Painting Furniture: What I’ve Learned After Dozens of Projects

Painting furniture has gotten complicated with all the product options and technique videos flying around. As someone who’s painted everything from thrift store nightstands to inherited dining sets, I learned everything there is to know about getting a finish that actually lasts. Today, I will share it all with you.

My first painted furniture project was a disaster. Grabbed a dresser from Goodwill, slapped some paint on it without sanding or priming, and watched the paint peel off in sheets within a month. That expensive lesson taught me that preparation isn’t optional — it’s basically the whole game.

Selecting the Right Piece

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Not every piece of furniture is worth painting. Here’s what I look for when I’m at an estate sale or thrift store:

Solid wood is king. Pine, oak, maple — doesn’t matter which species, as long as it’s real wood. Solid wood holds paint beautifully and the piece will last decades. Particle board and laminate can be painted, but the results are mediocre and the piece will eventually fall apart regardless of how nice your paint job looks.

Check the structure before you care about anything else. Wobbly legs, loose joints, cracked panels — these are fixable but add work. A piece with good bones and a terrible finish is the ideal candidate. I once bought a solid oak nightstand for $15 because the existing paint was hideous. Three hours of work later, it looked like a $200 piece.

Gathering Your Supplies

Here’s what you actually need — no more, no less:

Sandpaper in 120-grit and 220-grit. A good bonding primer. Your chosen paint color. Quality brushes (spend the $15 on Purdy or Wooster — cheap brushes leave bristle marks and shed). A foam roller for flat surfaces. Drop cloth. Degreaser or TSP substitute for cleaning. And a topcoat for protection.

I keep a dedicated kit for furniture painting so I’m not hunting for supplies every time. The whole setup cost about $80 and I’ve used it on maybe 30 projects now.

Preparation — Where 90% of People Mess Up

Clean first. Always. Even if the piece looks clean, there’s a film of oils, dust, and grime on every surface. I use a TSP substitute and a rag. This step takes ten minutes and makes the difference between paint that sticks and paint that peels.

Then sand. I start with 120-grit to remove glossy finishes and give the surface some tooth for the primer to grip. After the initial sanding, I go over everything with 220-grit for smoothness. Feel the surface with your hand — it should feel slightly rough like fine suede, not slick.

Wipe everything down with a tack cloth after sanding. Dust particles trapped under paint create bumps that drive you crazy once the finish is done.

Choosing Your Paint

I’ve used pretty much every type of paint on furniture at this point. Here’s my honest assessment:

Chalk paint: Everyone loves it for the no-prep reputation, and it does stick to most surfaces without sanding. But it’s expensive ($35-40 per quart) and requires wax or a topcoat. I use it when I want a matte, vintage look and don’t mind the cost.

Latex paint: My go-to for most projects. Cheap, available in any color, cleans up with water. With proper prep and a quality primer, latex paint on furniture looks fantastic and lasts years. Benjamin Moore Advance is my favorite for furniture specifically.

Oil-based paint: Most durable option by far. I use this for outdoor furniture or high-traffic pieces like kitchen tables. The downside is the fumes, slower drying time, and messy cleanup. Worth it when you need something bomb-proof.

Primer — Don’t Skip This

I know, I know. Some paints claim you don’t need primer. And technically you can sometimes get away without it. But after peeling paint ruined three early projects, I prime everything now. Shellac-based primers like Zinsser BIN are my favorite — they block stains and tannin bleed better than anything else.

Apply primer in thin, even coats. Two coats is plenty. Let each coat dry completely. Sand lightly with 220-grit between coats. Yes, this adds time. It also adds years to your paint job.

The Actual Painting

Thin coats are the secret. Every beginner (including past me) tries to get full coverage in one thick coat. Don’t. Thick coats drip, take forever to dry, and look amateur. Two to three thin coats look infinitely better than one heavy one.

Use a foam roller for flat surfaces — it gives a smoother finish than any brush. Use a quality angled brush for details and edges. Always paint in the direction of the grain, even if the grain won’t be visible.

Let each coat dry completely before adding the next. I usually wait 24 hours between coats even if the paint says 4 hours. Patience here prevents problems later.

Protecting Your Work

That’s what makes a good topcoat endearing to us furniture painters — it’s the difference between a paint job that lasts a year and one that lasts a decade. Polycrylic is my go-to for water-based paint. It’s clear, doesn’t yellow, and dries fast. Two coats minimum on any surface that gets touched regularly.

For oil-based paint, I usually skip the topcoat since the paint itself is pretty durable. For chalk paint, wax is the traditional finish but I’ve switched to polycrylic for durability.

Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To

• Skipping cleaning — paint peeled off a greasy kitchen chair within weeks
• Not sanding glossy lacquer — primer couldn’t grip and the whole paint job slid off
• Using cheap brushes — spent more time picking bristles out of wet paint than actually painting
• Applying thick coats because I was impatient — drips and texture that I had to sand off and redo
• Forgetting primer on a dark walnut dresser — the tannins bled through three coats of white paint

Creative Techniques Worth Trying

Once you’ve got the basics down, play around a bit. Distressing is my favorite — after the paint is fully cured, use sandpaper to remove paint from edges and corners where natural wear would happen. It creates that vintage look that people love.

Two-tone painting is another one I’ve had fun with. Different colors on the body versus the drawers, or a contrasting color on the legs. Painter’s tape and patience are all you need.

Color layering — painting one color, letting it cure, then painting another color over it and distressing through to the first — creates a depth that a single paint color can’t match. I did this on a farmhouse table (cream over navy blue) and it looks incredible.