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the surface so that it won't be noticeable when painted. At this point make any other small repairs such as fixing wobbly legs or handles. It is wise to remove any door or drawer handles and paint these separately if possible.

4. Next you need to prime bare wood with a wood primer: because wood is very porous the primer creates a seal, so that the fresh paint does not keep soaking into the wood, leaving you with an uneven finish.

5. Nowadays you can paint with water-based and acrylic paints which are so much easier to use, they dry fast and do not contain the harsh chemicals or fumes of traditional oil-based paints and I would strongly recommend them if possible. You need to undercoat the item with a dark color if your final paint will be a dark color or white if it's a light color. Paint in the direction of the grain and if it doesn't cover well use a few coats of primer. For most small projects the undercoat can be the same as the topcoat to save on buying several tins of paint, but if the top coat is a gloss finish the undercoat should be a matte finish. If the undercoat is a gloss finish it will need to be sanded lightly between each coat of paint or the paint will not adhere.

6. Finally finish off your piece of furniture with any number of finishes. There are so many types of finish available, a few coats of a gloss paint finely sanded between each coat will give a lacquered look, varnish over matte paint is also good, and for an antique look a tinted varnish over a pale color can work well, finish off with tinted wax for a deep patina. There are also a range of decorative paint finishes: stenciling, dragged paint effects, wood-graining, decoupage, crackled varnish to name just a few. This is the fun part of furniture painting, so choose your finish carefully, and experiment by painting samples on pieces of board until you are happy with the result.

Learn more about this author, Catherine Leahy.
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