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How to Paint Furniture Flawlessly

Published: Feb 27, 2014 · Modified: Dec 2, 2019 by Ashley Phipps · 619 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article. · 47 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads and sponsored posts · This blog uses cookies · See our privacy policy for more info Filed Under: DIY, Giveaway, Home Decor, Sponsored Post

I love painting furniture!  It gives new life to furniture and it is a great way to reuse what you already have!  It is also an inexpensive way to keep up with decor trends.  Today I am excited to show you how to paint furniture simply and flawlessly!  And I also am hosting a fabulous giveaway!!  Woot woot!

We used to have a playroom, but we recently realized that the playroom was not longer needed.  So we found new homes for all the toys and we needed to find a new place for a large bookcase we had in there.  We ended up putting the bookshelf in my son's room since most of the toys in it.  Honestly, my son't room isn't complete, or even started, but we have a vision for it.  And in our vision, a black bookshelf doesn't work.

After contemplating for some time what to do, we finally decided that the best solution for our out-of-place bookshelf was to paint it!!

How to Paint Furniture Flawlessly + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

So I pulled out my HomeRight FinishMax paint spray gun and got to work turning this black bookshelf into a blue one!

Now I fully realize that in photographs, black and dark blue don't look very different.  I realize this is not a dramatic change, but in the room it makes a HUGE difference!  So here is the before picture:

bookcase before

And here is my quick version of how to spray paint a bookcase in video form!

 
 
To Paint a Bookcase (or any piece of furniture) You Will Need:
 
  • HomeRight FinishMax Spray Gun
  • Primer
  • Paint, satin finish
  • Polyacrylic Sealer, satin finish or your preference
  • Plastic or tarps
  • Mask suitable for painting
  • Tools to disassemble your furniture
prime furniture

First, we put plastic on the floor and walls, and then we disassembled the bookcase.  Holy moly this bookcase has a lot of pieces!  

Then we primed every side of each piece, painted it with 2 coats of paint, and then sealed it with 2 coats of sealer.

I used my favorite painting tool:  HomeRight Finish Max!  Seriously this sprayer is amazing!!

This is such an easy spray painting gun to use!  You simply pour paint into the paint container and use the funnel to time how fast the paint comes out.  The instruction manual has a guide for the paint speed.  If it is too slow, you can add water until the consistency and time are just right.

You may want to strain your paint prior to spraying it to avoid clogs.

And then...you spray!

How to Paint Furniture Flawlessly + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

It has been so cold here we had to prime and paint inside.  We were able to take it outside into the garage to seal because it warmed up.

How to Refinish Furniture + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

I love that spraying the paint gives the furniture a flawless finish!  There are no brush strokes and it is smooth as can be.

 

 

How to Refinish Furniture + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

And the FinishMax makes painting furniture SO easy!  The longest (and hardest) part of this whole project is the dry time.

And our blue bookcase now is a near perfect match to our son's blue dresser!  The black really stood out in this room.  It looks so much better in blue!

How to Paint Furniture + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

Our son is happy to have his toys back in his room and I am happy that this shelf finally matches his room!

Blue Painted Bookcase + a Giveaway | how to paint furniture and get a smooth finish + a giveaway of my favorite painting tool | #diy #painting #giveaway

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deborah Owen

    February 27, 2014 at 7:57 am

    OMG...i would love this...with my Fibromyalgia and nerve damage in neck, it is so hard to use a paint brushe. I have a high bar-bar stool and I so want to paint it. This would help so much! Thank for the give a way!

    Reply
  2. Melanie Black

    February 27, 2014 at 7:57 am

    Looks great

    Reply
  3. Rosemary Shannon

    February 27, 2014 at 8:48 am

    That gizmo is AMAZING.

    Reply
  4. Colleen

    February 27, 2014 at 10:15 am

    The new make-over of the bookcase looks great and how much quicker it was with a sprayer.<br />I just finished up painting my dark brown end tables to a vanilla cream color. No sealer on them yet as I don&#39;t know for sure what kind of sealer to put on. I don&#39;t want something that will turn yellow over time. Any suggestions for a good sealer product.<br />Thank you<br />ColleenB.<br />

    Reply
    • Ashley Phipps

      February 27, 2014 at 1:32 pm

      Colleen - I have used both polyurethane and polyacrylic sealers and honestly have never had anything turn yellow! However, I have heard that polyurethane can turn yellow over time and polyacrylic isn&#39;t supposed to. I don&#39;t know from personal experience, but I have heard other people say that polyacrylic is better for that reason. Good luck!

      Reply
  5. Ellen

    February 27, 2014 at 10:35 am

    I have an old bookcase that needs a new life - aka paint!

    Reply
  6. Corinna Bennett

    February 27, 2014 at 11:01 am

    I would love to have this. I just finished spray painting a bunch of items and I wished I had a spray painter the whole time!! I would paint a huge wood buffet that we have that needs some love. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jeanne

    February 27, 2014 at 11:18 am

    If I won I would paint my master bedroom furniture.

    Reply
  8. Traci Hutton

    February 27, 2014 at 11:30 am

    I am so elated everytime i repaint a piece of furniture! I&#39;ve got a few pieces that could benefit from a sprayer. Thanks for a fabulous giveaway!

    Reply
  9. Laura Silva

    February 27, 2014 at 11:35 am

    I need to paint my daughter&#39;s dresser in her room. This would be great!

