Want to learn how to revamp your furniture with furniture paint? If you’re looking at your furniture with a sense of dissatisfaction, it may be time for a revamp. From metallic paint to chalk paint, there are many different types of furniture paint available. This wide variety of furniture paints can help you tackle your project. These products come in numerous colours and finishes, allowing you to get creative and express your personality.
Furniture stores often feature pieces painted in every colour of the rainbow, but white and black are the most popular neutral options. Many of these pieces have a faux distressed finish, giving them a shabby chic or gently worn appearance.
You can achieve a similar look and paint your old furniture.
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Do I Have to Use Furniture Paint?
Using the right tools — and the right products — for the job will also ensure you get a better finish. Although you can definitely use other paints, for example eggshell and even emulsion (depending on the finish you want), here are three reasons why furniture paint is worth the investment:
Furniture Paint is Durable
Furniture paint is long-lasting and abrasion-resistant to the wear and tear of everyday use. It’s generally high-quality and water-based. This makes it much easier to work with than traditional oil-based paints, which used to be the standard for painting furniture.
It Has Great Adhesion
Specialty furniture paint adheres to surfaces such as highly lacquered wood, faux wood, metal, plastic, and other materials that may be difficult to paint — even surfaces such as melamine and wood veneer, that you’d find in a caravan interior. If the furniture surface is in good shape, the only other prep you’ll need to do is give the surface a good clean; before revamping with furniture paint
It Comes Variety of Finishes
It’s all about the finish with furniture paint. There are paints available that will give a rough textured finish to your furniture, or you can achieve a finish as smooth as butter with a different type of paint.
Choose the perfect furniture paint to achieve an old-world crackle finish or a different kind of paint to help you achieve a hammered metallic finish.
There are furniture paints to achieve the basic matte, flat, satin, gloss, semi-gloss, and gloss finishes you would see with wall paint.
How To Prepare Furniture for Painting
We have discussed how well furniture paint adheres to surfaces without priming and sanding. This is true only if your painting surface does not have peeling or chipping paint or marks made with permanent marker, fingernail polish, or anything similar.
Sand first —either by hand or with a power sander— to remove any imperfections and smooth the area you will be painting.
Before painting, remove all furniture knobs, pulls, hinges, and other hardware. Cover screw holes inside the drawers or cabinet doors with painter’s tape, to prevent paint from seeping through the holes.
Cover any areas you do not want to be painted with masking tape. I particularly like the blue automotive masking tape, as shown in the image above. I use it on most painting projects. Including when I painted a piano.
Before cleaning furniture, vacuum the dust, spider eggs, and cobwebs from the inside of the furniture casing, the bottom and backside of the piece, and the drawers and shelves.
The last step before painting furniture is to clean it with soap and water or use the cleaning product recommended by the furniture paint brand. Once the furniture is clean, you are ready to paint.
Types of Furniture Paint
1. Chalk Paint
Chalk paint is a mix of powder such as Plaster of Paris or calcium carbonate. Known for its ability to adhere to almost any material or finish, it dries to a chalky matte finish and requires waxing or sealing to preserve the finish.
Chalk paint is thick, so sometimes all that is needed is one coat. The thickness of the paint also lends to textured finishes for a classic country feel.
Chalk Paint gives an exceptional coverage that can be distressed to give the furniture a vintage or worn look.
Reputable Chalk Paint Brands
- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
- Country Chic Chalk Style Paint
- Rustoleum Chalked
- Kilz Chalk Style Paint
- Miss Lillian’s No Wax Chock Paint
- Amy Howard One-Step-Paint
- FolkArt Home Decor Chalk
- Magnolia Home Chalk Style Paint
- Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint
2. Clay Paint
Clay Paint finish is matte or flat and can also be textured. Made straight from the earth, clay paint is heavily pigmented and has a rich, creamy texture. It is eco-friendly and porous, which means it does not trap moisture and is perfect for painting wood.
Brands of Clay Paint
- Earthborn Clay Paint
- Kreidezeit Clay Paint
- Auro Natural Clay Paint
3. Milk Paint
Milk paint is powdered paint made of 100% natural ingredients. The name derives from the ingredient casein, which is milk protein. The product mixture also includes lime, natural pigments, and plant-based filler.
The versatile paint can give furniture or home décor accessories an old-world look. The paint automatically chips as it dries and can be further chipped and distressed using a sanding block or similar item.
