If you are like me and tend to tire of your possessions easily, it pays to go to thrift shops and garage sales for shopping. I pay $5 for a beat up old coffee table or chair, sand it down and paint it. After I'm done with it in a few years or so, it still looks like new, I place it in my own garage sale for $15. I have never lost money on this technique, usually I make about two to three times the money. I get to change my decor often without spending much money. It is so much fun to make something look so different!
By Susan from Elkhart, IN
On a trip to the laundromat, I saw what appeared to be a chest of drawers. I pulled over and stopped so that I could get a closer look. Indeed it was a chest of drawers. Looked ugly enough. Some sort of mustard yellow puke color. All 5 drawers were there. The bottom of the chest looked as though it had been sitting in 5 inches of water. Long enough so that the lower decorative part of its foundation and bottom slat of wood had disintegrated. I opened the top drawer and it appeared brand new, albeit dusty, dirty and webby.
Cedar chest restored and hand painted with Alice in Wonderland. Polyurethane finish. Donating it to a group that help children that have been abused.
My 44 year old rock maple kitchen set is going to look brand new, "I hope."
I'm trying to paint a piece of furniture black with a dull finish, but it has a shine. How do I dull it?
By Michelle
The type of paint you have chosen must be a gloss. You need to purchase paint with a matte finish.
It all depends on the type of paint you are using. I'm assuming that you are trying to go for a "chalkpaint" look. You must use a flat paint to get a flat finish.
Painting smaller pieces of furniture is a wonderful way to utilize left-over paint. Not only that, but paint actually protects the wood.
My new custom made bed (pine) was treated with linseed oil. I was assured it's non-toxic. Well, it has been 2 weeks, and the bed still emits an odor. It gives me a sore throat and cough. What can be done? Can I paint it over with a latex paint? I am allergic to all household chemicals, so the paint should contain no VOCs.
By Irena from Portland, OR
Try washing it with a damp cloth, mix water and vinegar,about half & half. You need to ask a place that sells paint about painting over it, good luck.
I have a wooden dining room set with 4 chairs and cupboards but they look very worn out and old fashioned. I was thinking about repainting them but can't decide what color to choose. Can you help me out?
By ANGELA
You can paint it with a brownish-red paint or a color that is a little bit dark and then try to put a varnish on it so the color would really stand out or shines. If you really want your wooden dining room to look good and new, you better choose a new table-cloth, new things to put in it and just make sure that the cloth that you will use suits to the color of the chairs.
Good luck! I hope my answer helped you!
How do I paint old furniture?
By Jack Zhang from New York City
It's pretty easy. Lightly sand the whole piece. Don't worry about sanding every inch, but sand as much as you can. Then wipe or dry brush all the sanding dust off. Then paint on a coat of primer, something like Kilz. Then put on two coats of paint and you are done.
I am interested in painting wooden furniture to reuse in a new home. I have a table with chairs and hutch, end tables and a coffee table that I want to give a new look to. Also, since the dining and living room connect, should I paint all wooden pieces to match? I am very new at painting to re-use!
You want to paint furniture a COLOR? Why not stain it? Wood is so beautiful!
I have a shelf/coat hanger made out of unfinished pine. I would like to paint it distressed black. Does anyone have a good, easy way of doing this?
Do you want some of the grain of the wood to show? If so, thin your paint with water (about 1/2 paint, 1/2 water and apply. You can distress the wood by hitting it with sharp objects ie, hammer, pick, chains. Etc. If you do not wish to have the grain show, then I think you would just paint it after distressing it.
Paint it black and then sand it with sand paper. Or if you would like another color to show through, paint the undercoat one color and then black, then sand, it will bring out the undercoat.
