DIY Network

I have wooden bedroom furniture but the color of the wood doesn't look right in my room. I want to paint it black but want to be able to do it myself without ruining it. What steps should I take and what products should I use?

What kind of wood?
Do you want to spray or brush?
Do you want to use Oil base paint or latex?
What kind of finish is on the wood now?
You need to give us some more info before we can give you a decent answer.

When I have painting questions and want to do a job right, I take a piece of what I want to paint (door, shelf or drawer?) and take it into a Pro Paint store like a Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. They can offer you the very best advice on the right prep, primer and finish coat that will be successful and you will be happy with.

Especially since you want to paint it black, a deep tinted primer will help too.

Conrad
your advice is right on except, when they get to the paint store the paint guy/gal are going to ask the same question as I have.
If the bedroom furnisher has coatings of poly then they need to start sanding the wood to except the new finish.
If the wood is not hardwood but finish ply, then sanding must be done very carefully. They may need to use a chemical remover.
Until the questions are answered I don't see any help forthcoming from me anyway!!!

Mike

allin, Totally agree. That is why I suggested taking a drawer (with a finished front) or other part, into the paint store for advice. They can see it up close and in person, instead of by description?

The primers that are available now, I have found to be so good at adhesion, that a cleaning and light all over sanding, leaves enough tooth to accept the right primer. If one is going to paint there is really no reason to strip or remove an intact finish. If it is blistering or peeling, that is another story.

Amanda Wittner,
Although I really hate to paint any wood, there are a few simple steps to make sure it turns out right. First remove any hardware from the project. This will give you easy access to the entire surface without having to cut in around the hardware or painting it. Next do a lite sanding with 180-220 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surface. Next give the surface a good cleaning with TSP or a phosphate free TSP, then rinse and dry the surface completely. The TSP will remove any grease, dirt or grime that can prevent the primer and paint from adhering properly and will also degloss any areas that you may have missed when sanding. Unless it's really hot and dry you'll need to let the project air dry over night before continuing. Once it has air dried you can apply a good quality primer. For wood my choice is always BIN primer. I prefer BIN because it's a shellac based white pigment that bonds to anything, so it doesn't matter if its been painted or finished before or if you're just looking to seal off knots or sapwood. The Bin not only dries in about 15min., but it also gives you a great surface to paint and prevents telegraphing of the colors through to your new paint. So you'll get a very professional looking finish when your done. Once this has dried, you can make any repairs that need to be done (like splits, cracks, defects or even if you want to change the hardware to another size or side). Once the repairs are made prime the repairs and then apply a 2nd coat of primer over everything. If for some reason the surface is not flat then you can do a lite sanding with 220-320 grit sandpaper to make it flat and use a tack cloth to remove any dust or debris from the sanding. The surface is now ready for you to apply the paint. Personally I prefer a good quality enamel paint because there just more durable the regular paints. I do agree that you should bring a part from the project to the paint store, and even though they may just repeat what I've written, since they will be able to see what you're dealing with first hand, they may find a problem that I didn't know about.

Also if you have an option of using a brush, roller or sprayer, ALWAYS spray. If you don't have a sprayer or can't barrow one then consider renting one because it does make that much of a difference. To get the best results from spraying, remember to practice a little before starting and most important "it's always better to put on several lite coats then one or two heavier ones". This will give you a chance to get your technique down and it also covers better, allows for better adhesion and prevents drips.

But this is just my opinion, I hope it helps.

Thank you so much for all the advice. I don't know a lot about the wood so I will probably take a piece with me but it is in great condition so I won't have to do any repairs. It is hardwood and has some type of gloss coat on it so there will be sanding involved. But thanks.