by Nathan Perkins

Created on: May 21, 2007   Last Updated: February 29, 2008

Fresh paint can make a bland piece of furniture look brand new. It is not all that difficult in most cases. Here are some tips to help you to make sure that it turns out great.

First, be certain you are not ruining a family heirloom. If you suspect that the furniture that you would like to refurnish is an antique, please do not strip the wood or mess with the current finish until you know if that will destroy the value of the piece.

Some furniture has a dull darkening of its surface that antique dealers call patina. It reveals a lot of information about the origin, quality, use and value of a piece of furniture. Patina increases the furniture's value in many cases.

Visit an antique dealer and get his or her perspective on what the piece is worth. You may change your mind about how dull your piece looks if you discover the patina gives it a lot of value. If you still don't like the look of the piece you will at least be able to know if you should sell it for a small fortune. If the piece is worthless you can do a risk free paint job.

If you have a piece of furniture that requires a paintjob follow these steps to get the best results.

Collect Supplies:
It is always best to have everything that you might need before you get started: Drop cloth, paint brushes, sand paper (rough and smooth), a stripping agent, small paint caddies, fume masks, tools for disassembly and reassembly of furniture, tack cloth, bright lighting, clean up cloths (a lot of them), there may be other things based on the piece of furniture that you will repaint.

Set Up:
Make sure you have a dry and warm area to do your work. Throw down your drop cloth and get started on preparing the surface of the project.

Using bright lights will help you perfect your work. If you can't see any problems with a bright light shining on your worksite no one will see any in normal light.

If there are parts of a piece of furniture that you want to paint or stain separately remove them or carefully tape the surfaces that need to be protected.

Strip:
There are a variety of stripping agents that can be used to get the old stain or paint off of the piece with ease. They have instructions with them. Usually, you use a cloth or paint brush to apply the stripper or thinner to the paint that you want to remove. Rub the unwanted paint off. Reapply the stripper and wipe off the removed paint several times until it looks like you have gotten it all.

Then it is most advisable to rinse the piece with water. Some strippers could affect

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>