    Reply
  10. Natasha Johnson

    February 27, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    i would paint the giant wooden frame i have coming in the mail<br />

    Reply
  11. Ashleigh

    February 27, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    I would paint the guest room furniture... bed, dressers, and nightstands! Thank you for the great contest!<br />missashleigh at juno dot com

    Reply
  12. latanya t

    February 27, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    a new door

    Reply
  13. Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

    February 27, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    I have been wanting a spray gun forever!

    Reply
  14. Tara @ Suburble

    February 27, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    We are moving - so I have no doubt that there will be tonnes of things that I will need to spray in my new house! Great giveaway!

    Reply
  15. Lisa Nelsen-Woods

    February 27, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    I would paint a hand me down student desk I use as a sewing table. The poor little thing needs some love!

    Reply
  16. Lisa Davis

    February 27, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    there are so many things I need to paint, for starters I have 3 little tables!

    Reply
  17. Janis Bilbrey

    February 27, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    Oh how I would v to have this perfect spray gun. Thanks for the giveaway &amp; chance to win.

    Reply
  18. KAL DELLROY OH

    February 27, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    I would use this to paint the paneling in our dining room. I already have the paint but have been procrastinating about when to start. This would give me the push I need!

    Reply
  19. Sam | The Lovebugs Blog

    February 27, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    Great job! I love how it turned out!! I have been wanting to paint some bookshelves myself so this tutorial came at a great time! Thank you!

    Reply
  20. Jane

    February 27, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    We have a beat up coffee table in the family room. If I win the gun, I will paint the table the next weekend.

    Reply
  21. ittehgaps

    February 27, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    I would love to repaint a wicker couch and chairs for my back porch.

    Reply
  22. mary

    February 27, 2014 at 11:57 pm

    this is an answer to my prayer! my bedroom furniture is due for a makeover.

    Reply
  23. Maylin

    February 28, 2014 at 1:46 am

    I&#39;ve wanted one of these babies forever! I&#39;d start with my boys&#39; dresser then a bookshelf then I&#39;d be unstoppable!

    Reply
  24. Maylin

    February 28, 2014 at 1:50 am

    Oh, and my antique tea cart reeeeally needs a paint job but it would be very difficult to do with a brush 🙂

    Reply
  25. Lali Miller

    February 28, 2014 at 2:08 am

    I would paint my BLACK computer armoire! I HATE it!

    Reply
  26. Designed Decor

    February 28, 2014 at 8:32 am

    I have furniture I just bought for my guest bedroom that needs a makeover!

    Reply
  27. Carissa Bonham

    February 28, 2014 at 9:52 am

    Looks great! I&#39;ve been wanting a paint gun for a while. Spray paint has awful chemicals and VOCs in it that off gas for years - this is a way to DIY your own VOC free spray paint!

    Reply
  28. Renee

    February 28, 2014 at 11:08 am

    I have some wicker baskets that I want to chang the color of and wanted to pray paint. No limit to the color choices though if I could use this!

    Reply
  29. Mike and Johna

    February 28, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    My grandson has the same books shelf, you have inspired me to paint it (black and red, his favorite colors)

    Reply
  30. Cathy Russo

    February 28, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    There are so many projects I could use this for. I have oak doors I would love to spray rather than paint by hand.

    Reply
  31. Stephanie Chan

    March 01, 2014 at 2:24 am

    Our dining room chairs! They are bo-ring!

    Reply
  32. Danielle Reeves

    March 01, 2014 at 2:27 am

    I have three dressers AND a window seat I would LOVE to paint with this!!!

    Reply
  33. Eligonma

    March 01, 2014 at 8:37 am

    I would paint my coffee table.

    Reply
  34. mysweetiepiepie

    March 01, 2014 at 10:26 am

    I&#39;d paint my vintage metal patio furniture.

    Reply
  35. Karen

    March 02, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    I would paint some our doors.

    Reply
  36. Kit Kat

    March 02, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    I&#39;d use it for my daughters dresser, it needs a little TLC &amp; paint 🙂

    Reply
  37. nita

    March 02, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    I&#39;ve been researching paint options for forever to paint built ins my husband is building, and I think I&#39;m finally ready to take the plunge and try to use a sprayer!

    Reply
  38. Michelle

    March 04, 2014 at 3:16 am

    I would love to win this giveaway! woohoo!

    Reply
  39. Susan M.

    March 04, 2014 at 9:36 am

    In the middle of a bathroom remodel and this would sure come in handy! Thanks so much for the opportunity - my fingers are crossed!

    Reply
  40. STEPHANIE CALDWELL

    March 04, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    How cool!!! I would totally paint my kitchen cabinets!! They were botched by a painter I paid to update them and then he moved out of state! Now I have to look at my ugly cabinets every day because I can&#39;t afford to have them done... again... What a neat tool!

    Reply
  41. Heather Ledford

    March 04, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    Just bought a new house and could really use this sprayer!

    Reply
  42. Teach Love Craft

    March 04, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    I&#39;ve heard there&#39;s a bit of a learning curve with sprayers. Did you find that to be the case?

    Reply
  43. Charlene@APinchofJoy

    March 04, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    We have a whole house full of projects to paint from furniture to walls and everything in between! This would be so sweet!

    Reply
  44. Tracie Trump

    March 05, 2014 at 12:55 am

    My entertainment center!

    Reply
  45. Mindy Yeates

    March 05, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    My mom gave me the rocking chair she used for all six kids. I have baby #2 coming in April and I would love to use that to paint the chair.

    Reply
  46. Kaye Newman

    March 06, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    I would paint my bedroom first if I won.

    Reply

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