Too many brushmarks in your paint? How to avoid them and have a smooth finish on your furniture

Good morning. Yesterday was Phil and my 15th wedding anniversary... and you want to know how we celebrated? We went to a year 9 school information evening. ha ha life with kids hey? We did stop at our lovely, local pub for a very quick dinner on the way home and Phil did say he thought of buying us a present but he didn't get around to it (yoga mats for our new found love of yoga that is really helping my back). I didn't even think of getting presents so he's one step ahead of me.  Anyway we came home to a nice surprise from our lovely kids - they'd made us Sasha's special chocolate brownies and a Happy Anniversary sign. 

beautiful thoughtful kids - flowers on the cake in the shape of a heart

just after we were engaged - so young

Anyway back to the furniture painting: I am in a few painting forums on facebook and one of the questions I see so often is "How do I get rid of paint brush marks?" To be honest I'm a bit shocked sometimes when I see close ups of people's work. You could drive a tractor though through some of the furrows in the paint. The problem with heavy brush marks is that dust and grime will settle in them and make your piece very hard to clean. It also doesn't look very professional or feel nice to touch. 

my smooth handpainted finish - minimal brushmarks

Here is what works for me to have a nice smooth painted finish with minimal brushmarks.

1. Prep your piece: your finish is only ever going to be as good as what your start with. If you are laying your paint down over a chipped, pitted surface these problems will show up in your finished surface. Sand with 120 grit.
2. Sand your base coat: If you prime then give your primer a quick sand with 220g. This take a minimal amount of time and is always worth it. You can't get a smooth finish without a smooth base. As I mention in this post Zinsser BIN Shellac sands so beautifully smooth - like glass. A perfect base for painting.
3. Use a good brush - Use brushes with nylon-polyester synthetic bristles. Don't use bristle brushes such as Annie Sloan's round brushes if you want to avoid brushmarks. Her brushes are made for creating texture. Not what you want for a smooth finish. I find the best brushes are a 50mm angled sash brush such as Monarch's or the round Cling On brushes. The brush should be super clean; any old clumps of dried paint will hold the bristles together and make it more difficult to avoid brush marks. When I am painting a table top or sideboard top I will almost always use a new brush for a perfect surface.
4. Additives - if you have a good base and the right brush and are still getting brush marks then your problem is that the paint is drying too quickly and you are overworking your paint. Try using an additives such as Floetrol or even water to thin your paint and slow the drying time. This is essential if you work in a hot dry climate. 
5. Not too much paint: When painting, dip only about one-third of the bristle length into the paint. Thinner paint lays down better and helps hide brush marks.
6. Don't overwork your paint. You are not buttering your toast. Put the paint on and once it’s smoothed out, leave it alone. Don’t go back and work the paint back and forth. The quicker you can lay your paint down and move away then better your finish will be. Don't go back and fix a problem when the paint is still wet. Fix it by sanding once it's dry and then lay the next coat down. By agitating the paint you are creating brushstrokes as the paint starts to dry and level and then the brush comes through and marks the drying paint and creates furrows. 

I know some people spray to avoid brushmarks. This is fantastic if you have the skills. However I have been asked so many times to fix up botched spray jobs that I think don't spray unless you are very skilled at it.

If for any reason you didn’t end up with a really smooth surface and the paint has already dried, you can carefully sand down the fine grooves and ridges in your paintwork with a fine, 180-240 grit  sandpaper. Go over with a lint-free damp cloth to clean and try painting again following my advice.

Fiona xx

Why I prime furniture before painting and what I use

I have a little story to tell which is kind of funny, I was sitting in a cafe in Perth a little while ago having the loveliest of breakfasts - sautéed mushrooms, fetta and spinach on ciabatta with a poached egg on top and a good coffee. How good does food taste when you don't have to prepare it yourself. Delicious and also amazing to feel so free on the other side of Australia all by myself and not being the Mummy -which I absolutely love being, but nice to also have a break from occasionally. 

the BnB I stayed - you can read more here

Two things happened - the first is a lady and her friend are sitting next to me at a big shared table and they are scrolling through her Instagram feed, they start talking about painted furniture and I glance over and see they are actually looking at one of my Lilyfield Life photos, then she hits the heart button and up lights my phone with the notification. The lady glances over and sees her name pop up on my phone which is lying on the table right by her glass and then she looks up at my face, realises it's me and we both laugh. So we chat about furniture painting for a while and then she and her friend leave. Feeling mildly famous, ha ha.


