How to Repaint a Chair

Painting a chair gives it a fresh look and allows you to coordinate it when redecorating or moving it to a different room. With a little preparation, you can paint furniture and produce professional results.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Paint
• Spray gun
• Polyurethane

1. Sand the entire piece with a fine-grit sandpaper. If you take the time to do this well, your final product will look much more impressive. Sanding removes the finish on the chair and prepares it to accept the primer and paint, resulting in a much-higher-quality finish.

2. Wipe the furniture clean with a tack cloth. The tack cloth removes the dust and debris that accumulates during sanding and provides you with a clean piece of furniture to paint.

3. Apply the primer. If you're painting the chair a vivid color, look for a primer that is similar in color to reduce the number of coats you'll need to apply.

4. Paint the chair using cans of spray paint or a paint gun for best results. Apply several light coats rather than try for a full-coverage coat, since this is likely to create streaks and runs.

5. Add details if you so choose, such as stripes, polka dots or stenciled shapes. Use painter's tape to create straight lines, or try the eraser on the back of a pencil for perfect, even polka dots. Cut stencils out of wax paper for more complicated shapes.

6. Protect your painted chair with a coat of polyurethane. You can either brush it on or use a spray.

Tips & Warnings

• Inspect the chair for defects or faults before you go to the trouble of painting it. Making any necessary repairs before you start means you don't have to touch up your work later.