DIY Furniture Painting for Beginners

Knowing how to paint furniture is a useful skill to have when you want a specific piece of furniture you can’t buy ready-made. Whether you want to makeover garage sale accent tables with Real Milk Paint, cover a handmade Adirondack with a outdoor latex paint or dress up kitchen cabinets with chalk paint, our furniture painting for beginners guide walks you through the process by explaining each step, from gathering your DIY supplies and prepping the surface to applying paint and adding a top coat. Before you get started using our tutorial, however, you need to select the furniture you wish to paint and decide on the look you desire. Want to transform your old furniture into a new masterpiece? Our DIY Furniture Painting for Beginners guide provides simple, step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow, even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before. Learn how to choose the right paint, prepare your furniture, and apply the perfect finish for stunning results.

Selecting Furniture to Paint

Even if you already have a piece of furniture in mind for a makeover, options for future DIY projects abound once you get the hang of painting furniture. Handmade bare furniture offers the ideal surface for a new paint job, while existing wooden furniture such as nightstands and dining room buffets offer forgiving surfaces for learning brushstrokes and experimenting with paints to see which ones have the best adhesion. Small pieces with tight crevices work well when you want to try your hand at distressing, while larger items offer opportunities for speedy coverage with spray paint and paint sprayers.

After you get the hang of refinishing and painting wooden furniture, consider searching out new projects on Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, or local sales websites. Many buy/sell/trade websites let you set up alerts if there’s a specific piece of furniture you wish to add to your home. Additionally, garage and estate sales typically feature a treasure trove of unique furniture for painting projects by hobbyists and professionals alike. Free pieces found curbside on trash day provide you with excellent practice material for painting projects that explore techniques such as crackling and chipping.

How to Paint Furniture: A Step-by-Step Furniture Painting Guide for Beginners

The Real Milk Paint Co. has been a leader in non-toxic, eco-friendly paints for over 20 years. Our mission is to help DIYers, both beginners and professionals, create beautiful furniture using safe, sustainable products. From milk paint to finishing oils, all our products are designed with the environment and your health in mind.

Step 1: Gathering Furniture Painting Supplies

Having all your supplies together helps you quickly complete your DIY projects, and that makes it important to have the paint colors and the amount of paint necessary for the paint job on hand. Additionally, you need the prep and painting tools required for the techniques you plan on using.

Basic supplies to gather for painting furniture include:

• Your paint of choice
• Paintbrushes (choose from foam or high-quality brushes like our Blue Tip Brushes)
• Foam rollers
• Paint sprayer
• Medium grit or fine grit sandpaper
• Scrapers or putty knives
• Wood cleaner
• Wood filler
• Masking tape
• Shellac
• Clean, dry rags
• Mixing and cleaning buckets
• Top coat (Finishing Cream, Wax, or Polyurethane)
• Specialty finishing products (Outdoor Additive, Crackle Paint Finish)

Step 2: Prepping Furniture for Painting

Prep work can make or break your painting project, so attention to detail in this step pays off. Different DIY paint jobs require different treatments. For instance, a bare wood piece of furniture typically just needs a wipe-down with high-quality Tri-Sodium Phosphate or Odorless Mineral Spirits by the Real Milk Paint Co. and then you can start painting. Items that just need a fresh coat of paint usually require only a bit of sanding with fine to medium grit sandpaper before you repaint them. Make sure to clean and remove sanding dust after to make paint adhere to the piece with a smooth finish.

Wooden furniture with several previous coats of paint or varnish may need scraping to remove any built-up layers and attached hardware, and you may even want to remove all previous paint with Soy-Gel Professional Paint Remover or Milk Paint Remover to ensure a smooth, even decorative surface. If you’re painting furniture with holes or gouges, be sure to level out those divots with wood filler before you begin, and if the wood has iron stains, remove them with Oxalic Acid Wood Bleach. If there’s a drastic difference between leftover varnish and the wood surface beneath, you may want to cover the lighter area with shellac to reduce color variations in your final results.

Expert Tips for Beginners: When sanding, use a light touch to avoid damaging the wood surface. Start with medium grit sandpaper for rough surfaces, and finish with fine grit for a smoother result. If you’re new to distressing, practice on a hidden area to perfect your technique before applying it to visible sections.

Safety Tips for Furniture Painting Projects

• Ventilation: When working indoors, always ensure your workspace is well-ventilated to avoid breathing in dust or fumes, even if you’re using non-toxic paints like Real Milk Paint.
• Protective gear: Wear gloves and a dust mask when sanding, and consider safety goggles if working with paint sprayers.
• Safe storage: Store paints, especially if they contain additives, out of reach of children and pets.
• Disposal: Dispose of leftover paint responsibly. Milk paint is biodegradable, but other types of paint may require special handling for disposal.

Step 3: Choosing the Best Paint for Furniture

When selecting paint for your furniture project, consider the type of finish you want and where the piece will be used. For indoor furniture, milk paint offers a natural, non-toxic finish that’s perfect for a rustic or vintage look, while latex paint provides durability for high-traffic areas. Real Milk Paint is a 100% natural, eco-friendly paint that’s VOC-free and safe to use around children and pets. It’s biodegradable, making it perfect for anyone looking to make their DIY projects more sustainable. Plus, it comes in 56 unique colors, so you’re sure to find the perfect hue for your project.

If your furniture will be outdoors, choose a paint that can withstand the elements—Real Milk Paint’s Outdoor Additive is a great option for added protection. Finally, think about the style you’re aiming for; matte finishes give a soft, timeless feel, while glossy finishes create a modern, polished look.

