This post is actually a lesson of what I did wrong when spray painting. I tried it on a set of rocking chairs. Proving once again, I am not perfect đ I’m pretty happy sharing what not to do when spray painting, because we all need to share our failures learning curves. This is definitely a good lesson.
We have an old farm house. We added on to the small house to accommodate our 6-kids. Yes, 6-kids, lets just say there was never a dull moment in our home. Anywho, the front of the house has a great porch that needed some chairs. I’ve been meaning to get chairs, but never got around to it. I was just a little busy.
These rocking chairs are beauties! I found them on a local Facebook yard sale post.
I look like I know what I’m about to do in this photo, don’t I? đ Well I was confused, and I’m actually pressing the little button on the remote to start the video. That didn’t work out as I had planned.
Spray Painting Furniture and What Not To Do!
I admit this was my first time spray painting (with my Wagner sprayer. I am not an affiliate of this product), and I thought it was going to be lickity-split-easy. Yeah, let me tell you how that worked out…it didn’t. Here’s what happened:
- I didn’t clean the wood well enough. *NOTE* Don’t skimp on the prep!
- There was a lot of bleeding through my first coat of paint. *NOTE* Don’t skimp on the prep!
- I should have practiced spray painting before I thought I could just spray paint furniture. *NOTE* Practice spraying!
There are settings to pay attention to on these sprayers, theyâre there for a reason. If I had practiced spraying and practiced patience, I would have finished this project sooner. In the end they look great. Well, until my husband power washed the front porch…need I say more?
Spray Painting Furniture
Here are the things that you should do when spray painting furniture the right way:
- Clean your piece really, really well. Mild soap and warm water will do the trick. Then a nice rinse with a clean damp rage,twice. You donât want to leave any residue that will affect the finish.
- Make any necessary repairs needed.
- Apply a primer, I always do because it will avoid any bleed issues down the road. Use a clear shellac if youâre using a dark color or a white (like BIN) primer for lighter colors. Allow a good 24 hours between priming and painting.
- Paint your color choice and allow to dry between any additional coats. Depending on the desired end result, sand between coats for a smooth finish or to show a rustic or shabby finish, add as many coats of paint as you wish.
- Top coat your piece with either an indoor/outdoor finish for durability.
Your finished furniture piece will be complete and ready to show off!
I actually didnât top coat my rockers. I thought they would fade and wear, showing age naturally. Because my one rocker wasnât cleaned as well as the other, it just has big ugly chips missing. It will need to be scraped, sanded and repainted, but thats another post. After that, they will both be good as new!
Until then…
Happy painting your next project!
