Learn what you need to do to make painting woodwork easier for you and give you the best results.
Your woodworking project is only as good as the painting and varnishing skills that you have. Painting woodwork is more than just slapping on a coat of your favorite color or shade of stain, but involves preparing the surface, using the appropriate brush and brushing technique, and other factors.
Let's look at what you need to do to make painting woodwork easier for you and give you the best results.
Paint Matters
Start with good paint. Many folks have trouble when painting woodwork - getting the surface to look smooth and flawless takes skill and know-how.
While many professional painters will rely on oil-based paints for their capacity for slow drying that allows brush marks to flatten out, the same results can be achieved with today's high quality latex formulations (without the strong odor of oil-based paint).
Besides, if you choose a good latex paint, you'll get the added benefit of fast drying paint that cleans up easily with just soap and water, as opposed to the gassy-smelling turpentine that is needed for oil-based paint cleanup.
You can find various sheens of latex paint, from high gloss to flat. For the longest wear, choose a semi-gloss or eggshell finish.
Preparation is Key
If hiding cracks and other flaws were as simple as applying a new coat of paint, life would certainly be easier. But unfortunately it doesn't work like that - and filling in cracks, chips, or other problems on your wall cannot be accomplished by painting over them, and paint won't make a rough surface smooth.
Preparing your woodwork for painting is vital to getting the look you want. To begin:
1. Wash your woodwork using a trisodium phosphate or other cleaning/prep solution. This will remove grime and grease that has built up on the wood. Use clear, clean water to rinse the solution (and the grime) from the wood and to remove residue that remains.
2. Scrape away any cracked or loose paint on the wood's surface. Although there are many types of scrapers out there on the market, choose one with a comfortable grip and at least a two inch scraping surface. A putty knife will suffice for this purpose as well, and may be small enough for you to use in smaller area and corners. Scraping the old paint away will leave you with more sanding to do, but the overall effect will be well worth it.
3. Next, look for deeper chips or dents that need to be filled in. You can use a wood filler to fill these in and then sand over the area later to smooth it down completely. You can also use certain wood fillers for quick fixes on chipped corners - read the label of the wood filler before you purchase it if you need to rebuild a corner.
4. For fine chips and scratches, you can use spackling compound which is lightweight. Spackling compound will fill these in and you won't notice them once your piece is sanded appropriately.
5. Use a bright light to showcase any imperfections once you have spackled and filled in all deformities and imperfections. This will help you find any scratches or places you've missed.
6. Once your spackling and filling work is complete, use a high quality sand paper to sand away any rough spots and to get the surface ready for painting. Wipe away the dust from sanding with a wet cloth.
Brushes and Techniques
Now that your wood stock is prepared, it's all a matter of choosing the right brush and using the right technique when painting. For a smooth, beautiful finish:
1. Buy the best brushes that you can afford. Remember, a good brush can last for a long time with proper cleaning; making the extra cash paid now an investment. A good brush may cost as much as $15. You will likely need a 2 ½" straight brush for trim and a 1 ½" angled brush for detail work. If using synthetic paint, go for a synthetic brush.
2. Don't dip into the can when painting, but rather pour the paint into a pail. This allows you to move the paint around with you as you go more easily.
3. Stir the paint occasionally while painting to keep it mixed up.
4. Brushing technique is important. You should work to quickly coat a section with several brushes of paint before blending and smoothing the paint out by running your brush over it lightly. This is called tipping and it is a useful painting skill.
5. Avoid a dripping brush; this can make your painting complicated and uneven. Tap the brush gently against your paint pail to remove excess paint.
6. Hold your paint brush at a forty-five degree angle and use a slight downward pressure when painting. You are striving for thickness that is uniform.
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