Another request post this week and this one was a learning for me too. We posted a whole lot of dining table top ideas a few weeks back. One of the questions on that post came from Srishti. She wanted to know how to paint furniture.

The thing is, I have never painted furniture myself. But luckily, I do know these amazing ladies who have. Divya and Krittika are both super decoristas and DIY queens in their own right. Today they share with us how they go about painting furniture… and I’ve learnt a whole lot reading their tips myself. So let’s get right to it.

How To Paint Furniture:

Divya is a master at DIY and writes an amazing blog called ‘DesiDIY‘ where she catalogs all her DIY experiments. She’s painted a lot of furniture herself and tried various techniques in addition to regular painting, which she shares with us today.

The work she’s sharing with us today includes a table, which was originally polished…

… and a bed, which was originally painted. The process remains the same for both types of furniture.

What Divya Used:

• Sanding block
• Annie Sloan chalk paints
• Gold buff (can also use gold oil paint)
• Paint brush
• Cloth for buffing
• Minwax Polyacrylic Protective Finish

What Divya Did:

Step 1: Sanding

In both cases, the first step was to sand the furniture to remove the top coat of paint or polish.

Step 2: Cleaning

Clean the piece properly to remove all the dust using a wet piece of cloth.

Step 3: Painting

Divya used chalk paints on both pieces as she wanted to give her furniture a distressed look. Else, she says, you can use pretty much any paint on furniture.

Apply 1 coat of paint and let it dry completely. Apply a second coat for good coverage.

If you’re looking to paint your furniture in a single colour, you can now go straight to step 4. But Divya wanted a double shaded effect on her furniture, so here is what she did.

For the table, she took her second colour and dry brushed it lightly over colour 1.

What is dry brushing? You use an almost dry brush, with very little paint on it, and paint gently in light strokes. This gives an uneven, scratchy paint effect on the surface, through which the base colour can be seen. The result is a distressed, double shaded effect.

On the bed, Divya used colour 2 on all the carvings.

She then dry brushed the carvings with colour 1 again. This way hints of colour 2 can be seen through and the carving has a distressed, double shaded effect.

If you want to go another step further, here’s another technique she teaches us.

To highlight that beautiful carving, Divya took a piece of cloth and gently buffed the the curves with a hint of gold.

Step 4: Sealing

Divya used 2 coats of Miniwax polyacrylic protective coat to seal off the furniture. She says you can use any varnish, only to make sure the varnish is completely clear. Some top coats turn yellowish when they dry and take away from the beauty of the colour.

And this is the amazing result. A rich, vintage inspired console…

… and a beautiful boho day bed.

Remember to check out all of Divya’s amazing DIYs on her blog, ‘Desi DIY‘ and follow her on Instagram on @desi_diy_divyakandala to stay updated with her latest ideas.

How To Paint Laminated Furniture:

Krittika has managed to paint laminated furniture. Did you think that was possible? I grew up thinking nothing at all can ever be done to laminated furniture. You want to upgrade it, you can change the hardware. Until I saw this amazing shoe cabinet makeover by Krittika.

Krittika is an Insta-blogger on @willowandlovehome. She has a white home where you will never miss colour and she loves to use her hands to make things beautiful.

And today she’s teaching us how to paint laminated furniture.

What Krittika Used:

• Clean cloth
• Sand paper
• Wood primer (she used Asian Paints)
• Enamel paint (she used Asian Paints in satin finish)
• Paintbrush
• Paint Roller
• Paint tray
• Aluminium foil (If you are using enamel paint)
• New handles

What Krittika Did:

Step 1: Sanding

Since she was planning to change the handles, Krittika removed all the old hardware before she started. She lightly sanded the surface so that the primer adheres to it well.

Step 2: Cleaning

She then cleaned the furniture thoroughly with a damp cloth to remove all the dust.

Step 3: Painting

She started with a coat of primer and allowed it to dry. She then sanded lightly again to remove any rough uneven patches and then cleaned it with a cloth.

Then came the first coat of paint. She says you can use acrylic, chalk or enamel paint. Krittika used enamel paint in satin finish on this shoe cabinet because it is a really tough paint, doesn’t require a protective top coat and is very easy to clean with mild soap and a damp cloth.

She also suggests using a roller to paint all the flat surfaces. It is much faster and the finish is smooth without any brush strokes. To use a roller, you will need to pour the paint into a tray. Line your tray with aluminium foil (if you are using enamel paint) before pouring the paint. Once done, pour the leftover paint back into the can, fold the foil and discard. Saves you the trouble of going through a messy cleaning job after.

She allowed the paint to dry overnight and followed it up with a second coat of paint the next day.

Krittika let the paint cure for a week before changing the hardware on it to avoid any accidental scratches on the surface while drilling etc. But acrylic and chalk paint dry much faster and you needn’t wait that long.

Krittika warns that enamel paint has terrible fumes. She suggests painting in a well-ventilated area and placing coffee beans around in little containers to absorb the smell. If you are not comfortable with the fumes, go with water-based enamel paint. They are far less smelly.

The end result is this beautiful shoe cabinet that completely brightens up her cute entryway.

For daily decor inspiration from Krittika, remember to follow her Instagram account @willowandlovehome.

Wasn’t That Amazing?

I hope this post has helped answer questions about how to paint furniture for many of you. It has certainly taught me a lot about something I knew nothing about. Put in your questions in the comments below and I am sure Divya and Krittika will be more than happy to help.

Also, if there are any decor dilemmas on your mind that you’ve been thinking about for a while, let me know what they are and I will try my best to help!

Until next time,