. This give you that extra protection for those well used pieces and makes it oh-so shiny and pretty! If you are looking for a more matte look I would try a wax.

6. Let it dry at least 48 hours before placing anything on the piece. I think this is almost the hardest part or maybe I'm just incredibly impatient!

So what went wrong with my piece? Well, I really wanted a high gloss finish on the cabinet and went ahead and used high-gloss latex paint. When using high-gloss paint, your brush strokes and "orange peel" effect often caused by foam rollers, become more apparent. I was trying to skip step 5 yet achieve the same effect and failed. If I were to to it again, I would use my typical eggshell paint then use a high-gloss poly at the end. Live and learn!

Also, this was the first time I used a latex primer. Although it's messy and smelly, oil base is my primer of choice. Especially if you are painting a wood piece, you really want to seal out those stains and knots. 

Here is the finished piece, imperfections and all.

Such pretty legs.

All styled up.

Have a ever mentioned how much I love my brass birds?

The paint color with soon be changing and I have plans for what will hang over the piece. The white mirror will be moved to the front entry. I love making changes! So fun :)

Sharing this post over at Serenity Now and Miss Mustard Seed.