How to paint vintage furniture step by step

For painting vintage furniture, it is best to use a brush instead of a roller in all steps. The bristles of the brush offer a more striking texture and a more vintage result. With the roller you get a more uniform finish. But which brush? With short and hard hair the brush movements are more pronounced and are used for hair removal or for decoration with stencils. Use long, soft pile if you prefer a smoother finish and for larger surfaces.

Whether you want to recover an old piece of furniture or give a vintage look to a new one, the first thing to do is prepare the piece of furniture. Remove the handles and accessories and attach what is needed – a leg, a door, etc. -. If it is new, you can use a bridge to make tracks – different from each other – as if they were frame cutouts. It will give you a more accomplished vintage look.

If it is painted or varnished, you will need to sand it down to the finish with fine or medium grit sandpaper. Once finished, clean the entire surface well with a dry cloth and brush to remove all dust.

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If you want to give your furniture a vintage look, you have several options. Choose one color and let the wood be easily noticeable, or choose two colors (or more), one darker than the other, which would be the first layer. For this type of work it is not necessary to apply a primer, because what we want is for the background to be visible when we remove the paint.

If you want a distressed effect on your current melamine furniture, you will need to treat the surface before applying paint. Apply a layer of primer so that the paint does not chip over time, because these types of surfaces are less adherent.

Whether you choose to apply one coat of paint – allowing the original wood to show through – or two or three, let the paint dry between coats. If you want a subtle effect, choose two similar shades. If you’re looking for a more striking result, choose two colors with a lot of contrast, like the white and green in the image.

This is the most delicate step and with which you will obtain the aging effect. To make it look natural, sand the protrusions of the furniture, such as corners, corners and curves. Do this little by little and with fine sandpaper. Furthermore, apply different pressures, so that the result is not uniform and realistic.

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For a long-lasting and natural result, it is best to apply a layer of colorless matt varnish or colorless wax paint. If the furniture is used a lot, the first option is more recommended, because it will undergo a lot of running-in. If the piece is more decorative than functional, apply wax. It is very light and leaves a very silky finish.

Apply the wax when the paint is dry. Do not overload the cloth or brush to avoid excess wax and spread it on the surface. Wait about 15 minutes for the wax to be absorbed and remove the excess wax with a clean cloth, without wringing too much and with circular movements. If it is a very useful piece, it may be convenient to apply several layers, but without waiting for it to dry.

This technique is known as shaping and is ideal for giving a piece of furniture a more personal and original touch. There are thousands of shapes and designs, from letters to plant motifs. To use them, it’s best to tape them down – so they don’t move while you paint – and use a brush for outline. They have a round tip and are quite flexible. Also, dump some of the paint off the brush before applying it. There are two stencil techniques: with small touches or with circular movements.