Painting Effects On Furniture

It has become very popular to create paint effects on used or even new furniture. White wash and the distressed look are two of these techniques. Both techniques are simple to master and with the modern water base paints, glazes and varnishes you can get a real professional look.

White Wash

In the past, whitewashing was accomplished through thinning down white paint. That method is still used, but there is an easier way to achieve this classic look. Now, you can purchase oil- or water-based whitewash stains that are specially made for this procedure. Simply apply this to the piece of furniture as prescribed by the manufacturer. You could also take a water based acrylic paint and dilute it and then apply lightly to the object. White wash works best on pine furniture. If you have a piece that has old paint or varnish, make sure that all of this removed to expose the bare wood before white washing. Also remember that washing need not necessarily be white, Pastel colors also give a beautiful wash effect.

Distressed cabinet light green undercoat and terracotta overcoat

  Distressed Look

 Distressing is a technique used to age a    painted surface, giving the appearance of being worn and chipped over time. The key to this technique is to concentrate on the areas that would naturally receive more wear such as corners, edges, raised areas and around handles. It is preferable to use water based paints and then seal with a varnish for durability.

If your piece of furniture is dark wood you can paint straight on it and then sand back to the natural wood. On lighter woods it is preferable to apply a dark stain first. On non wood surfaces it is necessary to paint the piece dark brown first.

Candle wax then needs to be rubbed onto the piece where you want the dark color showing through. Two to three coats of acrylic paint, in white or a light color, can now be applied. Once dry the piece can be lightly sanded to lift the acrylic paint off the waxed areas and then sealed with a water based varnish.

The cabinet in the picture was undercoated with a light green and over coated in terracotta. The edges were lightly sanded to produce a distressed look.

For more information on paint techniques, get "Refinishing Old Furniture - start a home business"

White Wash Spray Painting Technique

White washed book case

White washing furniture has become very popular. By spray painting with a water based paint, a very smooth and professional look is possible. It is also very fast and you can be sure that the end product will be very pleasing.  I have done this with the book case shown here. The inside shelves have been painted in solid white to produce a professional effect.

The following materials are be needed:

• Off-white Acrylic paint
• Water based clear varnish
• Sand paper - 220 grit and 360 grit
• Wood filler
• Paint remover
• Dry cloth

Depending on the state of the piece of furniture, you will have to prepare it by doing the following:

• Remove all hardware from the piece of furniture
• Remove old paint or varnish by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper
• If necessary, use paint stripper to remove stuborn varnish or paint ( remember to nutralise paint stripper with wet cloth when finished)
• If necessary, fill small nicks and scratches with wood filler and sand down to a smooth finish
• When bare wood is visible, finish off with 360 grit sand paper to get smooth surface

When the preparation is complete, wipe down the piece to make sure that no dust or grit remains. You can now proceed with spray painting . I use an air spray gun with a big enough nozzle to spray thick Agrylic paint. I also use a water-based varnish. These can be diluted with water and produces a very nice, smooth finish. Do not dilute too much to avoid paint from running. The process is as follows:

• Seal the wood with one coat of water - based varnish
• When dry, flatten unevenness with 360 grit sand paper to a smooth finish
• Dilute paint with water - 10% water
• Spray lightly over whole piece of furniture
• Try and avoid praying edges too heavily
• The inside shelves are painted to a solid white finish

After painting, leave for at least 12 hours to completely dry the paint. Now the fun part starts. Sand down certain areas and edges with 360 grit sand paper to expose wood surface.

The last step is to seal the piece with water-based clear varnish. I find that at least 2 coats are needed to get a nice finish. It should be noted that not all wood is suitable for washing. Pine has a nice solid wood grain that shows up nicely when sanded and lends itself to white washing.

Tip: Always work along with the grain of the wood and try to avoid circular movements.

If you want to know more pf paint techniques that can be used on furnitre you can get much more in my book "Refinishing Old Furniture - start a home business".