How to repaint lacquered furniture with your own hands

Painting furniture a different color is a budget-friendly way to spice things up, change your home environment, and update your suite. What does a master need to know to repaint a table or cabinet with his own hands?

how to paint lacquered furniture
Furniture gradually loses its original appearance, and to fix this, many resort to painting.

Prerequisites for painting furniture

Old furniture becomes visually unattractive and dilapidated over time. The surface of the headset becomes rough, the paint peels off, and the polish peels off. Gradually, the varnish cracks, dust and dirt get clogged into the damage, the places begin to become greasy, deformed and even chipped.

how to paint lacquered furniture photo
This method allows you to quickly and inexpensively transform any piece of furniture beyond recognition.

Outdated furniture loses its attractive appearance and stands out noticeably against the background of the rest of the interior of the room. You can contact a furniture restoration specialist. But it costs a lot. Or you can figure out how to repaint lacquered furniture on your own. If you follow all the rules for preparing, painting and drying a wooden surface, you will become an experienced master in the restoration of your own furniture.

painting furniture before and after
You can age a dilapidated lacquered chest of drawers or give a bookcase a classic look.

How to choose the right paint

The appearance and durability of the paintwork directly depends on the quality of the material. But it is not enough to buy good paint. It is also necessary that it is intended for painting just wooden surfaces, is resistant to moisture, does not absorb dirt and dust, and does not crack at cold temperatures. And this is not a complete list of the advantages of high-quality paint.

furniture before and after repainting
This process does not require special skills and expensive equipment, the main thing is to choose the right paint and varnish composition and follow the technology.

Conventionally, paints and varnishes are divided into several types:

  1. Acrylic paint is the most common. It is water-based, which gives it fluidity and good coverage. Coloring occurs evenly, the product easily penetrates into all cracks and cracks. The paint is suitable for transforming natural wood and plywood surfaces. You can also paint laminate and veneer with acrylic.
  2. Enamel with a metallic sheen is an excellent solution for decorating furniture parts, painting handles and frames. A large selection of shades allows you to create unusual combinations and transform old furniture beyond recognition.
  3. The varnish is intended for updating the top layers of the coating. You can varnish freshly painted furniture or give an old interior a new and attractive look.
  4. Fire-resistant paint is used in cases where furniture will be located in high-risk areas. This paint improves the fire resistance and heat resistance of the surface.

How to paint polished furniture

How to paint polished furniture so that the coating lasts a long time, does not fade or crack over time? The process is divided into stages. Compliance with the rules of each of them is important for the high quality of your paintwork.

repainting sideboard
The first thing to start with is determining the appropriate coloring composition.

Preparing for the procedure

Preparing furniture for transformation and painting sometimes takes more time than other processes. It is necessary to carefully remove all decorative layers of the interior item so that the new coating gets a good adhesion to the wood.

removing varnish from wood
Remove the old polish and varnish layer with a metal brush, scraper or solvent.

First, clean the furniture from accumulated dirt, dust and dirt. If necessary, wipe especially soiled areas with soapy water and dry. Elimination of old coating is carried out in several ways:

  1. The mechanical method is the most time consuming, but effective and economical. Using an emery cloth, metal brush or grinder, the top layer of paint is removed step by step. Treat hard-to-reach or small areas with sandpaper or sandpaper. As a result, you get a smooth, cleaned and sanded surface, ready for the second stage of the procedure.
  2. The heat method is good in that the heated old varnish literally peels off and you do not need to make an effort to remove it. The old paint-and-lacquer layer is heated with a construction hairdryer or blowtorch, which is then scraped off with a spatula or spatula.
  3. The chemical method is good for its simplicity and affordability. This is not a budget option, but requires minimal physical effort. In a specialized store, a product is bought, applied to the varnished surface and kept under the film for a certain time specified in the instructions. Old varnish starts to come off and is easy to remove.
removing varnish from wood photo
In industrial conditions, at this stage, the surface of the painted piece of furniture is polished and minor defects are removed.

Required tools and materials

All tools and materials must be purchased in advance. This will make your work fast and efficient:

  1. It is recommended to buy rollers and brushes in several sizes at once. For large areas, tools with a wide working surface are suitable. Hard-to-reach areas can be easily painted with thin, small brushes.
  2. Spray gun if you plan to work in large volumes.
  3. Emery sheets in various grit sizes help sand and sand small areas of wood. If you are going to restore, for example, a cabinet, it makes sense to purchase a sander.
  4. A metal brush removes old paint or varnish mechanically. It is a handy helper when you have no access to electricity and the sander is helpless.
  5. The building hair dryer is an excellent, long-term purchase for the home craftsman. Do not use household appliances to heat paint and varnish surfaces. It does not have sufficient heating power and temperature.
  6. Purchase a putty from a hardware store. With its help, you can restore damaged and deformed wooden surfaces, mask holes and cracks.
  7. Primer. It is the first layer for painting, which evens the surface of the furniture and provides a secure adhesion between the coating and the wood.
  8. Special varnish for wood surfaces if you plan to varnish furniture.
  9. A paint thinner to remove unwanted stains and smudges.
  10. Etchant, detergent and insect repellent.

