How to Paint Wooden Furniture

There is no need to discard wooden furniture that looks like the paint has seen better days. With a little bit of time and work, you can have the piece looking as good as new. You’ll have to do a little preparation work on the wooden furniture first, but that is simple as well.

Things You'll Need

• Paint suitable for wood
• Wood putty
• Sanding block
• Fine sandpaper
• Small paint brush
• Screwdriver (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove any projecting hardware, such as knobs or brackets, if you are working on a dresser that has drawers with knobs or pull handles. You can do this easily with a screwdriver and a pair of plyers.

2. 

   Use a hand-held sanding block and sand the wooden furniture gently to remove all flaked paint. Turn your hand over the wood to make sure it is smooth. Use a fine grit sandpaper in the sanding block.

3. Fill any existing scratches or deep punctures with wood putty. Just apply it with a putty knife and press across the surface with the putty knife to smooth it out. Let the wood putty dry, and then lightly re-sand the area with the same hand-held sanding block and fine sand paper.

4. Wipe the wooden furniture off with a very slightly damp cloth to remove the sanding dust from the surface. Check one last time to make sure that all surface on the wood is smooth.

5. Shake the can of paint before opening it. Use a small paint brush, or a disposable foam paint brush, for best coverage. Do not fill the brush with too much paint or you will get runs and an uneven paint surface. Just dip the tip of the brush into the paint can.

6. Use smooth, even strokes and try to stroke the brush in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Paint the entire piece of wooden furniture. Let it sit for the recommended drying time on the paint can label.

7. Look the piece of wooden furniture over carefully once it has dried. Apply a second coat of paint if necessary. If you had to remove handles or hardware, consider replacing them with new ones to go with your freshly painted wooden furniture piece.

Tips & Warnings

• Painting wooden furniture is a great way to refurbish yard sale finds.

• Work in a well ventilated area or outside. Move the wooden furniture into a garage if necessary.

Resources

• Great do it yourself site