Painting Wooden Furniture Like a Pro: We Show You How it's Done
15 min reading time
Do you also have one or two pieces of furniture at home that you just can't see any more? Is it still in top condition, but no longer looks modern? Maybe you've inherited a great old secretary, but the dark brown colour just doesn't suit your style? Our answer is: paint old furniture, it's easy! With our colours, you can repaint your old furniture and easily give it a new character.
Your painted piece of furniture will be dry to the touch after a few hours and will develop its full stability during the curing time of around 10-14 days - then you'll have a robust, everyday surface that you'll love!
Table of content
Before/after example photos of painted and varnished wooden furniture
Step-by-step guide: How to paint wooden furniture the right way
Step 1: Choose your paint
Our Easy Eggshell! is particularly suitable for a soft satin finish. This option is our most robust and very easy to care for. It's available in more than 100 shades – you're sure to find your perfect colour!
Step 2: Prepare the surface
Remove handles, hinges, and anything else you don't want to paint beforehand. If the old paint on your piece has damaged areas, you should sand them smooth first. You can easily repair cracks and other damage with To Fill – MissPompadour filler. Then, simply smooth it over with sandpaper. You'll find instructions for stripped, waxed, and oiled wooden furniture in our FAQs.
Step 3: Clean the piece
It is best to clean the surface with To Clean – MissPompadour Cleaner to ensure it is completely free from dust and grease. Old furniture, in particular, needs a thorough clean in all the corners and edges. It's important to rinse the cleaner off well with clean water and let everything dry thoroughly. Avoid using harsh cleaners or solvents.
Do you need to mask off?
Now is the perfect time to mask off any areas you don't want to paint – such as edges, adjacent surfaces, or fittings.
pro tip #1: Always remove the masking tape immediately after each coat while the paint is still wet. This prevents you from pulling off the new paint when you peel it off. Apply fresh tape for the next coat.
pro tip #2: If you want to use masking tape on already painted surfaces (e.g. for two-tone designs), the paint must be fully cured. Depending on humidity and temperature, allow at least 14 days for this. In some cases, it can take even longer. It's best to test the paint in an inconspicuous area first.
Step 4: Prime the surfaces
If you want to paint untreated wooden furniture in a light shade, playing it safe with To Bond & Block - MissPompadour primer ensures that substances in the wood won't cause stains in your new paint. This discolouration is known as “ bleeding”. Oak, tropical woods, and conifers are particularly prone to this. Old stains and wood dyes can also discolour your new coat of paint. If you want to paint veneered furniture, using a stain blocker can also be a good idea, as real wood veneer can sometimes bleed too. Smooth surfaces (such as IKEA furniture) should also be pre-treated with a primer to ensure the paint adheres well. You can find all the details about painting IKEA furniture in these blog posts.
Make sure you always use clean tools with our primer. Every spot should be generously coated with the primer, but the coat doesn't need to look completely even or opaque. After applying the primer, wait 8 hours or overnight. For wood with very heavy bleeding, a second coat of primer may be necessary.
Step 5: Paint the furniture
Now it's time to paint! Apply as many coats as needed until you are happy with the result. Often, 2 coats are enough for full coverage, but you might need to apply a third coat in some spots for perfect coverage. Each coat should dry thoroughly; this usually takes 4–6 hours. There's no need for sanding between coats, as you'll get a fantastic result without it. The surfaces will become more robust with each passing day and will be highly impact-resistant after 10–14 days.
Step 6: Seal the result
If you have chosen the satin paint finish, you won't usually need a topcoat, as it is extremely robust. If you expect the surface to get a lot of wear and tear, playing it safe with To Seal – MissPompadour Topcoat will ensure your paintwork lasts as long as possible. Alternatively, you can apply a protective layer with the clear CosyColours Furniture Wax Clear or add accents with a coloured wax. Apply the wax using the wax brush and let it dry for 24 hours. You can then buff it with a lint-free cotton cloth.
Furniture like new: Why you should paint your old pieces
You know that it's possible to paint your old furniture. But perhaps you're wondering why you should take on the project? There are plenty of great reasons to do so!
Have you, for example, inherited an old wardrobe that is full of childhood memories, but simply doesn't fit into your home? It just doesn't seem to go with anything? With a fresh coat of paint, you can easily adapt it to your style – while keeping those precious memories alive.
Looking to paint an old piece of oak furniture? We explain the best way to go about it in Painting rustic oak.
Or are you tired of looking at your chest of drawers because you've had it for what feels like forever? But you don't want to part with it because the storage space is just too useful? With a bit of colour and perhaps some new handles or feet, a boring chest of drawers can be transformed into a unique eye-catcher. Solid real wood furniture, such as pine or oak, often doesn't fit well into modern interiors. You can easily paint these wooden pieces and transform them even further using other techniques and methods. Why not style your old furniture in a shabby chic look? With a little wax, you can achieve a beautiful antique effect.
Even furniture with chips or dents can be completely renewed this way. It's simply fun to adapt your living space to your current lifestyle and let your creativity run wild. And it is certainly much more sustainable than buying new furniture! So – why throw it away when you can paint it?
Tip: Of course, you can also paint coated or veneered furniture. You can find detailed instructions, ideas, tips, and tricks in our blog post Painting a MALM chest of drawers. You can find matching paints here.
Video tutorial Painting wooden furniture - furniture upcycling with paint from MissPompadour Paint
Upcycling your IKEA IVAR with Miss Pompadour paint (It’s better to make it beautiful than bin it!)
You need these tools to paint your favourite wooden pieces
- Screwdrivers for removing fittings: This is the cleanest way to work and saves you a lot of tedious masking.
