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How to Paint Pine Furniture Like a Pro: Step-by-Step Guide

how to paint pine  furniture

Looking on learning how to paint pine furniture? This article gives you step by step, clear, easy to follow instructions on how to paint pine furniture. Paint comes in various types such as water based, oil based or acrylic. You can use any of the paints mentioned however we recommend using oil based paint as this the best method of getting a beautiful finished product. Let’s look at how to paint pine furniture in more detail now.

Painting Pine Furniture

Wipe the surface clean with a rag that has been soaked in a cleaning solution mixed with water. You can pick anything here that cleans wood so no preference given. Just make sure that is specially design as an all purpose furniture cleaning product. If your pine furniture has knobs, handles, etc remove these. After the surface has been cleaned thoroughly, start sanding. The sand paper grade varies but typically we recommend anything around 150-180 grade. Wipe out any dust and mask off areas that you don’t want to touch. You can use any furniture painting tape.

Now you are ready to start the painting process. First, you need to prime the pine. If there are knots, you need to seal or “knot” these with shellac knotting for example. After this has been completed, you need to prime the entire piece. We recommend Zinsser Bullseye.

You can get a sealer and stain blocker all in one, so look for one at your local home hardware retailer. Depending on the pine wood used, some knots may be still visible even though a primer has been applied. The choice here is two-fold: leave the knots in as a beautiful natural look or drill them out and fill the wood.

Once the primer is dry and all the fillings have been done, if any, you are ready for the top coats application. Your lesson on how to paint pine furniture is almost half way done. Let’s now look at the paint used.

If you are using oil based paint as recommend, you need to undercoat. Delux oil coat can be used for this or any eggshell finishes will do, just take a look to see what’s available or speak to your customer service staff when you’re purchasing your materials.

Once finished, you need to sand down again. If caulking is needed, do this now and let it dry overnight. Sand the entire piece off again and apply a topcoat of eggshell paint. Sand again for the last time, this time around with a 300+ grade and paint again.

The paint should be dry within one day. Once done, remove the masking tape, re-install the knobs and handles but take note of the paint, making sure that it’s absolutely dry before screwing anything in or re-installing  Painting pine furniture with oil typically takes 4 to 6 weeks to completely dry so keep this in mind.

That’s it! To re-cap the steps on how to paint pine furniture: clean the pine with an all purpose cleaner, remove knobs, and start sanding down. Next is priming and sealing any knots. Let the pine dry and sand again. Apply a top coat, finish last fillings if any, paint again, let it dry and sand again.

Lastly, apply another coat, remove the masking tape and assemble the knobs together. Here you have it, how to paint pine furniture is an easy job! A do it yourself home project that can save you money and make your furniture look beautiful again.