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Paint
Although painted furniture has been around for many years, it has recently seen a big resurgence in popularity, especially with the introduction of chalk based furniture paints that eliminate the need for large amounts of prep. The laborious and messy preparation is the element that puts a lot of people off attempting to take on painting projects. But using minimal prep furniture paints is not a "one size fits all" solution, as lots of pieces still need some prep such as filling damaged areas, sanding back surfaces and the application of undercoats and primers, especially if the piece of furniture is quite old, as the tannins in the wood sometimes have a tendency to bleed through light paint colours. In these instances you would definitely need to apply a shellac or stain block before applying the paint. So each item is assessed individually ensuring that the best processes and paints are applied to suit each piece.
Chalk paint:
Chalk paints are water based, contain minimal or no toxins and they are very versatile when painting furniture as virtually no prep is needed, as long as the piece of furniture is in a good structural condition to start with. Chalk paints are ideal for creating paint effects such as distressing, crackle glaze or colour washes. A protective wax coating is usually applied which is then buffed to provide a shine. If a glossy finish is preferred, a varnish can be applied, which can also act as a hardwearing top coat. There is now such a wide range of chalk and furniture paints available on the market, the most notable being Annie Sloan, Autentico and Frenchic to name a few.
Other types of paint:
As well as chalk paint, we can use other types of paint such as water and oil based eggshell, satinwood and gloss. All of these paints give a different finish and require different levels of preparation. It is usual to apply a suitable undercoat or primer when using these paints as they don't have the same adhesive properties that chalk paint does, which is what allows it to "cling" to such a wide variety of surfaces.
The choice of paints and colours can be overwhelming and we are here to help you make these decisions, so why not give us a call to have a no obligation chat and hopefully we can make things a bit clearer for you!
