Step by Step Guide to Painting Furniture

Step by Step Guide to Painting Furniture

Step 1 – Gather Painting Tools

To begin my painting project, I gathered the tools I needed to get the job done right!

• Purdy Clearcut 1.5” Angular Brush 
• Purdy Revolution Jumbo Mini Roller Frame
• Purdy Ultra Finish Jumbo Mini Roller Cover

Other supplies:

• Paint 
• Palm Sander with 180 grit sanding discs or 180 grit sanding sponge
• Tack cloths
• Cleaner
• Screwdriver
• Drill
• New hardware

For our paint, we used Valspar’s Cabinet and Furniture Paint and had it tinted Sherwin Williams’ “NAVAL.”

Step 2 – Remove the Hardware

Next, I removed the old knobs from the dresser.  There was one missing, so I knew I was going to have to replace them eventually.  Most hardware can easily be removed with a screwdriver.

Step 3 – Clean the Furniture

Before you start the painting the process, you need to clean the furniture really well.  I love to use a “magic eraser” to get the piece extra clean.

Step 4 – Filling Wood Imperfections

If you have any imperfections in the wood, you can use Minwax wood filler to fill them.  Once the filler is dry, lightly sand it smooth.  I skipped this step because I love the imperfections in my piece! :)

Step 5 – Sanding the Piece

Once the furniture is clean and dry, it’s time to sand.  This is a very important part of the process because it determines the quality of finish you get when you paint. 

I used my palm sander with 180 grit sanding discs to sand my furniture.  You could also use a sanding sponge if you prefer.  You do not need to use a lot of pressure when you sand, but you want to just lightly scuff off any dirt and debris. Sanding will also help the paint to adhere better to the furniture. 

Step 6 – Wipe of Dust with Tack Cloth

Once you are finished sanding, use a tack cloth to remove the dust.

You want to make sure to remove all dust particles before painting.  If not, the dust particles will get stuck in the paint and ruin your finish.

Step 7 – Time to Paint!

If your paint does not include a primer, you will want to first paint a layer of primer on your furniture before painting.  However, the paint I used had a primer included, so I skipped the priming step.  

I used Valspar’s Cabinet and Furniture paint in Satin and chose the color NAVAL by Sherwin Williams.

When painting, I always like to use my Purdy Clearcut®  Angular Brush to paint any non-flat surfaces. The Purdy Clearcut® works well with latex paints and primers for precision work on furniture or trim work.  The dresser I was painting had several different trim pieces that my Clearcut worked perfectly on.  I also used the brush on the feet of my dresser. 

For the flat surfaces of my dresser, I used Purdy’s Ultra Finish Jumbo Mini Roller Cover.  This roller distributes paint evenly creating an ultra smooth finish. 

The Purdy Revolution Jumbo Mini Roller Frame is durable and provides smooth rolling. Its lightweight design and comfort grip handle help to reduce arm fatigue. Designed for hard-to-reach areas and small spaces, the Jumbo Mini Roller Frame is available in 12″ and 22″ lengths.

When painting, you want to apply a light coat each time.  Do not apply your paint too thick.

Step 8 – Lightly Sand between Coats of Paint

I let my paint dry for about 4 hours (according to the can,) before lighting sanding it again with my palm sander.  I used the 180 grit sanding discs for this step as well.  This step ensures that your surface is very smooth and without imperfections before applying another coat of paint. 

Be sure to use another tack cloth to remove any dust before applying your second coat of paint. 

Step 9 – Apply Second Coat of Paint 

This step is the same as step 7.  Again, I used my Purdy Clearcut® Angular Brush and Ultra Finish Jumbo Mini Roller Cover roller to apply the second coat of paint.

Depending on the coverage, you may or may not want to apply a third coat. If you do, I suggest waiting 4-6 hours between the second and third coats as well.  I only had to do two coats of paint on my dresser, but I let it dry overnight before adding the hardware. 

Step 10 – Attach Hardware

For my dresser, I bought cup pulls instead of knobs.  Because of that, we had to drill an extra hole to attach them to my dresser. Attaching hardware is something I can do, but I am not ashamed to admit that my husband is much quicker and more precise when doing it.  He’s had a lot more practice at it than I have!

Within minutes, he had all ten cup pulls installed!

I am thrilled with how it turned out!!!  It’s unrecognizable!