Waxing the paint once it’s dried will give it a slight sheen and maximum durability. The paint can take medium wear without sealing it with wax.
Brands of Milk Paint
- General Finishes Milk Paint
- Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint
- The Real Milk Paint
- Rustoleum Milk Paint Finish
- Old Fashioned Milk Paint
- Sweet Pickins Milk Paint
4. Mineral Paint
Mineral paint is usually made with natural mineral pigments and a silicate binder. It is environmentally friendly and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals and VOCs.
It has superb adhesion properties and will stick to almost any surface without a primer or intense prep work. The colours are vibrant, and the paint resists chipping or peeling.
Mineral Paint Brands
- Fusion Mineral Paint
- Waverly Inspirations Chalk Paint, Mineral
- Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint
- Tommy Art Color Mineral Paint
- Cornish Milk Mineral Paint
5. Metallic Paint
Most metallic paint for furniture and walls consists of mica powder or mica beads and titanium dioxide, the brightest and whitest known pigment. Titanium dioxide has reflective qualities that give the paint its sheen.
Use metallic paint on home decor accessories such as picture frames and lamps, or add a single gold stripe to black furniture. Painting the drawers of a dresser metallic silver adds depth and character to the piece.
Brands of Metallic Paint
- Rustoleum Metallic Accents
- Krylon Gold Leaf Latex Paint
- Beyond Paint Metallic Collection
- Dixie Belle Patina Paint
- Modern Masters Metallic Paint Collection
- Fusion Mineral Paint
6. Acrylic and Enamel Paints
For our purposes, we will talk about water-based acrylic and enamel paints. Acrylic paint comprises water, the colour pigment, and an acrylic polymer as a binder. The paint goes on smoothly and is self-levelling.
Acrylic paint has more elasticity than most water-based paints, and this property makes it resistant to chipping and cracking. Water-based enamel is a type of acrylic paint. You can achieve a lasting, durable finish with enamel paint.
Acrylic and Enamel Paint Brands
- Rustoleum Ulta Matte Interior Chalked Acyllic Paint
- Heirloom Traditions Paint
- Beyond Paint All-In-One
- General Finishes Brushable Enamel
What Can You Paint With Furniture Paint
Furniture paint is so versatile, it can be used on so many surfaces. You can use furniture paint on various surfaces such as metal, tile, glass, plastic, laminated, highly lacquered, and finished and unfinished wood.
Update your kitchen by painting the cabinets, and zhuzh up home decor accessories with furniture paint. You can even paint caravan cupboards!
Where Can You Purchase Furniture Paint
You can find speciality furniture paints online or locally from various sources. Here is a list of stores where you can buy the paint in person and get information about the product.
Home Improvement Stores
DIY stores such as B&Q and Wickes have a selection of furniture paint brands with different types and colours.
They also have a variety of acrylic and enamel paint brands. You will have hundreds of colour options because these paints are custom-mixed in the store using an untinted paint base.
Branded Paint Shops
As the name implies, these stores are dedicated to paint products. Stores like Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, and Brewers all sell high-quality paints. They know their brands and can advise you on which product would be best for your project.
Craft Stores
Hobbycraft, The Range etc have various lines of furniture paint for painting home decor items and small furniture pieces.
Antique & Independent Shops
Often, you’ll find independent high-street shops selling furniture and used home decor often stock at least one line of paint. Some stores also have paint brushes, drawer pulls, and other things needed for a furniture makeover.
Flea Markets
Large markets will have a selection of used furniture perfect for painting, furniture paints, and other products you may need for a furniture makeover.
Checklist for Painting Furniture
- Sandpaper
- Gloves
- Paintbrush
- Painter’s tape
Once you’ve chosen the furniture item to paint, select the paint that will give you the look and finish you want.
The right furniture paint can transform your old furniture. And even give modern furniture a brand new look.
And —at the end of the day— remember, it is only paint! If the end result isn’t quite what you had in mind, simply repaint it! You can repaint the same piece time and time again, with very little prep, until you achieve the look you want.
That’s the beauty of furniture paint!
Kathy Owen
Kathy is the founder of PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, old hardware, rusty stuff, thrift store finds, and just about anything into unique home décor. She shares complete tutorials on painting furniture and reinventing her found items. Kathy’s projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines.
