This is not about being a perfectionist and having to do a perfect job or judging your work harshly. I am all for DIY and giving everything a go and seeing if you can do it yourself; saying that I also believe that if you are going to put money, time and effort into transforming a piece of furniture for your home or someone else's, you may as well do as good a job as possible.
painting when it's extremely hot or humid can be difficult
Hot weather and gluggy paint: when you are painting in hot weather or even very humid conditions, your paint can sometimes dry too fast and go all gluggy. This means your brush marks become very obvious and it can be difficult to lay down a smooth coat. I recently had some emails from readers in Darwin and Brisbane with this problem and my recommendation is to add some Floetrol to your paint. If you are using chalk paint, you can also just add a little water as a first step. Floetrol is an additive specially formulated for use with water-based paints and wood stains, it makes them work and feel like an oil-based paint. Floetrol increases the drying time, improves workability and eliminates brush marks. I have resorted to adding Floetrol to all my paint in summer months as I was having so many days when it was just too hot to paint. I absolutely love how this product increases the workability of the paint and the smooth finish it provides. If you are using oil based paint, the product you need is Penetrol. You can buy these products in most Australian and American hardware and paint shops (and no doubt elsewhere). You only need a little to add to your paint: in Australia 1 litre costs $20 in Bunnings.
Paint Drips: I have had several readers ask me how to avoid the dreaded paint drip. The problem with paint drips is that even if you sand them off, they are often still noticeable as the paint colour is deeper where the drip was. My advice is to ensure you don't let your paint drip in the first place. Take your time and be vigilant. Paint drips usually occur from overloading your paint brush or using paint that is too thin. (Always stir your paint well before starting to paint. I either use a wand on the end of my cordless drill or one of those paint stirrers that look like a ruler with holes in it.) If you catch the drip while the paint is still relatively wet, you can probably feather brush out the drip with the tip of your brush. I always check my work as I go, looking carefully at the edges of a piece to ensure there are no drips. For example paint the top of a cabinet and then look at the side/top edges to make sure no paint has run over the edge. Feather the paint over edges and around corners to ensure drips don't occur. Don't over load your paint brush: a good guide is the ferrule of your paint brush should always remain clean. If you have paint on your brush handle (or running down your hand, like my husband paints) then you are dipping your brush too far into your tin of paint.
However saying that: if you do find a drip that you have missed and the paint is nearly dry, dab the paint drip off with a damp cloth or paper towel. If it's totally dry then scrape the drip off with a razor blade (making sure you don't gouge the wood). Once you have removed the raised part of the drip, then sand the area with fine sandpaper. Only sand in the direction of the drip. Then repaint the whole area with one or two top coats and your blemish should be barely noticeable - a lot of work that can be avoided by checking your work as you go.
Brush Hairs in your Paint work. While there are some very famous paintings in art galleries around the world with artist brush hairs preserved in the paint, it is not something you want to find on your painted furniture. The best way to avoid this is to use quality brushes. See my guide on Selecting the Right Paint Brush. If you have a brush hair in your wet paint, you should be able to tease it off with a wet paint brush. Twist the brush as you pass over the hair to flick it up. If the paint is already dry, pick off the hair with tweezers, your fingertips or a scalpel. You will be left with a little divot, sand gently and repaint the surface.
Paint beading up: sometimes your primer, paint or even Annie Sloan Chalk Paint will not stick to your surface and sort of ball up into droplets. This is usually because your surface is either a bit greasy, dirty or too smooth. Clean your surface well before painting and drying it. There are loads of commercial wood cleaners out there but water with a drop of detergent and some elbow grease will usually do the trick. You can also give your piece a quick sand with a foam sander or medium to fine sandpaper. Please note that you do not need to remove the previous surface (unless it's flaky) but you do want to create a surface that has some grip in it for the paint. Sometimes with ASCP it is enough to keep brushing the paint on until it sticks. The second coat will then lay down better over your previous coat.
