Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Painted furniture - on the way out?

70 replies

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 09/08/2014 12:18

Our bedroom furniture was bought with wedding present money so was waxed pine (as was the fashion at the time). We also have an antique oak tall chest of drawers in the room that was originally a very dark stain but we had stripped and then waxed to a light oak. For a good while, I have been thinking it all looks quite dated, but it's good, solid functional furniture so I'm loath to get rid, especially as we could only afford poorer quality stuff to replace it.

I'm considering painting it, but a little worried the Annie Sloan look is on the way out and it will look just as dated in a couple of years! In fact, maybe waxed pine will have come round again by then. Any thoughts? Or other suggestions? I don't like dark-stained furniture unless the house it's in has the manor-house proportions to set it off (ours doesn't.)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
AWombWithoutARoof · 10/08/2014 10:07

If you don't prime does it wear well? I'm not into the distressed look, and my plan is for lovely bold colours like the ones so far on this thread. I think for a bold colour a really good finish is important.

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio · 10/08/2014 10:25

Awomb - yes, it's perfectly fine :) The 'distressed' look is something you have to work on, it's not natually occuring (iyswim).

If you want a smoother look then you need to use a smooth paint brush and you can if you want to, use a very very fine sandpaper between coats (I don't bother) and a soft wax or laquer.

The soft wax doesn't age/distress it (you need the dark wax, heavier sandpaper etc for that technique).

The colours on the website aren't that great (as with any colour online) but you can get a colour chart from any of the many distributors - or get one posted to you. Also, you can mix the colours to get pretty much any colour you like. I have a beautiful, beautiful strong 'plum' colour I made using Aubusson, Emperor's Silk and a little white and a lovely Aubergine colour using the same colours in a different ratio.

You can also get very strong pastel colours (if that makes sense!) by adding white to things like Antibes, Emperor's Silk, Aubusson etc

The small tester pots go a long way as well if you just want to give it a go, though, as with any other product it's much better value per 100ml to buy the bigger tins.

Ask away, I can bore for Africa on this subject!

Paloma12 · 10/08/2014 12:05

It's just a personal view (obviously!) but I think painted furniture is incredibly naff. Can't see why people don't keep the original wood, if it's nice. I've just spent ages looking for a Victorian freestanding towel rail, unbelievable irritating that everyone I saw had been painted. Each yo their own, of course!

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 12:53

Annie Sloan is brilliant, it goes over anything - no need to sand, prime or anything. Just paint.

Not quite. I have had problems twice with the original varnish bleeding through.

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 12:54

It's just a personal view (obviously!) but I think painted furniture is incredibly naff. Can't see why people don't keep the original wood, if it's nice.

Because people don't like it? I don't want a houseful of brown.

ShoeWhore · 10/08/2014 13:06

depends on the wood though paloma - some wood is gorgeous and I would never paint it. Orange knotty pine I'm not so fond of!

Paloma12 · 10/08/2014 14:15

Yy Shoe, totally depends on wood

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio · 10/08/2014 14:59

PrimalLass - that is rare and generally another coat will fix the problem.

Paloma - Painted furniture is 'naff'? What, all painted furniture? Hmm

whats4teamum · 10/08/2014 15:19

I painted my bedroom furnture with annie sloan and it is looking a bit sad after 6 months.

Had much better results in DD bedroom with farrow and ball eggshell.

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 16:14

PrimalLass - that is rare and generally another coat will fix the problem.

Out of the three pieces I have painted with AS it has happened on two of them. Both antiques (but very knackered and not possible to strip/restore before anyone shouts at me). I ended up having to do two coats of Zinsser on the first one, and should have on the one I'm working on just now. Four coats in I can still see brown streaks. I have a matching chest of drawers to do next and will Zinsser it first.

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 16:15

Fcukfifa - I love your grey sofa. I am swithering about whether to buy two, but they are light grey and I think we will trash them within months.

Fcukfifa · 10/08/2014 19:06

Thanks chilli, I definitely think your dresser would look beautiful in a deep blue, any white china will really pop!

Take some photos to show us if you do!

Primal, thank you it's from next. :) I did originally order it in the light grey but then saw this one (same sofa) in the sale at half price so went ahead. I'm glad I got this one now though with 2 boys and a slavering shar pei it will probably last longer!

