Painting furniture for the first time

[OhCobblers]

I really hate painting rooms and am rubbish so don't do it, but I've got a little chair that id like to upcycle.

Surely even I can do this?!

Just a pot of paint and a brush right?! I don't want to sand down as I'm really lazy! Do I have to??!!

You could paint it with Frenchic, you would have to give it a quick sand but no need for primer etc. They do some great colours

I’ve got a bookcase and Welsh dresser that I want to do, but the sanding is putting me off.

Extensive fiddling around on Instagram suggests that Frenchic, Little Green paint co or Farrow and Ball all produce good results. My sister’s friend sells furniture she’s painted for a living and seems to have just switched to little green from f&b.

I just need to get my head around all that sanding.

Thank you! So a little sanding, just to smooth it down before painting?!
It's the mess I can't stand

Depending on what type of finish you are after, rustoleum paint states that you don't need to sand first.

I use Frenchic paint and it is amazing and easy to use. Take a look at the Frenchic Fan Forum on Facebook for more tips and results. All you need to do is really lightly rub over it with some sand paper, clean it and then paint in very thin coats to prevent brush marks. You need to find a stockist to buy the paint, but it's worth it.
I used rustoleum before I found Frenchic and the unit I painted looks truly rubbish in comparison.

Smaller roller or brush or both?

Instead of sanding down you could use a primer. I know a lot of paints now say it’s not necessary but I’ve always used one. Zinser (sp) is a good one.

Has anyone experience of painting mdf furniture? I’m thinking of painting an Ikea desk we’ve had for ages. It’s one of their standard white desks- has a few little marks where the white ‘coating’ (don’t know the correct terms) has chipped but I assume I don’t sand that.

Yes @spinningheart - I have painted ikea furniture such as kallax and malm and also a high gloss kitchen using Frenchic paint. I use a brush and roller as he finish is so smooth.

I recently joined the Frenchic Facebook group which has been really helpful, people are evening painting their floor tiles!

The best thing is to rub over with sandpaper, as this helps the paint to “grip”. If you can do it outside that would limit the mess!

Take off any handles, hinges etc before you start so you don’t have to paint around them.

I used Little Greene paint and it was brilliant. Gave a real good coverage with 2 coats (I might have got away with one coat but for the finicky bits I messed up first time round!), and no brush marks. I also tried B&Q own brand which was dreadful - odd consistency, would’ve needed about a million coats to cover properly.

I considered Frenchic but the reviews are wierd - seems like a huge, heavily moderated “Facebook” thing goes on, but actual reviews aren’t all great, which really put me off them as a company, so I didn’t use there stuff (which could be brilliant in fairness!).

I agree about the heavily moderated Facebook page where you aren't supposed to mention any other brands 🙄 it is annoying and a bit off putting. However, it has been the most brilliant paint I've used and I now have all my doors and furniture painted in this paint with not a brush stroke in sight 😁