I go back to sipping my coffee, then call up my friend Sandy from Paint Me White and of course we end up talking about furniture painting. When I hang up, another lady approaches my table and says I heard you talking about painting furniture, can I ask a few questions?

The lady had been to a chalk painting class and the instructor had told her that chalk paint only needs one coat of paint and never needs priming. She went home from the class and painted one coat on her bedside tables and hates them so much that she is ready to throw them in the bin. I tell her to keep on painting, the first coat often makes the furniture look worse and you wonder what the hell you have done. But it got me thinking about priming. I always prime under light colours and I thought I'd (yet again) explain why.

I know that most brand name chalk paints say that you don't need any preparation BUT because I sell my furniture I want peace of mind. I worry about adhesion and I worry about bleed through. Bleed through is the horrible discoloration that can seep though your paint and make it patchy brown or pink. It is caused by tannins in the timber and also sometimes from the old stain seeping through your paint work. If you don't prime you won't be able to fix this problem. You will need a stain blocker primer and the only one I have found that solves every single problem is Zinsser BIN Shellac, the one in the red tin pictured below.



I call this primer the Granddaddy of primers, it is expensive ($89.50 for this 3.75litre tin at Bunnings) but it is worth it as it will solve all your problems. Don't buy a cheaper one, it won't work the same. This primer is shellac based, so you need to use methylated spirits (metho) to clean up your brushes and thin it if required.  Sometimes if you don't close the tin properly, it gets a bit gluggy so just add some metho and stir till you get a nice consistency again. I just use cheap disposable brushes for applying this and have an old jam jar with metho in it to store my brushes in between use. When the brushes get a bit manky I throw them away.  If you apply Zinseer correctly you get a lovely smooth finish to paint on. If it isn't the correct consistency or you are using it when it's very hot weather, it can become very rough and brush-marked. Thin your primer and re-coat and sand.

I actually have two or three tins of this on the go at all times. Because it is tintable I have one tin just the untinted white it comes off the shelf in; one tinted to a pale grey and one tinted to an darker off white.  The guys at Bunnings may try to tell you that it is untintable or that because it isn't a 4l tin they have a problem mixing/shaking it once tinted but persist. It's doable.


Also know that unless you are using very thick coats of paint or want a washed look, you will never never get away with only one coat of paint. I usually do at least three coats and in white colours often 5. One or two of those coats may as well be a primer. Good coverage, good adhesion and cheaper than chalk paint anyway. If you are not happy with how something looks, keep on painting.  Here is a little series of photos from years ago that shows step by step the paint process.

Hope that helps you when you feel stumped with a project

Fiona xx

Black is the new black

It's funny how things change. I've been painting furniture for 7 years now full time and when I first started I never would have painted furniture black. Now I seem to be doing so much black, graphite and dark navy. I think it looks so stately.

These bedsides are painted in ASCP Graphite and finished with a matte sealer. I love their sleek lock and even sheen. They are sold pending pickup but let me know if you are interested and I'll send details. 

It's only 8:15 and I feel like I've done half a days work already. All the house work done, some cookies baked for recess, kids dropped into the city for school (they usually catch the bus but Jonty had his school bag, sports bag, saxophone and an assignment and Sasha had choir at 7:30am so I took them in early), a walk and coffee with Phil and Charlie and I've sanded a piece already for painting later today. I've got to go now and pick up a lovely french style coffee table and a chest of drawers then deliver some furniture to Freshwater after lunch. I'll be well and truly ready for our yoga class at 6:30 tonight.

Hope you have a lovely and productive day also 

Fiona xx

Trying a new paint

A few months ago Alyssa asked me to try her new furniture paint Chalked Up Furniture Paint and she sent me a tin of the Mushroom Greige. I hadn't got around to trying it but yesterday I finally cracked open the tin and painted the sweetest little vintage cupboard with it.

I did find this paint lovely to paint with when you lay it down, but when it's dry it was more chalky than I'm used to. Once I'd given it a light sand with very fine sandpaper and waxed it, it is a beautiful finish that I'm really happy with. 

