Thoughts on Paint
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 6:00AM I received this comment from Meg recently:
"Can you do a post about kinds of paints that are best to use? I never know, I have all this wood furniture I want to paint white, like my daughter's little table and chairs, but not sure what kind of paint to use - have you had good or bad paint experiences?"
I have actually had a few people ask me a similar version of this question over the years and it is a hard one to answer since every situation is different, but here are my general rules of thumb.
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Furniture
DecorPad
Martha Stewart
Little Green Notebook
When painting furniture I usually use a semi-gloss or high gloss paint.
Sarah Richardson
I usually prime first to make sure the new paint will stick. I always do at least two coats of paint and sometimes I follow up with a coat of polyurethane to make it really shiny.
Claire Watkins
However, your furniture needs to be in pretty good condition if you are going to use a glossy paint because the gloss will show nicks, scrapes and scratches. I really hate sanding but sometimes it is necessary to get the clean, glossy look you want.
House Beautiful
When using semi-gloss and high gloss paint, you may notice that you can see brush strokes. To avoid this, use a foam roller on large areas and a foam brush to fill in little nooks and crannies.
House Beautiful
You can also spray paint your furniture to avoid brush strokes. Spray painting is a much faster way to paint but it is really easy to get drip marks. Try to paint several light coats instead of a few heavy coats.
Krista Ewart | House Beautiful
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Walls
When it comes to painting walls, I usually opt for flat paint.
Elle Decor
Steven Gambrel
House and Home
People say that flat paint is harder to clean but with the invention of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I no longer have to worry about that problem. I like the depth of flat paint on a wall and I like that it hides imperfections. I have started using an eggshell finish in my bathrooms, but I use flat paint everywhere else.
Despite my love for a flat wall, I do really like the look of these lacquered walls.
Elle Decor
Miles Redd
Todd Romano
Steven Gambrel
I have never used this finish before but I am definitely considering it. There is something about these rooms that just feels so grand.
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Preferences
Favorite paint brand: Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Moore! I'm sorry but I love their paint colors and I think their paint covers better than most. Even though it costs a little more, it is worth it!
Paint to avoid: I have had a bad experience with semi-gloss Valspar paint from Lowes on furniture. I have used it twice and both times it had horrible coverage even though I primed first. I have never used Valspar paint on walls so I don't know about the quality in that application, but I will not be using it on furniture again.
Favorite spray paint: I actually do like Valspar spray paint in high gloss lacquer for furniture. I don't know why the spray paint works when the regular paint doesn't but that is how it has been in my experience. The spray lacquer has nice coverage and leaves a nice shiny finish.
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So, that is my two cents worth on paint. I am sure none of this is very enlightening but this is my usual approach when picking a type of paint. I hope that helps answer your question, Meg! If anyone has anything to add please leave a comment!
Paint
Reader Comments (8)
Oh the navy dining room is one I picked out as an idea for when I redo mine. Glad to see someone else likes it, too!
Well said! I agree with everything 100%! I even reposted this it was so spot on! :)
For bathrooms, we've found that Benjamin Moore's Aura Bath and Spa Matte Finish paint is excellent. It has a nice finish, and is great to work with according to my painter. It supposedly provides a mildew-resistant coating which is perfect for the bathroom environment. A little pricey, but worth it I'm sure in the long run.
THANK YOU RACHEL!!!! Ok, now I have the confidence to paint some furniture!! :)
Great info, Rachel! I'll let you know how my project turns out.
Great post and thanks for the advice. I agree with you about B.M. paints. I'm missin' Benjamin Moore big time over here in the U.K.
Hi Rachel, Thanks for the MR Clean eraser trick I have tried everything on my flat dark grey flat walls (but I bet it won't work on the hairspray my kiddos sprayed directly on them). Also, if you're considering a lacquered wall the wall must be PERFECT, like new sheetrock perfect. Or they will look like ... um, not good.
These are awesome! I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me the color paint used for the orange dresser in the Claire Watkins picture? I'm trying to find a good orange for a piece of furniture and I love that one!