Hey all you furniture painters, I promised that this blog was on its way and it’s finally here! This is my Furniture Painting Art Guide where I round up all the tutorials and tips your heart can handle!
How to Paint on Furniture
Painting on furniture has a lot of overlap with painting on canvas. In terms of laying down a background, building up layers, and creating art it’s essentially the same… There are just a few extra steps to consider before and after painting to make sure your art can last.
Furniture Painting Supplies
Like always, make sure that your art supplies are within reach! Here are the things I have on hand when painting a piece of furniture.
- Brushes
- Paint
- Sealant
- Hardware
- Spray Bottle
- Dropcloth
- Rags
- Apron
Click here to order your supplies today!
Before You Get Started
Painted furniture takes some work but it has a MAJOR payoff – custom functional art that is perfect for your home! If you want a thorough guide, be sure to start here: Furniture Painting for Beginners.
First, you’ll want to make sure that whatever piece you’ll be painting is CLEAN-CLEAN-CLEAN! While I use DIY Paint (which is known to stick to practically anything), it’s always a good idea to thoroughly clean any new piece of furniture that enters your home. When it comes to painting furniture, I generally recommend avoiding any pieces of furniture that are heavily coated in varnish because 1) it’s pretty nasty and 2) it’s a major cause of bleed-through for all painted pieces. If you can’t avoid varnish, use a solvent (safely!) to strip the wood before you begin.
If you’re not using DIY Paint then you’ll probably want to sand the surface of your project before painting so that the paint has something to adhere to! I prefer DIY Paint’s no-VOC formula for its perfect coverage and eco-friendly formula, but I know many people who use other brands with great success.
Some people also choose to remove hardware before painting because they plan on replacing it, while others simply paint over it!
That’s what I love about custom-painted furniture: everything can be made exactly the way that you want it!
DIY Painted Furniture Tips and Tricks
Need somewhere to get started before you dive into a tutorial? I’ve got you covered! These videos and blogs are a great place for beginners to start:
- How to Move Furniture by Yourself!
- How to Blend Multiple Paint Colors for a Smooth Finish
- Using Water to Blend
- Choosing the Right Top Coat
- How to Paint a Wildflower Garden on a Vintage Wardrobe
- Applying a Color Wash to Furniture
- Furniture Flips You Can Do in a Weekend!
- My Favorite Furniture Makeovers (for inspiration)
Furniture Painting Tutorials
Tutorials are great because someone can watch it once and then recreate it in their own style or they can follow along and copy everything the artist does, step by step, to learn new techniques. There is no right or wrong way to follow a tutorial. What matters is making some art!
Here are some of my COMPLETE furniture tutorials, to get you started…
Here are some YouTube videos for you to follow along with!
- Misty Meadow Playlist
- Bohemian Island Dreams Playlist
- Monarch Meadow Playlist
- Baja Kisses Playlist
- Blue Serenity Playlist
- Confetti Sunrise Playlist
- Summer’s End Playlist
- How to Paint an Abstract Landscape on a Dresser… Part 1 & Part 2!
Help me spread the love!
Follow me on social media to see more tutorials and be sure to tag me in any of your completed projects! I love to support other artists as often as possible.
