If you want to revive an old piece of furniture from the store or from the flea market for your apartment, you usually also have to renew the paint. Because the old paint is faulty or doesn't suit your taste at all. It's easy if the furniture doesn't have to be laboriously sanded before painting. How old furniture can shine in new splendor is explained in the following article.
Use vinegar cleaner
If you want to revarnish wood that has already been painted without sanding, you have to take a few other steps into account so that the new coat of paint sticks to the old paint. As a rule, sanding is carried out, but it can also be done without sanding. What is important about the furniture is that it should also be disassembled depending on its size. An old wooden chair is often glued and should therefore remain in its shape, but cupboards or chests of drawers should be dismantled. Buttons and handles in particular are usually removed before work. Then proceed as follows:
- all residues must be removed
- this mainly includes dust
- but also grease that forms when the furniture is touched
- Use diluted vinegar or vinegar cleaner for washing dishes
- wash thoroughly
- several times for severe stains
- let all processed parts dry thoroughly
As an alternative to vinegar, you can also use mineral spirits, lye or soapy water. Once the wooden parts to be painted have all dried well, the desired color can be applied.
Tip:
If varnished wood is being processed, you should first test in a small, invisible area to see whether the varnish or chalk paint can be tolerated by the wood and what the result looks like. For large furniture, the back, which will later be on the wall, can also be used for this purpose. Then you can also test over a larger area.
Chalk paint for shabby chic
If you like shabby chic, you can use old furniture without sanding it first. Sanding can be very complicated, especially with very large furniture such as cupboards or shelves. However, sanding is usually important for painted wood so that the paint holds properly. However, if chalk paint is used, sanding can be omitted. The procedure is as follows:
- Chalk paint is similar to lime paint
- available in different colors as powder
- must be mixed with water according to instructions
- degrease and clean the furniture in advance with detergent and water
- rub dry well
- Line the floor with newspapers
- serves to protect against dripping paint
- Apply lime paint
- use brush for this
- Consistency of the liquid is similar to normal wood varnishes
If the chalk paint is applied to furniture, it will be significantly darker when wet than is usually desired. However, when the color dries, it becomes lighter and corresponds to the selected color. Finally, it is then painted over with wood wax. As the chalk paint comes off in some places, the fascinating shabby chic is created.
Tip:
If the wooden furniture is not sanded, the paint usually has to be applied two or even three times until it is opaque and the old tone of the wood no longer shows through.
Painting veneered furniture
Furniture with veneer is not made of solid wood that has been varnished, but rather of pressboard with a light layer of real wood. This layer of wood is usually only a few millimeters thick and must therefore be treated with particular care. Even veneered furniture that is not severely damaged can be painted without sanding. You should proceed as follows:
- wipe with lye or mineral spirits
- since these are toxic substances, work outdoors
- ensure sufficient ventilation in an interior space
- let it dry well
- Spackle the surface if there are cracks or damaged areas on it
- then clean thoroughly again with benzine or a special degreaser
- let it dry thoroughly again
- wipe with an impregnated cloth
- mask everything that should not be painted
- apply special primer for veneered furniture
- pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions regarding drying
After the primer has dried thoroughly, the desired paint is applied. Water-based acrylic varnishes are usually suitable for this. These now have to be applied thinly in two to three steps. The paint must dry well between the individual steps. Finally, a coat of clear varnish is applied as a protective layer.
Tip:
Especially if the veneer on the furniture does not need to be sanded, it is helpful to apply a primer so that the paint will hold better later. Otherwise it can happen that it quickly peels off and cracks again.
Use open-pored paint
Open-pored paint is particularly suitable for previously untreated furniture where the wood has not yet been varnished. These are low-maintenance colors that require no sanding beforehand. If you build a piece of furniture yourself, such as a cupboard, a chest of drawers, a table or a chair, and use unpainted wood, then the open-pored paint can be used. The benefits and application are briefly explained as follows:
- Open-pored colors are easy-to-maintain colors
- these do not form a dense film on the wood
- the wood can breathe
- if the wood works, the paint still doesn't peel off
- Paint can be applied directly to the untreated wood
- No further preparatory work is necessary for a new coat of paint
- Open-pored paint can then be reapplied immediately
- However, cannot be used on wood that has already been painted
- two coats are enough
- Base color is not required
Open-pored paints are available in many different colors and are perfect for untreated wood or wood that has already been painted with an open-pored paint so that you can paint the wood without much effort. The advantage here is that the decorative wood structure remains visible and is not painted over.
Tip:
The open-pored paint has the main advantage that it can also be used for objects that are outdoors. This makes it particularly suitable for a fence or privacy screen. When it comes to furniture, this advantage can be used well, for example for garden furniture such as a free-standing bench or wooden furniture on the terrace.
Reprocess well-preserved furniture
If the old furniture is still in good condition and just needs to be refurbished, then this can be done with special products from specialist retailers without sanding. The following means can be used to make the old furniture look decorative again in your own living space:
- Furniture cleaning fluid
- various tinctures available from light to dark
- Process furniture with polishing wool before and after application
- Furniture polish varnish
- apply with a soft cloth after cleaning
- also available as a special shellac freshener for very old furniture
- Care polish for unsightly paintwork
Sanding for major damage
Sometimes it doesn't work without sanding. If the wooden parts of the furniture are already very damaged, they need to be sanded down. Even if you don't want shabby chic, but want to paint the furniture entirely in one color, you usually can't avoid sanding it down or at least sanding it down. Because the paint holds better on the sanded surfaces and there is no effect that the paint appears thinner in some places.
