Tips on Painting Furniture

Painting walls is one thing, but there are a few different measures you need to take in order to ensure that your furniture-painting project is successful.

It is best to prime all painting surfaces to prevent stains from bleeding through the new paint.
Primer must match the type of paint you have chosen. For furniture it's best to use a satin or semigloss finish in either a latex or an oil-based paint. Never leave primer unpainted.
If you choose a latex paint, a latex primer is an excellent choice for most uses. It goes on easily and blocks most stains, but it doesn't have the odor of an oil-based primer.
Although you can use oil-based primers with latex paints, you must use an oil-based primer with oil-based paints. Oil-based primers offer superior adhesion and stain blocking, but they do have a strong odor. When using oil-based primers and paints, make sure you have good room ventilation.
When you're painting, start at the top and work down, smoothing paint drips as you work downward.

Expert Painting Tips: Latex paint comes in a variety of sheens, including flat, low sheen or satin, semigloss acrylic latex and oil-based enamel. Oil-based paint can be used for both exterior painting and interior trim work; it's also very durable and easy to clean.