Bleed Through: Bleed through occurs when the resins and oil in the wood or old stains show through your freshly painted surface as a pink, reddish or brown mark. Teak wood is terrible for this - particularly Balinese furniture and I have made a vow to myself to never paint teak again. It will also occur with old "mahogany" furniture from the 1930s and 40s. Lacquer, shellac or shellac based primer will usually solve this (such as shellac based Zinsser BIN) but you may need more than one coat particularly if it's teak wood. Often the best solution is to spray the primer on, rather than brushing, as brushing somehow agitates the bleeding. I have a spray can of primer to fix these problems as I don't own a spray gun. I have seen many complaints from people that use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (which you are meant to use without primer) still shows bleed through. Come on people, it's a good paint but not miraculous! So if you have this problem, just cover the area with a shellac primer or shellac and then repaint with ASCP or whatever paint you are using. Don't keep adding layers of paint in the hope it will cover the stain, as it just won't.
Paint Transparency - When you are painting with bright pure whites you will need a lot of coats of paint to get a solid surface. Professional painters will always recommend you don't use untinted paint and, unfortunately from personal experience, I agree. I used untinted white on our wood trim in our house and it takes so many coats of paint just to get good solidness of white. If I had added just a few drops of tint into the paint (or used a commercially available white) then it would have been easier to paint. I find that Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Pure White is the same. I absolutely love this bright white but you will need 4-5 coats to fully cover dark wood. My solution is to use 2 coats of a good primer and then 2-3 coats of ASCP. Yes it's the same amount of work but it will give you a much better result for a cheaper cost. Often it's only when you apply the wax that you realise you can see the wood showing through. Some people like this effect, personally I don't.
Freshly Painted Surfaces Chipping or Scratching: Understand that paint can take several weeks to cure. Oil paint may take even longer. So give your painted furniture a chance, and use it gently at first. Don't put items on top of freshly painted surfaces for at least a week. You can either scratch it or compress the paint. If you are painting furniture for clients, ensure you don't finish the piece on the same day that the client is picking it up. I usually have a finished piece curing here for at least 4 to 5 days before I advise it's ready to be picked up. I also ensure my clients wrap the furniture carefully in blankets for transportation. Once your paint is cured, it will be very durable but be patient, reign in your excitement about finishing your piece and give it the time it needs.
Yellowing: White and other lightly tint oil based paints and clear varnishes will yellow over time due to the oxidation of the alkyds in the paint or varnish. This will occur most rapidly in areas or rooms where there is a lack of sunlight. The best solution for this is to avoid oil based paint entirely and use the huge array of water based paints and top coats. Never ever use an oil based varnish over white paint! See my post of choosing paint for more information.
Poor Sheen Uniformity - sometimes when you look at your painted surface in certain lights or at low angles and especially when using gloss, satin or eggshell paint you will see shiny spots or dull spots on the painted surface; this uneven gloss is called flashing. Possible causes of this are: the failure to properly prime a porous surface or painting on a surface with varying degrees of porosity, poor application resulting in lapping, or painting over a previous coat that is not fully dry. I actually have this problem on one of my kitchen cabinet doors. It occurred when I went back and painted a section that was not fully dry and I ruined the uniform sheen. That's what happens when you paint 16 hours straight in one day to finish your kitchen! It is only visible in the evenings from certain angles but it annoys me. The best solution is to apply an additional coat of paint over the whole surface uniformly. I will get around to doing this someday! Furniture especially unsealed or unpainted wood should be primed before applying the top coat to ensure a uniformly porous surface. Make sure to apply paint from 'wet to dry' ie keep the wet edge to prevent lapping.
So what painting problems have you had? Have I missed anything?
I find that Every. Single. Piece. of furniture is difficult in some way. Not one project goes perfectly smoothly. Perhaps it's missing handles, wonky drawers, bleed through... there is always something that does not go as planned and half your time will be spent problem solving. So I hope this list can provide you some direction and solutions.
