Have you ever wanted to paint furniture but didn't know or where to start? Then this blog post is for you. Let's talk about basic principals of furniture painting and how to achieve a professional look on furniture with Dixie Belle paint products! Let's paint the way with Dixie Belle!
First steps are to always clean the furniture well. Why do I need to clean a piece if it looks clean already? The wood furniture may have oils from finger prints on it, dirt or grime you can't see. If you painted right over top of that dirt and oil your paint might not adhere well. Dixie Belle makes a amazing product called White Lightning. White lightning is a powder based product that you disperse into water to clean. You can spray it on the furniture or use a rag and bucket to apply. I like to use a old spray bottle and then spray the piece liberally. Wipe it down with some paper towel and rinse with plain water before paint is applied.
After cleaning with White Lightning I make sure to inspect my items and remove hardware. This hardware was in pretty great shape and I've decided to reuse them on the tables. Next step would be to repair any holes or missing wood. For this repair you would use Dixie Belle's MUD! I didn't have any repair to do on these tables, so it was not needed at this time. For a short video showing you how to use Mud please click here.
After cleaning and removing the hardware you are ready to paint! I chose a amazing navy color called Bunker Hill Blue. This paint is a chalk mineral paint by Dixie Belle. Since this paint is made for furniture you are ready to go after cleaning! I like to use a Flat Medium Brush to apply my paint. A little goes a long way with Dixie Belle! If your furniture is shiny or plastic, or red wood in color other preparation might be needed. Please see this video to learn more about Slick Stick or Boss primer.
Apply a even coat of paint all over the wood surface using your flat medium brush. Bunker Hill Blue is rich and dark in pigment.
After the initial coat of paint has dried you are ready to apply a second even coat of Bunker Hill Blue. I like to use a damp brush to apply my second coat using a spray misting bottle filled with water. Using a misting bottle to keep the brush dampened helps eliminate brush coats.
Perfect! Now while your waiting on the paint to dry you can work on the tops of these tables. I wanted to deepen the color of stain. I didn't want to sand anything so the perfect solution is using Dixie Belle's No Pain Gel Stain! I love the fact you can just wipe it on over the existing finish without having to sand down the wood. The color I chose is called Espresso.
When I apply the gel stain I use a applicator pad. The applicator pad comes in a set of two. I like to use the pad to smooth on the stain in one direction. I apply the stain in the direction of the wood grain smoothly and evenly. This is a oil based product, you might find it takes a while to dry depending on the humidity level in your workspace.
These tables only needed one even coat of Gel Stain in Espresso to cover the old outdated wood color. After waiting up to 72 hours to dry you can then apply Gator Hide to the Gel Stain to seal and protect your work. Gel Stain comes in six colors to choose from. Rule of thumb is since this Gel Stain goes on top of the surface more like a paint you should always choose darker to cover existing finish colors. Gator Hide is a water repellant top coat that is applied with a Blue Applicator Sponge. I dip into the Gator Hide and wipe on in long even strokes covering the stained area. Tip- pour your top coat out onto a plate to avoid contamination in the jar.
You can add as many layer of protective top coat as you wish. I waited until the Gator Hide was dry to the touch to apply a second top coat to the tables. It dries with a nice sheen.
Let's seal the base of these tables over top of the Bunker Hill Blue. I wanted a low shine to the tables so I added Satin Clear Coat. I apply the Satin Clear Coat onto the tables using a clean Blue Sponge. I like the ease of application, just wiping on the Clear Coat until the painted area is covered. Once this has dried you can re install the hardware. Tip - You can wash the blue sponge and use it over and over again!
It's as simple as that! Look at the glowing Bunker Hill Blue! Gold and Navy is always such a amazing rich combination. The new Espresso tops add a well rounded update to the old wood color. Thanks to a little sweat equity and some Dixie Belle Paint Products! Thanks for watching and learning how to update some old boring brown furniture. These solid wood tables have a new lease on life! You are ready to tackle some painting of your own!
For more tutorials and videos please see my YouTube channel.
For a similar look on a end table using a blended front see this video below.
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Melissa
The Top Drawer RVA
Dixie Belle Brand Ambassador
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