Has anyone successfully painted their furniture?

[Crazypaintlady]

I have some furniture, tv stand, dining table etc, that looks like this and would like it to be grey or white like in the second photo.

My furniture is Oak the smaller items are veneer. I'm fed up with the brown but don't want to ruin what is essentially good furniture.

Have I got any hope of it looking ok?

I'm not sure I would paint nice oak.
I DID paint orange shiny pine using Rustoleum and Annie Sloan soft wax and was pretty pleased despite the brush strokes showing

Dining table, do the legs but leave the top unpainted. Maybe wax it up a bit

I did a pine nest of tables and initially they were fine but didn't wear well. The paint became scratched so I had lovely grey tables with orange pine flecks must add that I used ordinary eggshell paint with several coats of clear varnish. Perhaps the Rustoleum/Annie Sloan will produce better results, I remember looking at them and not wanting to pay £40 for paint.

I have painted furniture using little greene - primer and eggshell. They are 3 years on and are fine although they are not heavy use items. (Bedside tables blanket box and mirror)

I didn't use any varnish but would think if you are doing a table it would need something to protect it.

Yes, I painted an old orange pine bed, chest of drawers, and bed side cabinets, in a pale grey chalk paint and it's gorgeous. I didn't prime as you don't need to with chalk paint, first coat always looks a bit shit, but after the second it miraculously smooths itself out.

I'd probably use a cream or white chalk paint, then don't wax it, but put a coat of clear Matt varnish over the top of it when dry.

Although to be fair, I don't think I'd do a dining table. It's too heavy use and I think it would scratch too easily.

I have painted pine furniture. I used rustoleum to block the orange coming through the paint, then Annie Sloan on one thing and eggshell on others.

I'd recommend eggshell over primer more than Annie Sloan. They end up looking the same, but the eggshell is much more hard wearing.

I read your post to mean that the TV stand is veneer rather than oak? If so, I'd find out how to prepare veneer for painting, and try prep/paint on a hidden area first?

I’ve done loads with the Annie Sloan paint and wax. Sometimes it does wear off a bit but that’s the sort of shabby chic look, abs you can always touch it up/give it another coat. The good thing is if you decide you don’t like the paint it’s water based so you can take it off relatively easily.

Chalk paint is dead easy but it does dry out in the tin as you work due to the high water content.
Later pieces, I poured some paint into a plastic takeaway container with a good fitting lid, and worked from that. Much easier than straight from the tin. Water the paint down a little bit, Three thin coats better than 2 thick ones (as someone said above, the first coat looks rubbish).
I'm thinking of painting some more things, leaving the top unpainted as in your photo. But they are nice wood and I'm worried about messing them up. The orange pine was so ugly even a bad paint job would be an improvement!

Chalk paint and varnish over the top - we've done all our 'brown' furniture in this way. Gives a lovely light vibe in a room.

I can't see the images - but you know that baked bean orange colour pine furniture eventually goes? Well, I painted over some of that furniture with Annie Sloan chalk paint - and it was like a dream. No preparation required!

I wouldn't bother with the wax finish over it though as it's difficult to apply, not that durable and remains tacky if you're not good at applying it (or, even if you are, it still takes about a month to harden). Instead i would recommend polyvine for the varnish (matt)

Thanks, has anyone got any before and after photos, or even just after photos.

I’ll post some pictures when home

Hey - as it’s nice oak, have you thought of doing one of those nice lime washes?

Aldi & B&Q do chalk paint, have had very good results with both lots cheaper than Annie Sloan/Rustoleum, also had very good results with undercoat/priming then eggshell on top, which I find much more resilient than chalk paint.

Have a look at Pinterest. There are loads of before and after photos on there. I've painted a lot of furniture, but the tops do scratch off. A glass panel sorts this out on sideboard, or cupboard type things.

Currently in the process of doing this drinks cabinet. The painting is fine but waxing I’m worried about as did a little in a sample and it was just patchy.

Blue that’s lovely, when I do the waxing I do it with a fat round brush then buff it, makes it easier to see the bits you may have missed. I also usually go over it lightly again with wax a couple of days later if it still looks a bit patchy.

I used Matt clear lacquer over the top not wax as gives a more detailed finish

Here is a before of baked beans coloured ‘before ‘ pine (not the actual item painted, but same range)

And here are the afters of a small chest of drawers where I painted the drawers a different colour

(x2 coats of Annie Loan chalk paint and polyvine varnish on top)

Lovely Ariadne I did the same with my bedroom furniture looks so much better, will see if I can find some pics.

And another chest of drawers just in the green