- Sandpaper or sanding pad in different grit sizes: For all areas where old varnish has flaked off. These should first be sanded smooth.
- Cleaning cloth and bucket to thoroughly clean your workpiece first: The surface must be free of dust and grease for your paint to adhere well.
- Masking tape if you don't want to paint certain areas. It is best to always remove the masking tape when the paint is not yet dry so that you get a clean edge.
- plastic drop cloth or newspaper: To protect your floor.
- Brush, varnish roller and paint tray: It is best to pour the varnish into the paint tray. Paint the corners and edges with the brush and the surfaces with the varnish roller.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about painting and varnishing furniture
1. Colour and tools
What colour do I use to paint wooden furniture?
If you want a smooth, soft satin finish, Easy Eggshell! is the perfect choice. This formula is highly durable and incredibly easy to clean.
Which colour shade do I choose for my piece of furniture?
Choosing your perfect colour is often a highly personal decision. Naturally, you'll want the shade to match your decor and personal style. White is a timeless, ever-popular choice that complements almost any style – whether it's country house, modern, or shabby chic. So you'll be delighted to hear that you can easily paint your wooden furniture in one of our many gorgeous shades of white! Just keep in mind that you might need 3 to 4 coats with white, depending on the surface and the specific shade. Sometimes, applying a primer is a good idea. This ensures even a crisp white gives you excellent coverage, allowing you to completely transform your old wooden furniture.
Brush or roller - Which painting tool do I need?
Paint all corners and edges as well as decorations and hard-to-reach areas with the fine MissPompadour brush. Then paint larger areas with the varnish roller for water-based varnishes. Of course, you can also paint your entire workpiece with the brush. Our fine brushes are very flat and bevelled. This allows you to achieve very smooth surfaces. Just try out what works best for you.
2. Preparation
Can you paint wood without sanding it?
We differentiate here between natural wood and already varnished wood.
With natural wood , you should always check whether it has been waxed or oiled in recent years. If this is the case, you will definitely need to sand the wood, otherwise the colour will not hold well.
If the surface has already been painted, you can simply start painting. And it doesn't matter whether they are coated with acrylic varnish or synthetic resin varnish. Only if the coloured paint peels off in places do the corresponding areas need to be sanded down.
Can I also paint waxed or oiled furniture?
If the piece of furniture to be painted is waxed, you must remove the wax before painting. Sand the wood. The wax must be completely removed for your paint to last.
For oiled furniture, the question is how long it has been since you last oiled it. If you have re-oiled it from time to time in recent years, you should also sand the surface and clean it well. However, if your 20-year-old piece of furniture was oiled once at the beginning and then never again, you don't need to sand it.
As waxed or oiled furniture is natural wood, we recommend priming with MissPompadour To Bond & Block.
When do I need to apply a primer?
If you are working with the varnish qualities and want to paint furniture that has already been varnished, you do not need a primer. A primer with MissPompadour To Bond & Block is recommended if you are painting natural wood.
Oak, tropical and softwoods tend to "bleed". This means that tannins are released from the wood and cause unsightly stains in the varnish. This effect is of course particularly visible on light and medium-light varnishes. So if you paint very dark colours, you can dispense with the primer.
If you are painting an already sealed, i.e. varnished surface, you can use To Bond & Block to ensure that the colour adheres better to the substrate.
3. To Paint
How do you paint a wooden cabinet to cover it?
Our paints and varnishes all have a very high opacity and are therefore ideal for painting wooden furniture. In most cases, you can achieve a great, opaque result with just 2 coats of furniture varnish. However, sometimes you need more coats. Please follow our instructions for priming.
How many coats are necessary and how much paint do I need?
For many projects, you can achieve a very nice result with just 2 coats of paint. Of course, how many coats you need also depends on the painting technique, the substrate and the desired colour. In our practical quantity calculator, which you will find next to each colour shade, you enter what and how many square metres you are painting. You will then get the estimated consumption for two coats.
How can I paint transparently so that the wood grain is retained?
Our varnishes and colours have a very high opacity. They can be thinned with water to achieve a transparent look. Please note that this can have a negative impact on durability. In addition, you cannot use a primer with diluted paint as it would show through. So if you are painting wood that tends to bleed, we advise against thinning the paint.
4. To Paint
How long does the colour last on furniture that is subject to heavy use?
How long a coat of paint lasts naturally always depends on how much it is used. Every painted surface is subject to a certain amount of wear and tear. The durability also depends on the substrate. If it is stable and well cleaned, our varnishes and colours have a very good durability. With MissPompadour To Seal you can additionally protect furniture that is subject to heavy wear. However, as every paint fan estimates the use of their furniture differently, we cannot predict how many years your paint will last perfectly. If necessary, chipped areas or scratches are really very easy to repair.
Do I have to seal my furniture?
Easy Eggshell! is extremely durable. If you expect a lot of wear and tear, you can use MissPompadour To Seal to make the surfaces even more resilient. You can also seal it beautifully with our wood waxes. Just 1–2 coats of the clear wax are usually enough. Take a look at our blog post to find out how.
How do I clean and care for my painted furniture?
Cleaning your varnished furniture is very easy! Wipe off dust with cotton cloths - avoid microfibre, as this has an abrasive surface and gradually removes the varnish. For stains, you can wipe carefully with a damp sponge and washing-up liquid. Gentle cleaners are generally more suitable as they do not attack the varnish.
It is important that you do not expose the colour to standing moisture, as it does not like this and can dissolve it.
However, the painted surfaces do not require any further care.
Can I also paint my furniture indoors?
Our paints are low-odour and can be used indoors without difficulty. To Paint, ensure a good exchange of air.
Questions ?
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