TIPS ON HOW TO PAINT FURNITURE WHITE

Painting furniture white can be a little difficult. There can be bleed-through, or yellowing. I've learned some helpful tips and tricks through the years and today I'm sharing them with you!

HOW TO PREVENT WHITE PAINT FROM YELLOWING

HOW TO PREVENT WHITE PAINT FROM YELLOWING

There are two main reasons white paint yellows.  1. bleed-through  2. the sealer used To prevent your white furniture from yellowing, you need to prevent bleed-through and use the right sealer.

HOW TO PREVENT BLEED THROUGH

HOW TO PREVENT BLEED THROUGH

Preventing bleed-through  by using a good oil-based primer. Water-based primer isn’t going to cut it. You can still use a water-based paint, like chalk paint, with an oil-based primer. My favorite is Zinsser.

NON-YELLOWING SEALERS FOR WHITE FURNITURE

The second tricky part of painting furniture white is the sealer. Some sealers yellow over time and ruin your finish. My favorite sealer for painted furniture is General Finishes High Performance Top Coat.

SIMPLE TRICKS TO PREVENT SEALER FROM YELLOWING

SIMPLE TRICKS TO PREVENT SEALER FROM YELLOWING

1. Use several very thin coats of sealer. Thick, gloppy coats are prone to yellowing. 2. Mix some white paint  into your sealer. Mix the first coat with 10-15% white paint and 85-90% sealer. Follow with a second and third coat that are 100% sealer.

BEST WHITE PAINTS FOR FURNITURE

BEST WHITE PAINTS FOR FURNITURE

Here are a few of my favorite. Please visit the blog for a full list with different shades of white. – General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White – Fusion Mineral Paint in Lamp White – Dixie Belle Chalk Paint in Drop Cloth

SUPPLIES FOR PAINTING FURNITURE WHITE

SUPPLIES FOR PAINTING FURNITURE WHITE

– Cleaner – Wood Filler – 220 grit sandpaper  – Oil-Based Primer – Small foam roller – Paintbrush – White paint – Non-yellowing sealer – Foam brush or blue sponge applicator

Prep your furniture for paint with these tips: 1. Give your furniture a good cleaning. 2. See if any repairs need to be made before painting. 3. Remove any hardware you don’t want painted.  4. Fill in any holes and sand smooth. 5. Sand if necessary.

HOW TO PAINT FURNITURE WHITE

PRIMING YOUR FURNITURE You don’t have to use primer every time your paint a piece of furniture. But if you are painting furniture white, primer is always a good idea. I use Zinsser Cover Stain oil-based primer all the time and it has never failed me.

FOAM PAINT ROLLER AND PAINTBRUSH Use a small foam paint roller for priming large, flat sides of your furniture. A paintbrush can help get in any crevices the roller can’t reach. Keep a separate paintbrush for applying oil-based products like primer. Clean your paintbrush using mineral spirits rather than water.

PAINTING YOUR FURNITURE WHITE It will probably take three or more coats of paint to get an even finish. Let the paint dry completely between coats. If you still have bleed-through, pull your oil-based primer back out. Use a paintbrush to paint an even coat of primer around the spots with bleed-through. Let dry and paint.

SEALING YOUR WHITE FURNITURE  The final step is sealing the paint finish. It's one of the most important steps. I prefer to use General Finishes High Performance Top Coat applied with a foam brush. I also love the blue sponge applicator from Dixie Belle paints for applying the topcoat.

ADD THE HARDWARE AND LET CURE Now you want to reattach the hardware and let the top coat dry. While you can use the furniture once it is dry, be extra gentle the first thirty days as it may take that long to fully cure.

Get the full step-by-step tutorial here.

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