How to Paint Furniture
I am knee deep in the renovation of my master bedroom. I knew I wanted to splurge on a new mattress and bedframe…because who doesn’t want to sleep in luxury…so my budget for everything else was limited. I stumbled across an old solid wood nightstand at a thrift store for a bargain price. I wanted a chalk white nightstand to go along with my modern rustic design for the bedroom, so instead of splurging on a new nightstand I decided to DIY my bargain find.
After doing a little research, I realized how simple the process of refinishing furniture was. The project cost less than $40 and took me one weekend to complete. Check out the before and after pictures of the nightstand.
Before 
After
Supplies
All-purpose cleaning spray or Vinegar and Water solution
Sandpaper: (60, 120, and 220 grit)
Sanding block or mechanical sander
Tack Cloth or Rag
Shellac based Primer
Step 1: Clean, clean, CLEAN!
The first and most important step when refinishing furniture is to thoroughly prepare the furniture for painting, this includes cleaning your furniture thoroughly. This is particularly important when painting your furniture chalk white, as any dust or grime left over on the furniture can lead to unsmooth coverage. Use any all-purpose cleaning spray or a vinegar and water solution to clean every inch of your furniture.
Remove all hardware and drawers from the table. For the life of me, I could not remove the drawers from the nightstand, so I proceeded to the next step with the drawers in. Don’t be like me…patience is a virtue. I eventually figured out how to take the drawers out which would have made my life easier in the beginning.
Step 2: Sand like you mean it!
Once your hardware and drawers are removed and the furniture thoroughly cleaned, it’s time to start sanding. Now the aim here is to sand off the topcoat and strip the furniture of the previous paint or varnishing so that the new paint can stick smoothly to the furniture. How much sanding you need to do depends on how damaged the surface is or how you plan to paint the wood. Since I wanted a smooth chalk white finish, I tried to sand as much of the previous varnish as I could without damaging the wood.
Start with the coarsest grit first (I used 60 grit), which should remove any debris and upper layer of varnish. Once you’ve gotten the initial varnish off, follow up with a medium grit sandpaper, I used 120 grit paper. This should smooth the surfaces and remove any imperfections. Finally, smooth everything out with the 220-grit paper.
Once you have sanded, be sure to wipe down every surface with a tack cloth to remove any dust or residue. This is the second most important step, get rid of as much dust as you can. Any dust or dirt left over when painting will lead to imperfections in the paint coverage.
Step 3: Prime it!
The next step is to prime the furniture. This is an important step because it provides a smooth and even surface for the paint to adhere to. Especially when using white paint, priming prevents stains from bleeding through the new paint. I suggest using shellac-based primer. No worries if your brush strokes are obvious, you will be painting over it.
Once it’s fully dry, lightly sand your furniture with a 220-grit sanding block and wipe your piece down with a tack cloth. Keep your sanding block handy since you will need to sand between each coat of paint.
Step 4: Paint it!
Now I’ve seen many tutorials of people painting chalky paint with a paint brush and ending up with very visible brush strokes. That was not the look I was going for. I wanted a smooth matte full coverage finish and I was initially worried I would need numerous coats of paint to achieve that look. So…when I came across the Rust-Oleum Chalked Linen White Ultra Matte Spray Paint, I thought I hit gold. This spray paint is described as an ultra-matte full coverage finish which was exactly what I was looking for.
I started with a light coat first, just to see if I even liked the finish, and immediately I liked it. I ended up doing three coats, sanding lightly in between with the 220-grit paper. It’s important that you sand between every coat of paint and remove dust with a tack cloth. This is necessary to attain a smooth coverage.
First coat of paint 
Second coat of paint 
Final Coat
Step 5: Seal the deal
Last but not least, protect all your hard work. This step is important because it seals your paint and provides a protective finish. There are many different types of topcoats: Polyurethane, furniture wax, topcoat sprays, just to name a few. Some topcoats can cause your paint to yellow, especially for lightly colored paint, so be cautious of that when choosing. I decide to use the Rust-Oleum Clear Matte Spray sealant since I wanted to achieve a matte white coverage…and also spray painting was a quicker alternative.
Leave the last coat of paint to dry for at least 24 hours, or according to the paint label. Spray topcoat according to the directions. Once the topcoat is completely dried, reattach hardware. I spray painted the old hardware before reattaching to freshen up the look.
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to a piece of furniture. Check out the pictures of the nightstand.
