by Julie Flory

Created on: May 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

Painting and sprucing up old furniture can be quite a little money spinner. I have made good money from doing just this.
First of all lets take a look at what furniture to get hold of and do up.

If you're looking at reselling pieces then scour the markets and second hand shops for little side tables, plant stands, coffee tables, rocking chairs, small dressers and anything quaint. These are always the items that sell best.

First of all you need to remove all old varnish and/or paints and you have three options here. The first is to use a chemical paint or varnish remover. Follow the instructions on the tin but in short you need to paint it on and after it blisters, scrape it off. This is by far the quickest method.

However, quickest isn't always best. Scraping away at a very old quaint piece is really not advisable so the second option is to sand it. This is very very time consuming but well worth all the effort. There are those that say sanding very fine pieces is not advisable as sanding can also remove the wood surface. Whilst this is true, if done carefully, it needn't happen. Use a power sander on think paints and varnishes and on large flat surface areas and always use sand paper by hand on hard to reach places and thinner coats. When sanding by hand, to avoid damaging the wood, start with a courser grit and work down to a fine grit when nearer the wood.

Your third option is to use a heat gun. This is very effective but it does involve scraping again. So take great care. Never hold the heat gun so that it touches the wood and never leave it in one place for too long.

Assuming you've removed all paint and varnish then it it now time to transform your piece. I always recommend enamel paint. It is glossy, durable and effective. Other paints will of course work but will chip easily and will need several coats of varnish.

When painting use a two inch brush on larger areas, a one inch brush on smaller areas and a half inch brush for the hard to get to places. Buy the best quality brushes that you can.

The most important tip is to paint a thin even coat and more importantly allow to dry thoroughly between coats. Take great care around legs of the furniture and hard to reach places so that you don't get drips. If you use enamel, you shouldn't need to varnish.

If, however, you chose to use another paint type, then you will need to varnish now. Make sure that the paint is thoroughly dry first. Purchase varnish for interior use and follow the instructions on the tin to the letter.

Your piece should be transformed. One last tip, if you need to buy replacement handles but the new ones are to shiny then scrub with a wire brush. It works wonders.

Now, the best part. You can sell and make a good profit. I have offered many of my pieces to small furniture shops, curio shops and have sold many at markets. Don't over price but cover all of your costs and allow a profit. Many small pieces can be sold on eBay. You'll be very surprised at what people will pay for well decorated old furniture. Good luck.

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