How best to paint really dark stained wood white?

Before you paint use shellac or kilz primer on them to prevent bleed-through of the dark, then use chalk paint, sand lightly, wipe, apply 2nd coat of chalk paint, and if that looks good to you, do a coat of clear polyvine.

You need to rub . them down first to take the shine off . Give the paint some think to stick to then put under coat on. Then paint white ..hope this helps. .... Or. You can tape glass. Off then spray.......

That was a great deal!!!!

You definitely need to lightly sand and prime before painting. I prefer Zinser primer but Kilz is good too.

Beyond paint claims that little to no prep work is needed with their product. Ignore that advice, prep your cabinet, and use Beyond paint with a foam roller.

A couple of thin layers of paint is better than trying to glop on enough to cover in one coat. Patience will be rewarded. :)

the only painting I would do is on the inside only...the white glass on the bottom will look like it was not an after thought..too many of these beautiful pieces are painted . To me it takes away from their original beauty

Thanks home talker community! I was wondering if I use the shellac method to avoid bleed through, would I need to sand a bit before, or after shellac? Is priming necessary before chalk painting?

Yes sand first, you don't want to redo it. Alternatively you could use steel wool and a deglosser (Liquid Sandpaper--any generic brand will do). Give it a good scrub. It will remove the gloss and potentially years of grime and oils. Then use a damp cloth to remove the residue.

Many chalk paint experts say to prime when doing cabinets. A lot of people don't, but priming isn't that difficult, and it is an extra level of security. Zinsser BIN 123 red label is shellac-based, and really helps the paint to stick. I used to skip primer all the time...Trust me it is so worth it in the long run.

Keep in mind the milk glass may look dirty next to the white paint. Try putting a sample of the white next to it, before going through all that work.

Prep. is 90% of the labour but as each HOMETALKER have stated it is best to sand, prime, light sand, then paint. This will create a great finish that will stand the test of time.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time. These are gorgeous pieces and definitely deserve to be done well!! WOW, thrift shops in the US are so much cheaper than here in Canada, they have become too trendy here...........

So for the diehards that have shopped there for 30++ years it is a bitter pill to swallow!! Enjoy the process and it won't seem like such an ordeal.

Blessings,

Michelle

If You lightly sand between each coat You can be certain of a smooth surface.

I had a friend who painted her red cupboards with aluminum paint. It covered the bright color & made a good basecoat for the light color she wanted.

Good luck !

Thought I'd share an update on finished pieces in my new "Arts/Crafts room". Thanks everybody!

Oh, they look really beautiful!