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How I Paint and Stain Furniture

September 6, 2013 By Reeves @ The Weathered Door 19 Comments

[Updated January 2017]
I have a newly updated post on how I paint and stain furniture click here to see my current paint method.
 
 
 
How I Paint and Stain Furniture 

Furniture

Starting with the right piece is important. Select a piece that is well-built and solid. I look for pieces that are solid wood, have dovetail joints, drawers that work well, and are structurally sound. If I want to keep the original hardware having all components that function is huge. I have to be realistic about what I can fix and what is worthwhile to fix. Large fixes cost time and money and often end up sitting for long periods while I work on easier projects. If the fixes are more than sanding and filling I move on and find something that is more worth my time and will give me a higher return on my investment. I do run a business and have to take these things into consideration. When I purchase a piece for myself I am more lenient on some of my rules and willing to invest more time since it’s something I will be keeping. Also, beware of lingering smells (smoke and mildew) as they can be nearly impossible to get out of pieces and having a piece of furniture that you have spent hours refinishing and fixing only to have to disclose to the buyer that there are still problems is unfortunate.

Many pieces are solid wood construction with a veneered surface. It’s extremely common and nothing to run away from. Veneer can be refinished or painted. Do note that refinishing veneer can be tricky if it’s thin because if you sand too far and go through the veneer there’s not much you can do to fix it.

 
To Continue Reading you can find my new Paint Method Here. 
 
 

Filed Under: how to, Tips and Tutorials

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Comments

  1. Heidi says

    September 6, 2013 at 9:24 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
  2. The Pink Geranium or Jan's Place says

    September 6, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    great post…I have wondered what your technique is. Your doing some fun stuff!

    Jan

    Reply
  3. RPK Interiors says

    September 6, 2013 at 11:16 pm

    Thank you for such a thorough explanation of your process! Very helpful. Pinning it for others to benefit from this! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    September 7, 2013 at 2:17 am

    What a great post Reeves! Thanks for sharing your favorite products. I definitely need to give that wax a try. Your furniture always looks flawless!

    Reply
  5. Lanaya | Raising Reagan says

    September 9, 2013 at 3:28 am

    Some great tips … I have a piece of furniture I need to redo.

    Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
    Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. 🙂

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•*´
    (¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
    Raising-Reagan.com

    Reply
  6. Angela Conley says

    September 12, 2013 at 5:50 am

    So glad you shared info on using paint with primer in it… I've been using Behr's line for my projects lately but didn't really know much about it. Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips!

    Reply
  7. Samantha @ Five Heart Home says

    September 13, 2013 at 11:41 am

    These are great step-by-step instructions for those of us without much experience painting and staining furniture. Thanks so much for sharing…pinned for future reference!

    Reply
  8. MrsMajor Hoff says

    September 15, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    Lots of great tips and reminders that some of us might have forgotten! Thanks for linking up to the Dream*Create*Inspire party!

    Reply
  9. Leslie Stewart says

    September 17, 2013 at 2:17 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this great info at my party! Stop by House on the Way tomorrow to see it featured!
    Leslie
    http://www.houseontheway.com

    Reply
  10. Reeves @ The Weathered Door says

    September 19, 2013 at 8:25 am

    I truly appreciate you sharing it 🙂

    Reply
  11. HEATHER GRAHAM says

    October 4, 2013 at 1:59 am

    This is such a great post! Thanks so much for linking it up at Tips & Tricks on Stringtown Home… so informative, and such great info… I'm heading to Facebook, now, to share it on my page, and I'm pinning it to Pinterest tomorrow. 🙂
    http://www.stringtownhome.net

    Reply
  12. Sam Bates says

    October 9, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    Something I have searched for online but haven't found, is how to tell the difference between wood veneer and laminate. I bought a buffet on CL that had the top replaced with particle board at some point, but it seems like it has wood veneers on it. I can't tell though. The rest of the buffet is solid wood.

    Reply
  13. Ayu Wulandari says

    February 21, 2014 at 4:24 am

    great work…!! indonesian people say : Kereeeeenn..!!

    Reply
  14. Beth@Makemeprettyagain says

    February 24, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    Hi Reeves. Just thought I'd pass along a few things I've learned. Ignore it if you want! lol
    I found this great wipe on urethane (not poly. an oil base urethane) from General Finishes. OMG. No brush marks, and the stuff is unreal. Dries quickly and you can use it over chalk paint as well.
    The second is I don't paint with latex. I use it for my chalk paints, but found the SW pro-classic enamel (water-ased) is much better straight out of the can for my mid-century pieces. You don't get that tacky feeling that latex has. And it's self leveling. Just my humble opinion on these products. Feel free to tell me to butt out!

    Reply
  15. Jacquin Milhouse-Headen says

    December 9, 2014 at 6:11 am

    This is so useful! Thanks for the helpful info and great ideas! Fab blog! http://www.InteriorsbyJacquin.blogspot.com

    Reply
  16. Angie Danel says

    January 11, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Water ring drama: The rings are holding up pretty well against the stain I'm using so we will most likely just paint over them. Your advise for painting over oil based stain? Just sand?

    Reply
  17. sharmi says

    April 9, 2015 at 9:14 pm

    Reeves, How long does each piece take to complete, from start to finish ?

    Reply
  18. Shelly says

    August 5, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    How do you decide which milk paint to use and do you ever spray a clear coat for extra ware protection before waxing?I look forward to your reply!!

    Reply
  19. furniture stores near me says

    July 25, 2018 at 4:24 am

    Really informative post for everyone who want to purchase furniture they should know about wood that which type of wood are they using. Keep giving updates.

    Reply

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