How to Paint Primitive Wood Crafts
Achieving a primitive country look when painting wood crafts depends to a large degree on the shades of paint selected along with a few finishing touches. Seek out colors that are more muted and subtle and avoid bold primary colors that are out of place in a primitive country setting. While country wood craft projects are usually smaller undertakings than full-sized pieces of furniture, many of the same painting techniques apply. A combination of warm colors and simple sanding techniques after painting will achieve a weathered and primitive appearance for country wood crafts.
Things You'll Need
- Unfinished wooden wall shelf
- One sheet of 80 to 100 grit medium-grade sandpaper
- Two sheets of 150 to 180 grit light-grade sandpaper
- Soft, damp cloth
- Primer
- Acrylic paint in a primitive country shade
- Two 1 1/2 inch paintbrushes
- Wood stain
- Two 1 1/2 inch foam brushes
- Polyurethane finish
Instructions
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Preparing the Wood
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1
Seal any holes or imperfections in the wood with a quick-drying wood filler. Push the filler into the hole and remove any excess filler with a putty knife. Allow the filler to dry for about 1 1/2 hours.
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2
Sand the wood with a medium-grit sandpaper. Make sure that you follow the grain of the wood as you sand and work only in that direction. Sand again with fine-grit sandpaper.
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3
Clean the piece with a soft, damp cloth to remove all of the dust from sanding. Remove all of the sandpaper dust from the work area as well.
Painting the Wood
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4
Apply acrylic paint using the 1 1/2 inch paintbrush. Use even strokes that go in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Allow the paint to dry for one hour.
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5
Sand corners and edges of the piece with fine-grit sandpaper. Work on areas that would have received the most wear and tear over the years. This step adds a sense of age to the item.
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6
Apply an even and light coat of acrylic wood stain in the color of your choice with a foam brush to help mute the color and add a primitive quality to the piece. Allow the stain to dry for about three hours.
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7
Apply a satin acrylic polyurethane finish with a foam brush. Don't use a high gloss finish as this will take away from the primitive country appearance. Allow the finish to dry for about three hours before handling.
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