How to Paint Unfinished Furniture in the Colonial Style
Furniture of the American Colonial period, spanning the period from approximately 1776 to 1849, has a very distinctive look. You can make modern, unfinished furniture look like it came straight out of Colonial Williamsburg with a proper period design in construction and a Colonial-look paint job. As you paint your object, keep the conditions of Colonial times in mind as a guide for an authentic look. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Reference materials
- Wooden medallions and carvings (optional)
- Wood adhesive (optional)
- Milk paint
- Paint brushes
- Wiping rags (optional)
- Stencils and stencil brush (optional)
- Matte finish/sealant (optional)
Instructions
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Judge the "colonial" design of the furniture piece. Remember that all Colonial furniture was made by hand by experienced craftsmen. Furniture was scarce in most households and Colonials put great value on the few pieces of furniture they owned. Furniture was therefore decorated with carvings, fancy lines, curves and beautiful detailed paint jobs that you will never find on pieces made in more modern times. If your furniture piece does not look "Colonial" to begin with, consider ways you can make it look more suitable for the period such as adding carved wooden medallions to cabinet or drawer fronts.
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Choose your paint scheme with authentic Colonial colors in mind. Black with gold trim was very popular during this period, particularly in Hitchcock chairs, produced from 1818. Colonials frequently used a type of paint called "milk paint." It had a soft, pastel finish that looks as though a small amount white "milk" is added to the color. You can still purchase "milk paint" today, from finer paint supply stores and on line.
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Consider adding adornments to paint jobs. Colonials used furniture as a strong decorative statement and frequently adorned furniture with stencils or paintings of floral motifs, animals and even portraits of famous people and family members. You can often find these adornments on "fancy," pieces like ladies bedroom dressers, dining room cupboards and fireplace screens. Do research online for examples of typical Colonial painted adornments.
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Apply milk paint to properly prepared unfinished wooden furniture. If you want your Colonial piece to look "new," paint the piece with a solid coat of paint and let it dry. If you want it to look "aged," wipe the milk paint off so it merely stains the wood, as if the paint has worn off over time. You can also use a special "crackle" finish under the paint to produce a faux-effect.
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Stencil adornments on furniture using stencils and a stiff stencil brush. Use contrasting colors like the Colonials did. If your chair is red, you can stencil small green peacocks on the seat; the Colonials did not worry about "reality" in their fancy adornments.
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Use an artist's brush to paint adornments or contrasting trims by hand. Do not worry too much about "staying within the lines" or visible brushstrokes. Cruder by-hand work is a hallmark of a Colonial piece particularly on common items like small benches, chests and ordinary chairs.
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Avoid sealing the piece with a "glossy" finish. A glossy look was achieved with difficulty during this period and very rarely was painted furniture sealed with anything more than a matte coat of varnish.
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Tips & Warnings
Popular Colonial milk paint colors include several shades of blue, a few reds, pink, a happy yellow and shades of green. Colonial pieces were rarely painted purple, orange or other tertiary "modern" colors like turquoise.