This old piece is from country Tasmania. It's lovely for a bedside table, lamp table or storage in your bathroom. 

The interior is unpainted and has a masonite base. 

59w x 42d x 80h including backing board

$185

Pickup Lilyfield

I wanted to thank you all for the lovely emails from my blog post yesterday. I really appreciate hearing from you.  I think I will just keep an even closer eye on the kids in the afternoons to make sure they don't fall behind. It's not that they aren't organised or diligent - they are good at their studies, I just want them to set up good habits that will see them through these next few years. One lady wrote to me and said she feels that teenagers need us more than when they were younger. Phil and I had been saying the same thing.

I'm off this morning to assist one of my few remaining business consulting clients with a performance review. So nice to replace my painting clothes with a suit.  I have only two clients I still work with as really just focus on my painting business but I know these clients so well and have worked with them for years so for the few days they need me each year I am more than happy to work with them. As they say a change is as good as a holiday :)

Fiona xx

Good Morning Monday

Good morning and welcome to a brand new week. I hope you had a good weekend. I've got some questions for you today that are to do with family life not furniture. 

With both kids in high school now and the ramp up of home work and commitments I am wondering if I need to cut back on my working hours. Maybe it's just while the kids settle into their new routines. I went to boarding school and it was very regimented with homework times and extra curricular activities. We learnt really good study habits as a result - in "prep" for 90 minutes after dinner and another hour before breakfast every morning 5 days a week. If you didn't have 2.5 hours on homework you had to read a book or write a letter home to your parents. There was no talking. On the weekends we could do home work if we wanted to but it was free for sport, outings and the obligatory church on Sunday morning. 

So my question is, how do you manage it at your house? Do you just trust your kids to do their homework or sit them down at the kitchen table for a set session. My kids are quite diligent but I already feel a bit overwhelmed - even with the sheer volume of notes coming home from school :)

We had a nice weekend, yesterday I went to a friend's 50th birthday lunch at Kirribilli yacht squadron. So nice there on the water. Sydney really has the most beautiful harbour.  It was so lovely to catch up with my friends. We seriously need to do more of it. Turning 50 is a great excuse for all the catch ups.

I also wanted to share a navy chest of drawers I painted recently that goes perfectly with the bedsides I painted last week. A friend has bought the whole set and I look forward to seeing them all in her beautiful house.

a quick unstyled snap of it all together

Have a lovely day. I'm off now to pickup some furniture I bought on the weekend

Fiona xx

Beautiful sideboard in ASCP Graphite and Matte Sealer

Good morning lovely people. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Yesterday as one of those days just spent running around with the kids. Jonty has been learning the saxophone for a year now and we had been borrowing my nephew's but it has come to the time that we needed to get Jonty his own one. So expensive but wow what a beautiful instrument. He had better do lots of practice. Both kids then had friends over for a study session, we went for a quick dinner at my friends' for their son's birthday and then drop Sasha at a party then pick her up a few hours later. I did squeeze in time to upholster a french chair and I thought I was going well until i turned it around and realised I hadn't cut the fabric out properly and was a centimetre too short on one side so I had to untack it all and I'll start again another day. I am trying to not be frustrated by it - it's all a learning process isn't it.

I wanted to share with you a beautiful piece I finished and delivered last week. This sideboard has a lovely story. I love a good bit of furniture history.

 This sideboard had a heavy varnish that had turned quite orange so I gave the base a good sand and cleaned it all. I’ve painted the base in ASCP Graphite (three coats for very good coverage).  I then used a clear matte sealer (Rustoluem brand) to seal the chalk paint. I used two coats, sanding between coats and then waxed the sealer. It sounds laborious but you get a beautiful finish. The top was sanded back, stained a deep walnut and sealed with both the matte based sealer and dark wax for a durable finish. 

This sideboard was made by master furniture makers Bell Bros of Brisbane.  The family who owned this sideboard contacted me to see if I would like to buy it. It was custom made as a wedding present for their grandparents. So much love went into this piece as the family were good friends of the Bell Bros family. How nice to be able to make something like this for your good friends. 

