By Laura Johnson
"To be or not to be", may have been a question pondered by William Shakespeare, but for those of us who love and resell vintage furniture, we often look at our treasured furniture finds and ponder..."to paint, or not to paint". As a vendor at two booths located in The Brass Armadillo, I find myself often looking for an answer to that question. Once you've started painting, there's no turning back...so it's important to consider a few things before getting that paint brush out. For me personally, I only paint furniture that I believe cannot be easily restored to a beautiful wood finish. I prefer aged pieces of vintage wood furniture and décor pieces in their more natural state. That's a matter of preference. There are times when a vintage piece of furniture can't be restored and painting is the only option.
I've been a vendor at the Brass Armadillo mall for many years, from time to time other vendors have asked me what I use to paint and work on the furniture I sell. These are personal recommendations that have worked for me. When I do find it necessary to paint furniture, one of my favorite products is Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint. There are several chalk based paints on the market, but I find the Rust-Oleum product works great and is much less expensive. You'll find there's a wide variety of colors to select from in the Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint. For a top protective coating after painting, there are two products I recommend, MINWAX WATER BASED POLYCRYLIC PROTECTIVE FINISH, or MINWAX FAST DRYING POLYURETHANE depending on the piece of furniture and level of protection needed. My personal preference is clear satin finish with either product. If you prefer a more glossy finish that is available also. These products can be purchased at Fleet Farm, Home Depot, and Menards. I usually try and stock up on these items when they are offered on sale.
When working with wood furniture that you may choose not to paint because it’s in too good of condition, yet needs some touch up, one of the vendor's at The Brass Armadillo gave me an excellent tip a few years back. Sand the piece a bit - you don’t need to do a full sanding job, just a light sand to repair the areas of concern. After that has been completed, you can use Howard Restor-A-Finish to wipe over the piece. Let it dry completely and then wipe with a dry cloth. This product has worked well for me on wood pieces that are stained or have a bit of damage and need some touch up to look nice again. You can find several of the “Howard” products at The Brass Armadillo conveniently located at the front counter. Restor-A-Finish is my favorite of these products. I have used it often with great success. It is available in many wood colors to match most pieces you may need to repair.
If you are concerned that a piece of furniture may yellow or bleed through the paint, you can apply a coat of Dixie Belle BOSS to stop bleed through. This product works great, and can save you from having to sand and restart a project due to bleed through. Make sure you follow directions and allow it to dry before moving on.
Another wood product that can be used on vintage wood furniture, is a line of products by KRAMERS. Using KRAMERS on primitive and vintage wood pieces keeps them looking nice. Tip...KRAMERS is also a great product to use on woodwork in your home, especially if you have nice old woodwork that may need a lift. I have found that it keeps oak woodwork looking fantastic.
When painting vintage furniture, selecting pieces that have architectural touches adds depth and texture when paint is applied and then slightly sanded back. You can also get this same type of look by applying a small amount of stain to these areas and the straight edge lines of the furniture almost giving it a distressed appearance. There's a video below with five distressing techniques that are super easy and look beautiful!
It's important to be patient. Test products on an inconspicuous place on the piece of furniture if you aren't sure how the product will work. Do the work up front. If there are areas that need addressed, make sure and take care of those areas before painting, otherwise...you may end up with a bigger project then you started with.
You'll still find yourself asking..."to paint...or not to paint", but hopefully, this information will be useful to you either way!
I've been a vendor at the Brass Armadillo mall for many years, from time to time other vendors have asked me what I use to paint and work on the furniture I sell. These are personal recommendations that have worked for me. When I do find it necessary to paint furniture, one of my favorite products is Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint. There are several chalk based paints on the market, but I find the Rust-Oleum product works great and is much less expensive. You'll find there's a wide variety of colors to select from in the Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint. For a top protective coating after painting, there are two products I recommend, MINWAX WATER BASED POLYCRYLIC PROTECTIVE FINISH, or MINWAX FAST DRYING POLYURETHANE depending on the piece of furniture and level of protection needed. My personal preference is clear satin finish with either product. If you prefer a more glossy finish that is available also. These products can be purchased at Fleet Farm, Home Depot, and Menards. I usually try and stock up on these items when they are offered on sale.
When working with wood furniture that you may choose not to paint because it’s in too good of condition, yet needs some touch up, one of the vendor's at The Brass Armadillo gave me an excellent tip a few years back. Sand the piece a bit - you don’t need to do a full sanding job, just a light sand to repair the areas of concern. After that has been completed, you can use Howard Restor-A-Finish to wipe over the piece. Let it dry completely and then wipe with a dry cloth. This product has worked well for me on wood pieces that are stained or have a bit of damage and need some touch up to look nice again. You can find several of the “Howard” products at The Brass Armadillo conveniently located at the front counter. Restor-A-Finish is my favorite of these products. I have used it often with great success. It is available in many wood colors to match most pieces you may need to repair.
If you are concerned that a piece of furniture may yellow or bleed through the paint, you can apply a coat of Dixie Belle BOSS to stop bleed through. This product works great, and can save you from having to sand and restart a project due to bleed through. Make sure you follow directions and allow it to dry before moving on.
Another wood product that can be used on vintage wood furniture, is a line of products by KRAMERS. Using KRAMERS on primitive and vintage wood pieces keeps them looking nice. Tip...KRAMERS is also a great product to use on woodwork in your home, especially if you have nice old woodwork that may need a lift. I have found that it keeps oak woodwork looking fantastic.
When painting vintage furniture, selecting pieces that have architectural touches adds depth and texture when paint is applied and then slightly sanded back. You can also get this same type of look by applying a small amount of stain to these areas and the straight edge lines of the furniture almost giving it a distressed appearance. There's a video below with five distressing techniques that are super easy and look beautiful!
It's important to be patient. Test products on an inconspicuous place on the piece of furniture if you aren't sure how the product will work. Do the work up front. If there are areas that need addressed, make sure and take care of those areas before painting, otherwise...you may end up with a bigger project then you started with.
You'll still find yourself asking..."to paint...or not to paint", but hopefully, this information will be useful to you either way!
Pieces painted using Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint
You can see Laura's vintage and painted pieces at The Brass Armadillo (701 NE 50th, Des Moines, Iowa) located in her Booths 19 and 176.
About the Author - Laura Johnson
Laura is an avid treasurer hunter of many unique finds that you can see at The Brass Armadillo in her to Booths 19 and 176. She has been restoring and painting furniture for many years. Her pieces often leave The Brass Armadillo shortly after arriving. You'll find her booths organized with groupings to inspire visitors with ways to use her many select finds. Laura is not only a vendor at The Brass Armadillo, but she is also a greeter at the front desk several hours a week. You'll see her friendly smile often greet you when you visit The Brass Armadillo.
Laura is an avid treasurer hunter of many unique finds that you can see at The Brass Armadillo in her to Booths 19 and 176. She has been restoring and painting furniture for many years. Her pieces often leave The Brass Armadillo shortly after arriving. You'll find her booths organized with groupings to inspire visitors with ways to use her many select finds. Laura is not only a vendor at The Brass Armadillo, but she is also a greeter at the front desk several hours a week. You'll see her friendly smile often greet you when you visit The Brass Armadillo.