How to Choose the Perfect Color for Your Furniture

Selecting the right color is essential to achieving the look you want for your furniture. Here are some tips:

• Neutral tones: If you want versatility, neutral colors like soft whites, grays, or creams are a timeless choice that fits into most interior styles.
• Bold colors: To make a statement, consider a vibrant shade like fresh lemon or bold blue lagoon from Real Milk Paint’s collection. Bright colors can instantly refresh and modernize older pieces.
• Accent colors: For a balanced look, choose contrasting colors. For example, if your room has neutral walls, a piece of brightly painted furniture can create a striking focal point.
• Historical colors: Real Milk Paint offers historical shades like Barn Red and Antique White, which are ideal for restoring period furniture or achieving a classic look.

Understanding Different Paint Types for Furniture

• Milk Paint: Great for achieving a natural, rustic look, milk paint is easy to distress and provides a matte finish. It’s biodegradable and non-toxic, making it safe for indoor use around kids and pets.
• Chalk Paint: Chalk paint dries quickly and provides a soft, velvety finish. It’s ideal for those who want a vintage, shabby-chic look and is forgiving for beginners since it requires less prep work.
• Latex Paint: Latex paint is a durable option, making it perfect for high-traffic furniture like kitchen tables and chairs. It’s available in various finishes, from matte to high-gloss, and is highly versatile.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint is water-based and offers a durable finish. It works well for small furniture projects and dries quickly, making it ideal for pieces that need a quick refresh.

Step 4: Mixing Paint and Selecting Paintbrushes

Now that your prep work is complete and the wooden furniture has dried, you’re ready to mix your paint and decide on the paintbrushes to use. If you have chalk or latex paint, that means shaking it up and stirring it thoroughly with a paint stirrer. Since most milk paints come in a powdered form, you need to mix it up with equal parts water and powder and stir it thoroughly.

All-natural milk paints such as Real Milk Paint tend to bubble when mixed, so if you don’t want to wait 15 minutes before you start, add our Anti-Foaming Agent to your paint colors. For wooden furniture you wish to place on your patio or porch, consider our Outdoor Additive to keep pesky knots from bleeding through your paint job, and for items covered in glossy paint or polyurethane, try Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter to ensure lasting results.

Choosing the Right Brush: For a smooth, even finish, our Blue Tip Brushes are perfect for applying Real Milk Paint. If you want to achieve a rustic, distressed look, our Chip Brushes work wonders for giving furniture a vintage vibe. For smaller details, try our Round Brushes—they’re designed to reach every crevice with ease, leaving no area untouched.

Step 5: Painting Your Piece of Furniture

Now that you’re ready to add your first coat of paint, begin by brushing it on in a single direction to evenly cover the surface. Whether you’re using satin, semi-gloss, flat or matte paint colors, be sure to work with thin coats and lightly sand between coats to get even finish. Also, get your paint brush into every crack and crevice to ensure a smooth base coat. If you’re painting a larger piece of furniture, focus on smaller sections until you cover the entire piece. For best results, paint from one end of the surface to the other end then gradually fill the piece from back to front. This allows your brush marks or strokes to look even across the surface rather than sectioned off. Once you’ve finished, allow the first coat to dry and gauge the coverage.

If you are looking to add a special effect to your piece, between coats is the best time to do that. Imbue your paint with rustic appeal by applying Natural Crackle Paint Finish. Chippy Paste helps you achieve controlled distressing for a farmhouse-fresh look suitable for pairing with country-style decor. Both of these give you the ability to create a two-toned look where one color shows through the other.

Once it dries completely, it’s time to apply the second coat, working in the same fashion as the first. Most pieces require only a couple of coats, but if you feel like you need more coverage, apply a third as needed.

Step 6: Adding Finishing Touches

After your wood furniture paint job dries, it’s time to add any finishing touches before adding a sealer or top coat. Add our

Finishing Creams around carved elements to give your piece of furniture an air of timeless grace. You may also consider other distressing techniques such as sanding and wire brushing when you want a more pronounced antiqued effect on your painted furniture. Once you get the look you want, use a paintbrush to cover the surface in a top coat suitable for the medium you used, such as polyurethane for latex paints or furniture wax sealers by the Real Milk Paint Co. for surfaces covered in chalk or milk paints.

Knowing how to paint furniture makes it simple to upgrade old pieces in your home, upcycle items you find on the cheap or refinish wood furniture for clients. No matter your painting project, the Real Milk Paint Co. has the tools, supplies, colors and finishes you need for excellent results. Visit our tutorials and videos page for more DIY guides and project ideas.

Here’s a quick video tutorial on how to paint furniture:

For a visual walkthrough, check out our video tutorial on painting wooden furniture. Watch the process in real-time as we show you the best techniques to achieve professional-looking results with Real Milk Paint.

Troubleshooting Furniture Painting Issues

• Paint isn’t sticking: This usually happens if the surface isn’t cleaned properly. Make sure you remove all dust and grease before painting.
• Bubbles forming in the paint: Bubbles can occur if the paint is applied too thickly or if the environment is too humid. Try applying thinner coats and using a dehumidifier in your workspace.
• Uneven texture: If the surface looks streaky, you may need to sand between coats or use a foam roller for a smoother finish.
• Peeling paint: Peeling can occur if you skip the sanding step or if the furniture was previously waxed. Always prep the surface with sanding, cleaning, and use adhesion promoters if needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Painting Furniture

• Skipping prep work: Always clean and sand the surface before painting to avoid peeling and uneven finishes.
• Using too much paint: Applying thick coats leads to drips and longer drying times. Stick to thin layers for a smoother finish.
• Rushing the drying process: Ensure each coat of paint is fully dry before adding another to avoid streaks and bubbles.
• Not using the right brush: Choosing the wrong brush type can lead to an uneven application. Use foam brushes for a smooth finish and bristle brushes for texture.