Painting pine- can a novice do it?

[Candlesamdyoga]

I'm skint but need my bedroom to be less junk shop and more shabby chic as it's not restful at all and full of odds and ends of furniture.
I have two matching pine items which were a lovely greeny/ yellow pine when purchased but now are orangey. I'd like to paint them. But what colour and can o, only used to painting walls, manage it?
Has anyone got any tips/ good tried and tested methods/ instruction videos?

Frenchic paint is amazing - lots of ideas on their website frenchicpaint.co.uk/blogs/upcycling

It’s not that amazing. It does chip and scratch and Frenchic swiftly remove any bad review or unfavourable comments on their FB page.I have to keep touching up the cupboards I’ve painted with Frenchic.

I like Valspar furniture paint- it’s got a built in primer which saves you a step, plus you can colour match it. Lightly sand first, take it slow and use thin coats to avoid chipping.

Yes, a novice can do it.
Rub down the wood with wire wool and white spirit to remove any grease.
Paint with primer, or a combined primer and undercoat.
Rub down with a sanding block.
Pain with a top coat.

For best results you'd paint and sand then paint again with the top coat. There are several expensive, fashionable paint brands. I'd stick with the basic shop own-brand.

Zinsser BIN is an excellent primer if it's knotty pine you're working with. Also consider leaving the top surfaces unpainted as they tend to chip much easier with more use. You can sand the surfaces down and stain a nicer colour and have the rest painted.

I like Rustoleum furniture paint.

Yes of course you can - YouTube is your friend.

What I've learned -

• Use sugar soap to give the pieces a really good clean and let them dry completely.
• Scuff sand whatever surface you have on your furniture.
• Make sure you use a good primer. Bin zinsser is a great product, especially if the pine is raw untreated and/or has knots (which can bleed through). It absolutely stinks.
• Chalk-style paint is very forgiving for first time DIY. Rust-oleum gives v.good coverage but I wouldn't use it on high traffic furniture.
• If you're not using chalk-style paint, use a water-based satin or eggshell (slight sheen) which is easier than an oil based paint to clean and more durable than chalk paint. Avoid gloss paint, you'll see every lump & bump and it's difficult to get a good finish.
• Thin layers are your friend - 3 to 4 thin layers are much better than 2 thick layers (thick layers chip easier). Super light sand between layers.
• Let each paint layer dry for longer than the tin says and longer than you think it needs. And let the pieces 'cure' before you use them (at least a few days).
• Buy a short-handled, angled brush - much easier to use - and a foam brush (for things like the narrow edge of a drawer front).
• If the pieces are small, say like a locker, paint them up on a table (cover the table) and I guarantee your back will thank you!

- easy beginner run through - is great, and has some nice inspiration.

I love F&B estate eggshell (ammonite) and Dulux diamond eggshell (smokey ridge).

A novice can indeed paint furniture.

Just keep in mind that the great instructions above by tattooed lady are for bare wood.

Your pine furniture is likely waxed or varnished and you will need to remove the wax or strip the varnish before following the instructions above to paint it.

(I would use the sugar soap on pine, not white spirit as it will stain the pine a horrible yellow. Tattooed lady’s instructions are best for pine/soft wood).

It's a great first project.

Splashing out on new handles gives impact, if budget allows. Match existing holes to keep it easy - if knobs then it's easy, if handles then remove one and measure the distance between the centres of the 2 holes, then search for handles with that gap.

Chalk paint is more forgiving but will wear. I would do it with universal primer/undercoat and satinwood. Don't be afraid of using a wider brush - it's much quicker and will give a more even finish.

Spray paint is another idea. Quick, and gives a good and robust finish. It can get messy though (I would stick to outdoors) and it is more expensive. Check cans/tins to see if it needs primer, but if in any doubt, I prime anyway.

Works well on varnished/painted surfaces too. At least that's my experience. But definitely need to scuff thoroughly and prime, or the new paint will peel. Zinsser bin is my go-to primer for this. But if you did remove all the old varnish OP you could also consider a chalk paint white-wash finish which is v.easy to achieve and a v.shabby chic look - K.Scott has a video on it from a couple years back.

I did not even consider wax - but to be honest, if it's waxed I'd probably just remove the old wax surface (Colron has a good product) and re-wax it because painting waxed furniture can be tricky, and I have zero tips how to do it well.

Lots of great advice from other posters! And another vote for Zinsser Bin as a primer for knotty or stained wood.

If your pieces are fairly large, without too much detailing, you may find it easier to apply Zinsser with a small roller. It's faster than a brush and seems to give better coverage; with a brush it's almost as if Zinsser gets thicker, stickier somehow IYKWIM.

Just make sure the rollers are of a type that can be used with solvent based paints, otherwise they'll start disintegrating in the process, leaving bits of foam stuck to your paint - grr! 😬 I've used these ones from Wickes (the description says "short pile" but they're actually foam) - www.wickes.co.uk/Mini-Gloss-Short-Pile-Roller-Sleeve-4-25in---Pack-of-10/p/607239

The finish will be a bit "orange-peely", which is what you'd expect from a roller, but a light pass with a high grade sandpaper (I use 240 grit) before applying the top coat will sort it out.

I've just remembered that we got a ton of wax with the stuff when we bought the pieces (years ago!).
This makes me a bit nervous about taking it off properly. I have already bought handles but maybe I'll try the chalk as a starting point. I have a shelving unit which is the smallest I could try first. Lots to think about and in fact why I get the fear about trying !

Wax is VERY easy to remove from furniture. But you have to do it before applying any paint- even chalk finish paint. Or the paint will not adhere and you will get bubbling and peeling. Colron make one that is only around £15 and does the job. The key to a good paint job is 95% preparation.

Once you've removed the wax, try your primer and paint on somewhere you won't see such as the back of a drawer. That will help you to see if it works and try out a brush compared to a mini roller.