Spray paint on nice furniture? Sounds evil....
jameson
My wife and I have just painted our guest bedroom a happy yellow
color... the furniture in there (Writing desk and chest of drawers) is
white, but kind of an "old" white. We want to repaint these two
peices... However, we have just painted 7 rooms in our house and quite
frankly are sick of painting... I thought of spray painting them. I
know what my wife would say if i suggested it : "No way, lets just do
it the right way"... but is there a right way to spray paint nice
furniture? is there a special type of paint I should buy? Spray paint
just seems like something you paint car parts with or cheerleader
signs in high school... not something you redo family furniture with.
We would want to paint it a nice bright white color to match the trim
in the room... any suggestions? We have never done this before... I
assume sanding the furniture down would be the first step...
thanks in advace all!
Jazz Mann
Pat Kight
While I wouldn't do it with expensive furniture, it's perfectly possible
to spray-paint furniture and end up with nice results. I've refurbished
cheap old chairs and dressers this way for my home, and have often
spray-painted prop furniture for theatrical productions.
The tricks are:
* Surface preparation: Depending on the current finish, you may need to
strip the piece entirely, sand it lightly and/or give it a good washing.
While spray paint will bond just find with some finishes, with others it
may slip, run or produce an inadvertent crackle finish. If you don't
plan to strip (the safest approach) then look for a concealed spot on
the piece where you can do a test to see how the paint adheres.
* Technique. You need to develop a good spray technique with a smooth
back-and-forth, no-stopping motion to get even coverage and avoid
puddles and drips. Practice on scrap wood; start and end your spraying
off the piece to avoid buildup at the edges. It's better to do several
light coats, letting them dry completely before adding another, than to
try to cover in one coat. If you can, turn the object so that you're
always spraying on a horizontal surface. If you must spray vertically,
make it *very* light, as the paint will want to run and drip.
* Color matching. Spray paint comes in a relatively limited color range.
Since you plan to stick with white, this shouldn't be a problem for you.
If you were planning on using color, I'd suggest picking a contrasting
hue rather than trying to match your walls, etc., because chances are
slim of getting a perfect match.
* Quality. While you can buy latex-based spray paints, I've never found
them more than adequate. Go for a good brand-name product of standard
spray enamel - gloss, semi-gloss or matte, depending on your wants. Buy
more cans than you think you'll need, 'cause if you don't, you can bet
the store will be out of that color when you go running back for "one
more can" to finish the job.
* Sufficient drying. Read the labels about drying time, and then be
prepared to wait longer depending on the climate, temperature, etc.
* Safety: Do the work outdoors or in a very well-ventilated shop; wear a
mask (and if you're working in a shop, consider a ventilator). Pause
often to get away from the area and clear your head. Spray paint fumes
are very, very bad for you.
* Unless you have very strong hands - and even if you do - I'd suggest
checking local hardware and paint stores for a spray-can "trigger" -
it's a sort of handle you insert the can into, and it does the job of
holding down the little button. It makes the job much easier, and could
save you some surprising hand-and-arm pain.
Good luck,
--
Pat Kight
kig...@peak.org
Leslie
"jameson" <jazzm...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:447e40a9.03052...@posting.google.com...
I've spray painted furniture, but it does work better if you use a sprayer.
I have an airless electric sprayer for that. Cans of spray paint tend to not
give an even coat, IME. YMMV.
Leslie