Painted woodwork provides a warm, welcoming feel to any room. It can be used to bring in a modern feel to an older home, or to lend a rustic charm to a period property. The great thing about painted woodwork is that it’s easy to buy and easy to apply – even for beginners. If you want to learn how to paint woodwork, follow these handy tips to get you started.
First of all, you’ll need a solid surface to work on. Most painting projects require a hard, flat board, such as plywood or wood flooring. You’ll need to leave some space between the board and the surface you’re painting so that the paint doesn’t rub off. In addition, you’ll need to prepare the surface by cleaning it properly first.
Preparing your surface will help you avoid making mistakes when you start painting. Most DIY tasks are best carried out at a clean, well-lit workroom. You’ll need to wipe down the surface using a good quality, alcohol-free and anti-bacterial liquid detergent. If you use any latex based paints, you’ll need to ensure it’s totally dry before applying it. You can also buff the surface if necessary to get rid of any dust or debris.
Next, you’ll need to decide on a colour for your painted woodwork project. If you’re repainting a solid surface, the most popular colours are light or white. These can either be bought ready-made or with special dye. To make your own coloured surface, you can use a paint pen to write on the surface or use a paint brush. Whatever method you choose, it’s important to start off with a smooth, flat surface.
When choosing a colour, remember that lighter colours will appear brighter and will stand out against a darker backdrop. However, darker colours may appear too bright and contrast if they aren’t kept in check. A good rule of thumb is to choose a colour that contrasts sharply with its surroundings but not in a way that it becomes completely impossible to see through the piece. As an example, a dark blue surface against a light pink background should not look out of place.
Once you’ve chosen a suitable colour, you’ll need to ensure the surface is smooth and evenly covered in the colour of your choice. This will help it to last longer. If it isn’t, then the surface will simply become unsightly and will definitely need replacing sooner rather than later.
Next, you’ll need to start applying the paint. Start by ensuring that you cover the surface evenly with a single coat. Allow each coat to dry for around five minutes before you apply for a second one. It’s important that you always start with a clean surface, as using a dirty surface for painting will just cause a terrible mess. Always use a roller or brush to apply your first layer and work your way up from there.
Painting isn’t always easy, but with a few tips and advice you should find it much easier than you first imagined. You can find lots of tips and hints online, and there are also lots of great DIY books that can give you even more guidance. The main thing is to be patient and make sure that you keep on practicing. If you take your time, your painted woodwork will soon look like the amazing piece it is!
One of the biggest problems people face when painting their surface is unevenness. Oftentimes the area between the panels of wood has a bit of an irregular shape, meaning that some areas will be thicker than others. To combat this, you need to fill in the areas where the panels fall short of the rest of the surface with either putty or masking tape, and then add in a little bit of filler to get the right thickness.
Another thing that can sometimes mar the look of painted woodwork is splatters or streaks. Sometimes this happens from excess paint or even dirt. Rather than scrapping everything away, you should try and patch the area instead. To patch the splotches you need to use either wood filler or sandpaper. Sanding the woodwork may ruin the paint, so never scrape anything. If the area is big enough you can put in a panel above the affected part to hide it.
As you can see, painting your painted woodwork is a very simple process that requires a little patience and care. If you follow painted woodwork tips like the ones listed here, then your painted woodwork project will look great! And if it does not, you should consider repainting it.
Hi everyone! I’m a woodworker and blogger, and this is my woodworking blog. In my blog, I share tips and tricks for woodworkers of all skill levels, as well as project ideas that you can try yourself.
