Tips on painting fake wood furniture.?
Question:I can't afford to by new furniture right now but some of my stuff needs to be redone. Anyone have any tips on how to paint a dresser/coffee table etc.?
Answers:
Just a tip... You said in your question that the wood is FAKE. If you mean it is that particle board stuff, with a thin layer that simulates real wood, be careful.
Because it's not wood, and the "wood-like" coating is not wood, it has a weird way of reacting badly to wet paint. I've seen it absorb the paint, swell up, and then cause "wrinkles" in that thin "wood-like" top layer. Then, regardless of color, you have a wavy surface that just looks weird.
You'll be fine with just about any paint...but if it's VERY fake furniture, try testing a hidden area, and perhaps paint with several light coats, rather than a heavy "cover it all at once" coating. And allow each light coat to dry completely, so you don't saturate the fake wood, and cause any undesirable effects.
I'm a union painter.If the furniture has been stained and you want to paint over it...You need to get a gallon of oil based kilz $30 dollars and a foam wiz roller $3.00 along with a china bristle brush $5-$8.00 and one can of sunny side paint thinner $3.00.
If you want to paint the furniture white...then use the oil base kilz to cover the stain. If you want to paint your furniture some kind of brownish color...make sure you ask the paint store to tint the kilz for you. Then you won't have to put so many coats of finish on. The tinted kils will get you close to the color you want. The kilz prevents the stain from bleeding through and assures that the finish coat of paint will adhere to the kilz..Make sure if you are going to do this inside the house you cover everything with plastic..in the area your working in...get a fan in the window..oil based kils is strong odor...u can drop 5-8 tbsp of vanilla extract to mask the smell. Roll ya sleeves up and wear old clothes you don't mind ruining. have fun and good luck.
Clean them well first, even with TSP, try to determine what the substance of the finish is currently. In the case of furniture and your desire to have them be aesthetically pleasing, you should probably prime them, and spray them.
Certainly you can create textures etc. , with brushes and rollers.
No matter what choice of finish or color I suggest something other than latex, especially for furniture than might have to endure wear.
I suggest too that you do a test area with whatever your choice is, to determine the viability of your choice. If you have to brush, use a decent brush to reduce brush strokes in the finish as the paint "flows." The same can be said if you choose to roll on a finish. I suggest a foam roller cover as that will allow the slightest after effect in a texture.
Steven Wolf.
In any case, this might be a project to have fun with. You state the furniture is old; you're upgrading the look; and should be able to play with this, perhaps in what other decor colors and designs do exist.
If this is just the pressed wood variety, then I'd look into using spray paint. Its quick, cheap and will give you a nice finish.
Try Wal-Mart.
Fake wood, use sand paper to scuff up the surface so the paint will stick. Apply thin layers of paint until it is covered.
I use Fusion spray paint, it sticks to everything. Make sure you are outside, wear a mask. It's about 4 to 5 dollars, but its worth it.
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