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Faux Painting Furniture
The first step in creating a decorative treatment on a piece of new or old furniture is proper preparation. You must take care to seal the underlying surface and prepare the substratum (the underlying layer), so that all topcoats will adhere effectively. If you rush this process and do not prepare and seal the surface for future coatings, your topcoats can easily be damaged, knotholes can bleed through the painted surface and paint reactions such as peeling or cracking can occur.
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The type of surface you're planning to decorate will determine the steps required to prepare the substratum for your decorative topcoats. The two major categories for furniture preparation are new, unfinished wood furniture and finished wood furniture. The latter can be finished furniture that is relatively new or a piece of aged furniture. Furniture pieces can also be made from other non wood materials or particle board. These need to be prepared in a similar fashion.
Other surfaces that are popular for painted
decoration are plaster and pottery. Columns, corbels, planters, obelisks,
niches and shelves are now being made in a variety of shapes, styles and
sizes in both plaster and pottery materials. These surfaces can become great
accent or accessory pieces to be used in conjunction with your larger
furniture pieces. These types of surfaces require a similar preparation
steps to result in a fantastic finished result.
New Unfinished Furniture Preparation
A few basic preparation materials are required for readying the furniture surface for painted decoration.
You'll need the following cleaning materials:
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sponges
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rags
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cleaning agent (Murphy's Oil Soap or denatured alcohol)
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gloves
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bucket of water
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patching compounds: wood filler, spackling compound
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putty knife or palette knife
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sandpaper (fine, medium and coarse) and sanding blocks
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steel wool
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tack rags
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primers and sealers: water based or oil based primer (such as Kilz), tannin block sealer
Preparing Finished Furniture
Whether the finished furniture piece is relatively new or old, you'll need to prepare the finished surface for future coating. The most significant difference between new and old is usually the amount of dirt and oils that need to be cleaned off the surface. You may also want to strip down the furniture surface to raw wood to complete any type of staining technique. Stripping the finish is not necessary unless you want to stain the wood, or if the existing finish is peeling and cracking off the surface. Stripping the surface is very involved, so you'll need to be committed to the work ahead or decide to have your piece commercially stripped. If the end result is any type of painted finish and the existing finish is intact, you do not need to strip the surface. You will, however, need to remove any dirt and oil by cleaning and sanding the surface to enable your new topcoats to grab hold of and prime the surface, prior to moving forward with base coating and decorative treatments.
Stripping Furniture
Stripping furniture is a messy job and one that takes time, so be sure the furniture piece is worth this extra step. There are new, environmentally friendly stripping products, such as 3M's Safest Stripper, that are ideal for use by the do-it yourselfer. These new products are nontoxic and odor free and don't harm your skin. Many people remain unconvinced that these environmentally friendly products are as easy to use and as effective as the traditional, toxic products. Always read and follow the instructions found on the manufacturer's label for any stripping products you choose to use.
Begin by testing your stripper on a small section of the furniture piece. This will give you a quick indication of how many layers of varnish, stain or paint exist on the surface. If the surface is currently painted, you may be surprised to find that the surface may be made from a variety of types of scrap wood or from a beautiful veneer pattern.
Once you've decided to strip the furniture piece, gather the following supplies:
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stripping product
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old brush
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newspapers
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heavy duty, stripper safe gloves
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putty knife
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toothbrush
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steel wool
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electric sander
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drop cloths and garbage bags
Work outside when stripping or in a well ventilated area, away from important surfaces. Lay your drop cloth on the floor and layer newspapers over the drop cloth. Place the furniture on the center of the papers. Brush the stripper on one section at a time (preferably a horizontal area). Following the reaction time of your stripping product, let the stripper activate on surface. After the stripper has activated the top layers, scrape off the coating with the putty knife. Place the discarded coating on newspapers. Recoat with stripper until you activate and scrape off all layers of the coatings. Use a toothbrush to access carved details.
Once a majority of the coatings have been removed, rub the surface with fine steel wool and thinner. Complete these steps for all sides of the furniture surface. Sand the stripper residue off with your electric sander or sandpaper.
You can now prepare the surface for stained or
painted effects following the instructions for new wood preparation.
Painting Preparation for Finished Wood
If the original finish is in decent shape, with no peeling or other major defects in the finish, then you do not need to strip the finish in order to paint over it. You'll need to begin by cleaning the surface with a cleaning agent such as Murphy's Oil Soap. Fill a bucket of water and pour in several capfuls of the cleaning agent. Load a kitchen sponge with the soapy water and scrub down the surface to remove dirt and oils. If the finished surface is fairly old and extremely slick, make a mixture of water and denatured alcohol (60:40 ratio) in a bucket. The denatured alcohol will cut the glossiness of the surface, providing a better tooth to hold topcoats.
Once you've removed all dirt and oils and cut any glossiness on the surface, sand the surface to rough up the paint or varnish that currently exists on the surface. Begin with a medium grade of sandpaper. Stroke the sandpaper on the surface in a slightly rough fashion. Small grooves in the existing paint or varnish will establish areas for the top coating to hold and adhere to. Do not complete sanding with a fine grade of sandpaper. Instead, use a medium grit paper. Remove sanding dust with a tack cloth.
You'll need to prime the surface to keep underlying colors, stains or varnish coatings from coming through your new coats. Use a stain blocking primer, such as Kilz. Brush on a coat with the base coat bristle brush. Let it dry. Sand the surface lightly with a fine grade of sandpaper and remove all dust with a tack cloth. Recoat with primer.
You are now ready to choose a paint finishing technique and colors.
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