Painting furniture and fireplace

Lesley
by Lesley
I want to paint an old china cabinet base black. What are the best products to use, as well as time saving preparation? Also am painting a brick fireplace cream. Same question, what preparation is necessary as well as hopefully a one step paint to do it? Thank you!!!
  11 answers
  • Shari Shari on Oct 12, 2014
    I have never painted a fireplace so I will defer to someone else to advise you on that. However, I've painted a lot of furniture so here's what I do with my furniture. First, I wipe the piece I'm going to paint down well with soap and water, or some type of product that cleans and degreases it. If the finish is smooth and in relatively good condition, I do not bother to sand. Yes, contrary to popular belief, you do not have to sand to get good paint adhesion. Instead of sanding, I wipe my furniture down with a product called "liquid sandpaper" also known as "deglosser." (It can be found in any paint or hardware store.) Liquid sandpaper cleans and leaves some "tooth" for primer and paint to stick to. Next I give the piece one or two light coats of a good bonding primer. I personally prefer the Zinsser brand of primers. When you choose a dark color of paint like black, you can have your primer tinted, which will require you to use fewer coats of paint. If you use the white primer straight out of the can (which is perfectly okay), expect to use more coats of black to get good even coverage of black paint over the white primer. Finally, after the primer has dried well, I apply several thin coats of interior latex paint. Multiple very thin coats are always better than 1 or 2 really heavy coats. Be sure to give latex paint adequate time to cure. It is dry to the touch within an hour (or sooner, depending on weather conditions), but until it cures completely, anything you lay on the top of the china cabinet base can stick. (Cure time is also dependent upon weather conditions.) A protective top coat is optional. I don't bother using it on my furniture because we aren't very hard on our furniture. If I do happen to get a little scratch or ding in a painted piece, I just touch it up with a little brush and a dab of paint. I recommend separate primer and paint products instead of the all-in-one primer and paint combo paints that are so popular now. They might be fine for walls but I have not had good success with them on furniture. I also recommend buying the best quality paint you can afford. It really does make a difference on furniture. You can apply the primer and paint with a roller, brush or airless sprayer. I do not recommend using paint from an aerosol can. First, it takes too many cans to adequately cover large projects like furniture (which gets expensive quickly) but more importantly, I find it impossible to get a nice smooth, even finish with paint from an aerosol can. If you are going to put the time and effort into painting, you might as well end up with the nicest finish possible...unless, of course, you are going for the old, used and abused look. If you like the shabby, distressed look, chalk paint or milk paint is an alternative to latex paint but personally, I'm just not all that impressed with it. I've tried to like it but, overall, I just don't. Since I prefer the finish on my furniture to look smooth, even and consistent--not like it was slopped on by a kindergartener--chalk and milk paints don't really give me the look I want. Also, I haven't found chalk paint or milk paint to be as easy or the big time saver that everyone professes it to be. Just my 2 cents...
  • Lesley Lesley on Oct 13, 2014
    Thank you Shari! I appreciate all you time and help. You answered every question I had about painting the furniture. I agree with you about the chalk paint. I have also tried to like it, but just don't either. I also don't like the distressed look. Guess that's what makes the world go 'round!
  • Shari Shari on Oct 13, 2014
    You are very welcome. Glad I could help. Painting furniture isn't really hard. Just take your time and enjoy the process. I always get a lot of satisfaction seeing something old and outdated transformed by paint. Paint is one of the cheapest and easiest updates you can do. It definitely gives a lot of bang for the buck.
  • Lesley Lesley on Oct 13, 2014
    My hubby is going out of town for 3 days..I can't wait to throw on my lounge pants, take off my make-up and get started on my little project. I will, however, have to do a clear seal coat or two due to my grandchildren aged 3 & 7 (boys!).
  • Shari Shari on Oct 13, 2014
    Sounds like fun. Yes, definitely protective top coat with little boys! If I had grandchildren I'd probably need to top coat my painted furniture but the only grandchildren I'm probably going to ever have are the 4-legged, furry-faced kind. My current "grandkids" consist of 2 dogs, 2 cats and 6 horses. My only child (a daughter) has always been more into animals than kids. :::big wistful sigh::: Oh well...
  • Debi McCoy Debi McCoy on Oct 13, 2014
    If you use chalk paint you can avoid all of that prepping (not chalkboard paint). Recipes all over here and pinterest.
  • Lesley Lesley on Oct 13, 2014
    Thank you, Debi!
  • Cindy Bowles Cindy Bowles on Oct 14, 2014
    I use a tinted primer then Behr paint. Sand between coats with a very fine sandpaper. Top with a non yellowing poly. Smooth finish if you sand and tack. I prefer this to chalk paint. Chalk paint needs to cute before use.
  • Cindy Bowles Cindy Bowles on Oct 14, 2014
    Cure*
  • Lesley Lesley on Oct 18, 2014
    Any ideas for me to paint my brick fireplace which takes the whole wall. Which products would be best? Any prep?
  • Lesley Lesley on Oct 18, 2014
    Thanks, Shari, will do. It was sort of confusing when they asked if my question was resolved and if I wanted to add anything.