How to Lighten Dark Wood Furniture

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From the cabinets in your kitchen to a slice of furniture to a fun arts and crafts, there are plenty of wood items you can paint. And one of the best things almost wood is that it accepts a diversity of paints well, whether y'all opt for something that'due south acrylic or an oil-based formula. Painting wood is an easy manner to change its look and requite it some new personality, merely it's non always clear what paint to employ for different projects and applications. Here's what you lot need to know about the right pigment to employ for wood.

What's Your Project?

Starting time, it's essential to figure out the nature of your project, meaning you'll need to make up one's mind not only what you're painting but besides where it's located or going to exist used. Are you painting shingles on the exterior of your dwelling house? Or are you painting an outdoor deck that'll see a lot of human foot traffic? How most kitchen cabinets that people will affect often, or a bathroom shelf that'll be exposed to loftier humidity from the shower?

Knowing things like whether or not it's going to go wet, how frequently someone'due south going to use it or touch information technology and what overall event or look you want to accomplish are all essential for determining what pigment you lot should use for the project. Wood accepts a very wide range of paints and stains, but each of those can have differing levels of durability and protection. Some paints are meliorate than others in sure situations, and you'll need to know your particular situation before you make your choice.

The great thing almost wood is that, every bit long as yous employ primer to it in about cases, any type of paint works well on it, depending on what part you need your project to serve. More often than not speaking, paints to use on wood are water-based or oil-based. Acrylic and latex are the ii nearly common types of water-based paints, while oil-based paints autumn into 2 categories: synthetic or natural. Each of these is amend than others for specific applications.

Latex paint is quick-drying, easy to clean and better for the environment than other types. Information technology'due south also less likely to discolor over time. Yet, it's not the most durable choice, every bit it tin scratch and chip easily. It's best for indoor forest items or surfaces that y'all won't affect or apply very often, such as rarely used piece of furniture, storage cabinet doors, stair spindles and moving-picture show frames. Latex paint is often the most affordable type.

Acrylic pigment is ideal for home exteriors, although you can also utilise oil-based pigment here. If the exterior is made upward of different materials, such as stone and woods, you lot're better off choosing acrylic. Materials like stone and masonry need breathable paint to permit moisture and water vapor to pass through, and oil-based paint prevents this. Acrylic craft paints are as well widely bachelor and like shooting fish in a barrel to use and make clean up if you're doing a simple DIY craft project using wood.

Synthetic oil pigment, which is too called alkyd, is the best choice for applications where you need a lot more durability. Think everyday furniture that'll get used and jostled often, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, interior trims like baseboards and door frames that'll go kicked and touched often, and floor indoors and out. Oil-based paints are more rigid than flexible, water-based types and then they're less probable to bit — even when people are walking on them — and they're also easier to wash clean considering of this.

Natural oil paint, chosen linseed, is all-time for craft projects on which you want to create a warm, anile patina. It's typically much more expensive than the synthetic variety, which is why it'southward best for smaller projects.

Prepping for the Project

To aid the paint adhere well and to ensure the cease looks its best when everything is dry, it'south important to prep your woods to go it prepare. If yous're painting an outside surface or particular, give everything a thorough wash to brand sure there isn't any dirt, dust, moss or algae, all of which can keep the paint from sticking to the surface. If you're painting wood deck furniture, a table or something else for the outdoors that people volition impact frequently, information technology'due south a wise idea to sand it before painting to give the pigment something smooth to adhere to. Splinters and cracks can also keep the finished production from looking its best, and they're uncomfortable to sit on. Let the surface or or detail dry out out fully before applying the paint, and give it a few days to dry out and start curing earlier you apply information technology. It'south best to do outdoor woods-painting projects while the weather condition is nice.

If you're repainting an interior surface or furniture such as kitchen cabinetry or a dresser, take a look at the existing pigment or stop. If the item'south electric current pigment isn't chipped, cracked or bubbles, you tin can ordinarily pigment right over it; simply sand the wood areas briefly to requite the surface more texture for the pigment to stick to. If you lot don't need to remove cabinet pigment, information technology's still a good thought to clean the doors with a heavy-duty solution like TSP to eliminate all traces of grease and crud. If y'all do need to remove a trivial chip of paint, such as a few chipped areas, you can sand them downward. Nonetheless, you lot may need to apply paint stripper for items with paint that's very damaged. This is a production that softens the old pigment and so you tin can scrape and wipe it all off.

A word of caution here: If your cabinets or other painted home surfaces were concluding washed in the 1970s or earlier, they may contain lead-based paint. If you utilise a testing kit and determine there'south lead in your paint, call the National Lead Data Center or your local health department to find out how to proceed.