How to Prep Furniture For Painting

Are you wondering how to prep furniture for painting? The key is to get the wood furniture ready for the paint to adhere. Good paint is a must, but even the best paint can't stick to wooden furniture that is dirty or grimy.

Don't let looks deceive you. At first glance this table may look like it's ready to paint. At this point, I had already dusted it off with a hand brush to remove cobwebs and such.

Deglosser | Prep Furniture For Painting

You could start prepping your furniture by cleaning then sanding. But using a deglosser will generally do both steps for you.

How to Degloss

I began the way I always do, brushing on the deglosser, then using the scrubby pad, and finally wiping everything away with a small soft cloth.

But! Prepping this little table was taking too much elbow grease. It was time to bring out the big guns.

How to Prep Furniture for Painting | Nicotine

Do you see the issue with this small table? I decided to make it easy on myself and use Krud Kutter to prep this table. I applied it with an old paint brush.

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This table lived in a home where there was a smoker. The nicotine on the table was so thick, even the Krud Kutter was having trouble removing the years of smoking. I wear gloves to keep both the cleaner and the nicotine off my skin. The scrub pad was helpful to break up all the grime.

With the deglosser, there is no need to rinse. However with this concentrated cleaner, you need to rinse it off in order to prep furniture for painting. I hit it with the hose, and left it in the sunshine to dry thoroughly.

NOTE: This was a very unusual case. Generally to prep furniture for painting, I only use the deglosser, scrub pad, and rag.

This is after the first (light) coat of Iron Gate from HTP. I'm in love with this color. It's the perfect shade and sheen of black paint. Bonus! No waxing needed!

Even so, you must prep furniture for painting before any paint can give you a decent look. Never paint over grease, grime, dirt or dust.

In the case of this hand me down table, it looked OKAY on first glance. So, you may want to do what I did, working on a small spot to see if the deglosser is enough for the grease and grime that has accumulated on your wooden furniture.