DIY Painting Tips For Cabinets & Furniture

At Touch of Tradition I love to help clients re-purpose furniture and salvage cabinets that are in great condition but need a face lift. Painting does the job very nicely.  With the right techniques and colors, I’ve taken dressers and made fabulous dining room storage units and transformed oak cabinets into sleek contemporary ones.  While this blog  has many ideas for painting, distressing and antiquing, a great finish starts with these tips. Call me for help, colors and ideas!

·     Use the best brush you can afford for a smooth finish. My favorite is a 2” angled brush from Purdy that gets into crevices, is wide enough to ‘lay off’ well, yet small enough to be manageable for almost any project.

·     Prepare your surface carefully. The right preparation is the difference between an blotchy finish and a professional looking job. While sanding does a great first job to remove color or stain, be sure you clean the surface of previously painted wood by washing it with soap and water or a solution of tri-sodium phosphate. Don’t skip the priming for both bare or pre-painted wood.

·     Use a paint conditioner for better adhesion, penetration, and flow of paint. I like Pentrol or Floetrol depending upon the type of paint I use. This will also make it easier for you to  smooth out brush marks.

·     The brand and type of paint does matter.  If you are doing antiquing, glazing, or other special finishes interior latex paint dries fast and sands well.  For exterior applications I use exterior paint. I prefer no and low VOC paints from Sherwin Williams since their color retention, application, and overall performance is top-notch.

·     Paint where you have enough space to work without a breeze. I prefer to lay cabinet doors and dresser doors drawers face up so I can evenly paint all of their surface area.  Painting flat is a great idea since gravity helps smooth out brush marks. A few saw horses with planks on top makes a great surface to walk around and even look under. I don’t use fans that blow directly on the surface or allow the breeze to deposit debris on my wet paint.  

Re-used materials make up these white cabinets which were

hand-finished to create a new kitchen for an historically significant home.

New life for old furniture.

When you have a dated looking curio, table, dresser, hutch or other piece - not an antique - what can you do to update it? The construction is likely very sturdy, with dowels and dove-tail versus staples.  Even if the style isn't what you have in your home but you can't part with it, here are some ideas to re-use and re-purpose.

1) Change the color. Paint and stain are simple ways to change pieces.  This brown oak armoire became dining room curio with an ivory interior (and glass insets may be next in the doors) and a distressed paint finish. Whether you add distressing or paint antiquing is up to you.  Do a finish that works for the style of your home and that you feel comfortable with. Keep in mind that some distressed finishes will hide mistakes you make, and even help make a very damaged piece look fabulous!

2) Decoupage. Don't forget fabric and paper.  They are easy ways to transform furniture. Covering door and drawer fronts with decoupage fabrics and decorative papers create tremendous changes very quickly. Don't do the entire piece; instead, cover the door insets, drawer fronts, or even just the top and sides. 




3) Change the details. Add, remove or change design details like moldings, legs, and embellishments. If you can do it, making the legs larger or smaller can also change the height; you can transform coffee tables into desks that way!  

4) Change the function. Use an old dresser as a sideboard. Take out the drawers and use them as shelves in another way (see previous blogs for examples) and place baskets into the drawer spaces.  Here, a brown and shabby 9 drawer chest becomes a dove gray storage unit for crafts and toys in a family room. 

5) Re-finish. More challenging but the results can be amazing. This piece was a painted dresser with floral embossing.  After stripping and staining, it's a classic chest.

6) Change the hardware. Such a simple way to make a new statement.  Take the painted wooden knobs off and do something dramatic or interesting.

7) Stencil on a design.  It's easy to add a pattern or drawing to a plain piece with stencils. If you're artistic you can even draw your own.