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crl_

Best way to paint furniture and what to do for bed

crl_
10 years ago

This is related to my thread on redoing my dd's room for her birthday, but I thought this was a somewhat separate topic and didn't want it to get buried.

We were given some furniture by a neighbor for dd's room. It is currently a very, very blond wood finish with some pink and green stenciling. I would like to paint it white. Well, actually I would like for someone else to paint it white and I have contacted a local place to get an idea of cost, but I'm guessing it will be out of budget.

I'm not really looking for distressing, just a plain white painted finish.

The furniture has some carving and details so it is going to be a bit of a challenge to paint. I have never mastered spray painting. Is it time? Or should I stick with a brush? I'm assuming I had best sand, prime and then paint. I would guess the furniture has a poly finish of some kind on it so I think I have to prime?

In addition to needing to paint it, the headboard is just a headboard. So we need a bed. We have been happiest with platform beds. Do you think I can find a platform bed to then attach to the headboard? Go to the unfinished wood furniture store to look? Other suggestions? (Building one is out of my ability range and dh has no time).

Thanks for any thoughts on how to proceed.

Comments (14)

  • seww
    10 years ago

    Check with an auto body shop for painting also. It might be less expensive!

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    I'd buy a cheap IKEA bed frame.
    Also, unless you hate the look, I'd check out chalk paint. It requires no sanding or priming.

  • peony4
    10 years ago

    There are some excellent spray paints with primers available that would stick to a poly finish. If you DIY, spray painting will be much easier than trying to brush detail work. You can do this... the most time consuming part of spray painting is the drying time between coats. You don't need to pay someone for this.

    I would lightly sand and wipe clean, use white spray primer and let dry per instructions (drying times are important), then top coat with regular white spray paint. Multiple light coats of spray paint (both primer and paint) to cover completely are preferable to a single, long-spraying coat that's prone to dripping.

    For the platform, you can buy a platform frame for a reasonable price, and most will come with additional hardware needed to attach a headboard. Good luck!

  • crl_
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I generally love ikea, but we had a bad experience with multiple slats cracking on the cheap platform bed we bought for ds so I'm a little reluctant to go that route again for this particular item. I do know ikea quality varies by item so if anyone has had good luck with a particular platform, especially one that doesn't look too modern and wouldn't be too hard to paint, that would be great.

    My past, very limited, experience with spray painting is that I get drips. What am I doing wrong?

    I tried the only local metal refinishing place I could find with good yelp reviews but they no longer do furniture. They said they forwarded my inquiry to someone else, but it never heard anything further. I have also contacted a local shop that remakes furniture for a quote, but they are kind of fancy so I'm guessing it will be more than I want to pay.

    Thank you!

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    10 years ago

    I was going to suggest brush and small roller painting because of the drips from spray paint. It is easy to overspray which is what causes the drips. If you see them right away, you can brush them out. A good 1" brush should be able to handle the cracks and crevices okay. Don't overload the brush with paint and watch for drips as it settles.

    How many pieces are there and what kind? Cabinets should be pretty straightforward. Where is all the carving? Spray painting is pretty much PITA for large quantity -- stinky and very time consuming to keep the coats thin and good coverage.

    I would recommend a high quality cabinet paint. Benjamin Moore has one called Advance. I just used it to paint a small wall cabinet, but I intend to use it on a bathroom vanity. Clean the pieces, lightly sand, tack cloth or damp cloth residue, prime, paint, and 2nd coat. Probably satin would be a good sheen to choose, but you may want shinier.

  • graywings123
    10 years ago

    If I were doing it, I would get a can of Cabinet Coat, lightly sand the furniture, and then apply two coats. No primer needed. Cabinet Coat is used on kitchen cabinets and trim, so it should wear well on furniture.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Three pieces to paint. A small dresser, a small mirrored armoire and a twin headboard. Plus the platform for the bed, assuming we go with some kind of wood platform.

    I actually recently painted a dresser with the Benj, Moore Advance and had a really hard time with it. I have painted furniture with semi-gloss aura before with no problems. But the advance seemed to have a very short open time--which was the opposite of what the paint store said. I was very puzzled. Maybe it was just very dry during the time I was painting? The finish is lovely, but I never did get the top quite right so I'm a little leery of using it again.

    I didn't know cabinet coat doesn't require a primer. I have heard of it, but never used it. Is it oil based?

    Thanks!

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    10 years ago

    Not sure about Cabinet Coat, but one of the features of these types of cabinet specialty paint is "self-leveling". This reduces brush and roller marks and gives a smoother finish. Probably not as super smooth as spray, but smoother than everyday paint.

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    I have (had) several IKEA beds and no cracked slats. But also no jumping on the bed. For that we had 2x4s nailed down. For the IKEA slats, we had both the cheaper slats and the bendable ones.

  • crl_
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    There was no jumping on ds' IKEA bed either, just my dh lying down with ds to read a book. Happened twice before I went to Home Depot and replaced the slats with lumber cut to fit. A friend also had a slat crack on the short loft bed (kura maybe?) as well when just her son was sitting on it. Both of these are beds that came with slats, not the separate slat systems that can be bought at IKEA.

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    Oh, ok, we always bought the separate slats, so maybe they are different.

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago

    Would you consider chalk paint? Annie Sloane's is not cheap but you can paint all your pieces with one can. It's easy to work with, goes quickly (Love that), and since it's supposed to look slightly distressed, any mistakes are part of the deal.
    Link below to a chalk-painted IKEA bed.

    Here is a link that might be useful: ASCP IKEA bed

  • crl_
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you all so much for the tips and ideas!

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