Painting furniture

[Kescilly]

I’ve been reading old threads on this and still not sure what to do. I have a dresser I’d like to paint, possibly leaving some parts natural wood. I’ve tried chalk paint in the past and didn’t find it hard wearing, even with the wax.

Should I be using a regular matte paint? Or one of those furniture paints I’ve seen in B&Q? If I use one of those paints, does it need to be sealed with varnish? What about any parts left as natural wood?

I’d appreciate any product recommendations as I’m unfamiliar with some of the brands.

Satinwood, eggshell, gloss or furniture paint (satinwood ime but seems particularly durable) are all suitable. They don't need anything putting on top of them. You might want to use a Zinsser primer first before painting with your chosen topcoat to stop any previous treatment the wood has been given from bleeding through and also to ensure your paint adheres well.

For bare wood, you could oil it with Danish oil or use Osmo hard polyx wax or varnish it.

I’ve just painted a pine desk with Wilko’s satin wood one coat. In fact it took two, but I did not use a primer, just sanded it down well.
The top is left wood and I finished it off with Briwax.

I second using zinser as a primer and can confirm (based on a wowfudge reccomend) that osmo poly wax is a great idea for finishing. I like eggshell paint (Get valspar or johnstones to mix it up) nice and matte. I've found the furniture specific paints to not be as good.

Thanks guys, this is all really useful! I’ve heard good things about Zinsser primer but never used it. Should I wax over both the paint and the natural wood?

I have another cheap pine table that’s already been sanded and I wanted to leave unpainted. Would wax work on that or would oil be more durable? We use it as a desk and general work surface so it sees a lot of use.

@JT05 and @Kamma89 I’d love to see your finished pieces!

Thanks @wowfudge for always being so helpful.

As requested!

Wow that looks amazing! Did you use a brush or roller? Did you wax the whole thing?

I want that same combo, painted with the tops left as natural wood.

I used a paint brush, masking off the top. I didn’t use wax on the paint because it has a soft sheen already. Whist it was drying, the paint looked more shiny, but I was relieved when it dried duller.
The top is just Briwax ( Homebase). I’ll probably give it another coat as I’m putting my sewing machine on it.

Oh, and I painted it upside down to protect the top. That also might be why any brush strokes don’t catch the light.

Hi @Kescilly - just to add that if you are painting furniture where young children may have access, its always worth checking whether or not the product used conforms to EU standard EN 71-3 (which means its child-safe). Paints like Frenchic (all ranges including their finishing products are child-safe), Autentico Vintage and Fusion Tones for Tots are covered by this. Not all paints conform so best to check; this is the minimum standard required for use on toys. Plus if you use wax, make sure it does not contain turps, a known carcinogen. Check the VOC levels on products, including Zinsser. The accepted level of VOC for water-based paint is a maximum of 30g/l, best to go for products that are less than 5g/l if possible. Have a look at Polyvine products too, their decorator's varnish works very well and is what a lot of pro-upcyclers use, is regarded as child and food safe. Regards. Chris

OP Osmo and things like Danish oil shouldn't be used over the top of paint, just on bare wood.