How to Prep Furniture for Painting – Video Series

How to prep furniture for painting is honestly the most important part of painting furniture. If no preparations are done before painting, your paint could peel off, or easily scratch off. Even with “No prep furniture paint.” Don’t worry though! Prepping furniture for paint doesn’t have to take very long.

Get more of our favorite DIY dresser makeovers here!

dresser with mirror

We did a 3 part Facebook LIVE video series on how to paint a dresser from start to finish. But if you missed them, we’ve compiled them all right here for you!

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In video ONE (this one!) we talked all about how to prep furniture for painting. Now you might think that you want to skip this one, but you really really shouldn’t.

It’s full of gold. Tips and tricks and why you really need to prep before painting old furniture. And I’m not just talking about wiping it down with a wet rag.

  • What if you have to change out the hardware to a different size?
  • What if you have chipping veneer that needs fixed?
  • What about that pesky bleed through that won’t go away on it’s own?

I’ve got you covered! Plus I talk all about the basic prep AND how to prep when you’re painting a dresser with a paint sprayer. Because prep is just a little bit different with a paint gun.

Chalk Painting Furniture Video

Grab some popcorn, and pull up a seat. Or grab your favorite craft, and get crafting while you listen to all the nuggets in this first chalk painting furniture video.

Supplies Used to Prep Furniture for Painting

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How to Prep Furniture for Painting

If you don’t want all the nuggets of info from the video, but just want a quick overview, here are the basic steps for prepping when painting furniture with chalk style paint (also known as no prep furniture paint.)

  1. Clean any grease and grime off of your furniture with TSP or Krud Kutter. Use an old damp rag to wipe it down. (Wearing gloves – especially when using TSP – is a great idea!) Let dry.
  2. Scuff sand with 220 grit sandpaper. Scuff sanding is just rubbing the sandpaper over the entire dresser a couple of times. You aren’t trying to remove the finish, just removing the shine of the old finish.
  3. Remove the dust with a vacuum hose and a clean damp rag or tack cloth.
  4. You’re ready to paint!

Here are some of my favorite supplies that I use for basically every furniture makeover, including this one.

How to Prime Furniture

If you’re working with laminate furniture, or are working with a light color of paint, you will need to know when to prime furniture.

When painting light colors, you will often see stains in your paint. They usually show up either tan, red or pink. When you’re painting with dark colors you might not see them, even though they are there.

The best way to paint a dresser is to prevent this (bleed through) from happening before it even has a chance (before you paint!) Learn how to stop stains from coming through paint here.

Laminate will repel most types of paint, even no prep furniture paint. So you need to use the right primer for laminate furniture before any paint!

How to Change Hardware

If you’re looking to change the hardware, learn about the best way to fill hardware holes and change hardware on a dresser.

There are a few different products you could use, and some are easier than others! So check out that post to learn more!

How to Prevent Overspray When Painting

When you’re spraying paint, you don’t want the overspray to get inside the drawers, or all over your floor. Learn how to prevent overspray and how I tape off drawers for a paint sprayer here.

Now that you know all about prep, it’s time to move on to the next video – painting a piece of furniture.

In video TWO we talk all about using a paint sprayer. You don’t want to miss it!

I talk about efficiency, the professional finish and even how to avoid problems with the paint sprayer. So you can overcome the fear of using one.

And as always, please share and pin for your friends and family who want to create beautiful furniture for their own home or others! See you in video two!

How to Prep Furniture for Painting

dresser and how to prep furniture for painting

How to prep furniture for painting is honestly the most important part of painting furniture. Prepping furniture for paint doesn’t have to take very long.

Tools

Instructions

  1. Clean any grease and grime off of your furniture with TSP or Krud Kutter. Use an old damp rag to wipe it down. (Wearing gloves – especially when using TSP – is a great idea!) Let dry.
  2. Scuff sand with 220 grit sandpaper. Scuff sanding is just rubbing the sandpaper over the entire dresser a couple of times. You aren’t trying to remove the finish, just removing the shine of the old finish.
  3. Remove the dust with a vacuum hose and a clean damp rag or tack cloth.
  4. Prime furniture to prevent bleed through from happening.
  5. If you’re looking to change the hardware, remove them and fill hardware holes.
  6. Before spraying paint, prevent overspray by taping off areas you want to protect.
  7. You’re ready to paint!

Recommended Products

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More Painting Furniture Resources

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How to Prep Furniture for painting
Taping drawers and spray painting dresser

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