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio · 10/08/2014 19:29

whats4teamum - did you wax (or laquer it) or just leave it? It's not great to leave furniture unwaxed as it is, as the tin says, chalky.

Farrow & Ball doesn't need waxing, but it does need a lot of prep work.

Primal That's a shame, but presumably they were all from the same 'set' so not surprising they have reacted in the same way. I wonder what is on them, because it really is unusual to need to do anything other than maybe spot a few knots occasionally.

Chillie I guess it depends on the room, if it's light enough then a dark colour would look good, but if the room is a bit dark then painting the dresser dark wont help and it might end up looking a bit imposing if the room isn't very big. However, the advantage with Annie Sloan is that if you do it and don't like it, you can just paint another colour over it! The Aubusson with a good wax looks great as does the Olive :) I would do 3 layers on wax on the shelves/sideboard top bit, just to give it that added protection. Or you can use Polyvine wax finish varmish in flat or satin if you are looking for something a bit 'harder' and aren't worried about getting the more 'old french' look.

Fcukfifa - I like the life model :)

Chillisauce · 10/08/2014 20:10

Thanks for the tips! That's great. X

HappyAsASandboy · 10/08/2014 20:28

PrimalLass which Zinsser product do you use?

I am nervously considering painting orange-varnish-pine cabin beds with Annie Sloan paint, and I'm worried the orange will bleed through. I have done an orange-varnish-pine table before with no problem, but I am more bothered about the beds than the table!

I like AS paint because of the lack of sanding/prep before painting. Do you have to sand before the Zinsser product?

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 20:36

Primal That's a shame, but presumably they were all from the same 'set' so not surprising they have reacted in the same way. I wonder what is on them, because it really is unusual to need to do anything other than maybe spot a few knots occasionally.

No, sorry to be confusing. They were totally different. The first one with the bleeding varnish has handles like this but a much plainer frame:
www.ormstonsaint-antiquefurniture.co.uk/blog/?p=588

And then I have these two, I am in the middle of painting the tall one, and the other is my next project.

Painted furniture - on the way out?
Painted furniture - on the way out?
PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 20:38

PrimalLass which Zinsser product do you use?

BIN. Sometimes I have just used four coats of that and not bothered with the AS. It is a lovely greyish off-white. It is a complete pig to work with, but dries very quickly.

NewJobNewLife · 10/08/2014 20:42

Thanks PrimalLass. Do you have to sand the varnish before you use BIN?

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio · 10/08/2014 20:47

PrimalLass - that's so weird. I know a lot of people (professionals and 'do it yourself'ers') & we have painted loads of stuff between us and I can count on my fingers the number of pieces that have needed any treatment. You have been really unlucky!!

The Zinsser product sounds interesting.

PrimalLass · 10/08/2014 20:58

No, no sanding required. It is the stickiest bugger ever. In that your brushes/rollers will be unsalvagable after 20 minutes of use.

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclinatio - a quick google shows that it is more common than you think. It is even addressed on the AS website.

www.anniesloan.co.uk/acatalog/Bleed_Through.html

www.thepurplepaintedlady.com/2012/05/what-to-do-about-water-stains-or-wood-grain-bleeding-through-paint/

I'm not saying I don't like the stuff. But I don't get the adulation. And I have been 'upcycling' furniture since my teens (so a long time ago Grin).

burnishedsilver · 11/08/2014 08:58

I love sideboard fcuk. Can you remenber what brand and colour paint you used?

noddyholder · 11/08/2014 09:02

Yes has reached saturation point and hasn't been that desirable foe years. Our local gumtree etc full of it. I think plain white spray painted furniture/cabinetry is classic but farrow and ball with new handles has been done to death.

PrimalLass · 11/08/2014 09:20

So what is 'in' noddy? I'm not a fan of the 'matching new oakfurnitureland' look but don't want people to think my house is twee.

I have a mix of stripped and refinished antique stuff and painted (plus an over-large amount of Ikea). If I paint drawers (etc) I do tend to strip the top back.

minkah · 11/08/2014 09:28

D'you think painting a bannister would be ok with annie sloan? I'd quite like to have a fab coloured bannister.

Would the amount of contact it gets means it's not the right paint to use?

My hall is stone coloured with white paintwork. Not sure what colour do go for.

I love the violet colour..forgotten the name if it!