I am no expert nor professionally trained. I am just quite practised at this painting of old vintage furniture now and have had a lot of "learning opportunities" along that way. I am always happy to share my knowledge and hopefully save you some trouble. If you have a particular problem that I haven't covered, feel free to contact me.
See my other tutorials here.
yours in all things paint
Fiona xx
However saying that: if you do find a drip that you have missed and the paint is nearly dry, dab the paint drip off with a damp cloth or paper towel. If it's totally dry then scrape the drip off with a razor blade (making sure you don't gouge the wood). Once you have removed the raised part of the drip, then sand the area with fine sandpaper. Only sand in the direction of the drip. Then repaint the whole area with one or two top coats and your blemish should be barely noticeable - a lot of work that can be avoided by checking your work as you go.
Paint beading up: sometimes your primer, paint or even Annie Sloan Chalk Paint will not stick to your surface and sort of ball up into droplets. This is usually because your surface is either a bit greasy, dirty or too smooth. Clean your surface well before painting and drying it. There are loads of commercial wood cleaners out there but water with a drop of detergent and some elbow grease will usually do the trick. You can also give your piece a quick sand with a foam sander or medium to fine sandpaper. Please note that you do not need to remove the previous surface (unless it's flaky) but you do want to create a surface that has some grip in it for the paint. Sometimes with ASCP it is enough to keep brushing the paint on until it sticks. The second coat will then lay down better over your previous coat.
this teak Balinese bench nearly killed me, taking 7 coats of Zinsser Bin to stop the bleeding. The spray can solved it in the end. Never again.
Freshly Painted Surfaces Chipping or Scratching: Understand that paint can take several weeks to cure. Oil paint may take even longer. So give your painted furniture a chance, and use it gently at first. Don't put items on top of freshly painted surfaces for at least a week. You can either scratch it or compress the paint. If you are painting furniture for clients, ensure you don't finish the piece on the same day that the client is picking it up. I usually have a finished piece curing here for at least 4 to 5 days before I advise it's ready to be picked up. I also ensure my clients wrap the furniture carefully in blankets for transportation. Once your paint is cured, it will be very durable but be patient, reign in your excitement about finishing your piece and give it the time it needs.
Yellowing: White and other lightly tint oil based paints and clear varnishes will yellow over time due to the oxidation of the alkyds in the paint or varnish. This will occur most rapidly in areas or rooms where there is a lack of sunlight. The best solution for this is to avoid oil based paint entirely and use the huge array of water based paints and top coats. Never ever use an oil based varnish over white paint! See my post of choosing paint for more information.
Poor Sheen Uniformity - sometimes when you look at your painted surface in certain lights or at low angles and especially when using gloss, satin or eggshell paint you will see shiny spots or dull spots on the painted surface; this uneven gloss is called flashing. Possible causes of this are: the failure to properly prime a porous surface or painting on a surface with varying degrees of porosity, poor application resulting in lapping, or painting over a previous coat that is not fully dry. I actually have this problem on one of my kitchen cabinet doors. It occurred when I went back and painted a section that was not fully dry and I ruined the uniform sheen. That's what happens when you paint 16 hours straight in one day to finish your kitchen! It is only visible in the evenings from certain angles but it annoys me. The best solution is to apply an additional coat of paint over the whole surface uniformly. I will get around to doing this someday! Furniture especially unsealed or unpainted wood should be primed before applying the top coat to ensure a uniformly porous surface. Make sure to apply paint from 'wet to dry' ie keep the wet edge to prevent lapping.
I find that Every. Single. Piece. of furniture is difficult in some way. Not one project goes perfectly smoothly. Perhaps it's missing handles, wonky drawers, bleed through... there is always something that does not go as planned and half your time will be spent problem solving. So I hope this list can provide you some direction and solutions.
I am no expert nor professionally trained. I am just quite practised at this painting of old vintage furniture now and have had a lot of "learning opportunities" along that way. I am always happy to share my knowledge and hopefully save you some trouble. If you have a particular problem that I haven't covered, feel free to contact me.
See my other tutorials here.
yours in all things paint
Fiona xx
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