I delivered this to the buyers Rebecca and Kieran on Tuesday and they just loved it. it was a real honour to go to their house and see all the pieces of furniture they have purchased from me over the years. This piece will take pride of place in their hallway next to a gorgeous wingback leather armchair that looks so good next to the walnut top.

Rebecca sent me flowers as a thank you.How beautiful are they and how lovely is she.

Here's the before photo. I had to soot in black and white as too orange for my sensibilities :)

Do you love this stately combination or do you think black furniture is too dark for your home?

I would love your feedback.

I'm off to the Kirribilli flying yacht squadron for one of my closest friends 50th birthday lunch today. So lovely to catch up with my beautiful friends (even if we are all getting OLD!!)

Enjoy your Sunday.

xx

Fiona xx

Lovely day and recent pieces

Good morning! I hope you are having a good week. I I had the nicest day of work yesterday - I went for a swim and coffee at the beach. What's the point of working for yourself if you can't be a little flexible?

I went to Shark Beach, Nielsen Park in Vaucluse. Just love it there for a calm swim and coffee. I even lay in the sun and read my book for a while. Bliss.

I have finished a lot of pieces this week already. The kids are out of the house from 7:45 or earlier and not home till 4 so it's really increased my uninterrupted working time. I still get work done after they are home but it's not uninterrupted and I think that makes a difference. To my sanity anyway :)

I have these lovely old bedside tables available - painted in a deep navy with a waxed finish. The gold handles really complement the finish.

Vintage Queen Anne 4 drawer bedside tables

46w x 40d x 71.5h cm
$600 the pair 
Pickup Lilyfield or please enquire about delivery 

I stepped away from my usual neutral palette for this piece below. I love how vibrant this paint in. I had some left over paint from a job I did for an interior design client so thought this console would be a great candidate for it.

This vintage demilune console table with a shelf below and a little drawer to pop your keys. Gently distressed and a little of my dark waxes to add a touch of patina. The photos are very accurate in regards to colour. (It’s actually the exact colour of my phone case) 
82w x 35d x 77h cm
$350

I also finished this gorgeous low vintage cabinet in a Porters Paint white chalk paint. It has already sold. The buyer  will use it to store her shoes in her bedroom. So stylish.

I'm off to look at some fabulous pieces of furniture today. Wish me luck.
Fiona xx

The prettiest side tables :)

Good morning - I am thankful for the cooler weather and the garden is thankful for the rain this morning. I have several side tables I wanted to show you today. The first are magnificent hand carved Italian large side tables. I bought these from a lady in Greenwich and would have loved to know their story. However when I went to pick them up, the lady had her baby sleeping in the front room so basically grabbed the money, shoved the tables at me and shut the front door. Anyway who cares as they are divine.

I wanted to really highlight all the beautiful carvings so I painted two coats of ASCP French Linen on the base and then dry brushed white over the top. I then waxed the bases. For the tops I have painted in a custom mixed white and then used a clear coat sealer over the paint for easy care. 

If you are interested in watching a video of me dry brushing these, you can watch it here. I share lots of tips as I'm painting so I hope you find is helpful. I've had over 3500 views of the video and 15 shares so far so I'm assuming people have found it interesting anyway. 

I also finished these little beauties yesterday. I painted them in a pale putty grey paint with white trim and they have been sealed with a satin sealer. I really enjoyed painting these. White painting all the trim white is time consuming I find it quite relaxing and delicate. I had a movie playing in the background and I just painted and chilled. 

And here is a little vintage French piece I didn't paint. It's absolutely gorgeous. I bought this piece from a couple who are downsizing. They have a beautiful large house full to the brim of amazing pieces. Jonty came with me to collect this and we were both blown away by the furniture. Jonty's been helping me a lot this summer, sanding, priming and also taking the handles off pieces. I pay him not for jobs instead of giving him pocket money and he just loves it. Reminds me of me at that age. I used to work in my dad's business and I got paid $6 an hour and I used to ask my dad to pay me every hour. He acquiesced for the first few days but after that he said I just had to write the $6 on a piece of paper every hour and then he'd pay at the end of the week. Nothing like earning your own money as a kid :)

Anyway saying that I had best get cracking :)

have a great day

Fiona 

(All these pieces have sold already)