Stages of staining

The staining process is divided into stages that cannot be skipped or ignored:

  • preliminary preparation of the surface for painting or varnishing;
  • elimination of defects, filling of cracks and holes, cleaning, leveling, priming and filling;
  • degreasing the surface;
  • painting and varnishing furniture;
  • correct drying after staining.
painting furniture
This process does not require any special material costs and will take you very little time.

If you decide, for example, not to remove the old paint from the furniture, but apply a new layer on top, this will immediately affect the quality of the work. Such staining will quickly crack and be short-lived. It is better to paint in several thin layers. One dense, rough coating then forms streaks, bumps and irregularities. Dry each layer before applying a new one. It is also recommended to tape those parts of the furniture that do not need to be painted or varnished with tape.

DIY furniture painting
When the primer is completely dry, the surface should be re-roughened.

The final stage

After painting all furniture parts, dry all surfaces thoroughly. And then assemble the furniture, screw on all the parts and handles, glue the decor.

Decorating is an important step in furniture restoration. It will breathe new life into the piece of furniture, as if you have purchased a new headset. For decoration use self-adhesive film, wallpaper, mosaic or decoupage.

decoupage furniture
At this stage, you can decorate or sand the surface to customize it.

Drying rules

Paint or varnish takes a long time to dry. You need to take care of the place where this will happen in advance. The room should be non-residential and well ventilated. It is advisable that the furniture dry away from children and animals, which can accidentally disturb the appearance of the coating. Some varnishes and enamels, when dry, emit harmful fumes that can be harmful to health.

repainting furniture
After the first layer is dry, apply the coloring composition again - this will create the most uniform and durable coating.

Drying of paints and varnishes, on average, takes from one to two days. The instructions for the paint or varnish indicate the optimal drying time at certain temperatures. As a rule, the temperature regime for drying is considered favorable at 20-23 degrees Celsius.

repainting furniture photo
The lower the ambient temperature, the longer the furniture will dry.

Features of painting in white

How to paint lacquered furniture white? It turns out that even a black or dark brown surface can be lightened. To do this, you must first bleach it using a special paste. A pre-prepared wooden surface is wiped with a bleaching agent. It brightens dark pigments and fills in voids and cracks in the exterior of furniture.

repainting furniture white
After the paste has completely dried, the table or cabinet is covered with varnish or an additional layer of white paint.

How to fix minor defects

To restore and repaint old furniture, it must first be disassembled. The more individual elements you have, the easier it is to work through particularly hard-to-reach areas.

furniture paint
If this is the first time you are going to paint furniture with your own hands, then paint with a roller, and not with a brush, so you can more evenly cover the desired area.

All damages and dents are putty and cleaned. An extra coat of antiseptic can be applied to prevent mold and mildew growth. If you do not plan to paint the product, but only varnish it, buy a transparent putty. It will not stand out against the background of the entire wooden surface. To correct defects, work in thin layers, which should dry well.

chalk paint for furniture
It is better to apply the putty several times than to create a dense layer that will dry for a long time and possibly deform during the staining process.

How to avoid mistakes

Any mistake can degrade the quality of the entire work and spoil the appearance of the furniture. To avoid this, follow a few simple rules:

  1. Do not leave the old finish on the wood surface. If you partially failed to remove the old varnish, it may show through or crack over time. Combine methods for removing old paint layers.If the metal brush did not work and left traces of old varnish in some places, try the heat method in this area with a hairdryer or blowtorch.
  2. Read the instructions before diluting paint or varnish. Failure to comply with the proportions or drying time can lead to sagging or rapid chipping.
  3. Don't skip the furniture preparation step. Putty and sand the surface, eliminate all possible defects. Prepare the ideal surface for varnishing and painting.
how to paint furniture
It is worth strictly adhering to the instructions and tips for finishing work.

Furniture restoration is a creative and fun process. In order for it to bring joy and pleasure, and to please the interior items with their novelty for a long time, it is enough to follow simple rules in work and prepare in advance.

restoration of old furniture
Restoring the presentable appearance of lacquered furniture if its surface is covered with scratches or cracks is the best option.

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