Refurbishing and refinishing a piece of furniture that has already been painted or stained before can be a great way to infuse new life into old things. It’s an excellent way to save money on your home furnishings, and it’s good for the environment too.

But refinishing a piece of furniture is not just as easy as slapping some new paint on top of the old. In fact, this is the best way to ruin a refinishing project. In other words, just as you have to paint prep rooms before repainting to avoid chipping, peeling, and cracking, you also need to paint prep furniture.

So, without further ado, for your next furniture refinishing project, follow these simple steps for optimal paint prep:

What You’ll Need

You’ll need several tools and products to begin your paint preparation. These include:

• A drop cloth
• Murphy’s oil soap, warm water, sponge, and bucket
• Fine and medium grit sandpaper
• Paint primer
• Tack cloth or microfiber cloth
• A paintbrush

How to Prep

1. Start by washing your piece of furniture. It may not look dirty, but you should still use a bit of Murphy’s oil soap and warm water to give a good cleaning to the piece. If it’s something that has drawers, remember to remove all of them and prep them separately.
2. You’ll now need to sand your piece. Start with medium grit sandpaper to dig into the current layers of paint. Sanding gives your desired paint color something to attach to later on. Once you finish with medium grit sand paper, move onto fine grit sandpaper, being sure to use your tack cloth or microfiber cloth to remove paint dust in between.
3. Next, apply a coat of paint primer to your furniture piece. This is good for ensuring that your paint adheres well, and it can also easily cover up dark colors if you’re transitioning to a lighter color.
4. Once your primer dries, use your fine grit sandpaper once again. This creates a smooth, even finish. At this point in your paint preparation, you’re ready to complete your project with the actual paint color you plan to use and a topcoat sealer.

Completing the Project

Once all of your paint prep has been finished, you can do the actual painting, which shouldn’t take long. Paint as many coats as you need onto the furniture piece, following the directions for drying times. Finally, top your last coat of paint off (after drying) with a topcoat sealer to prevent chipping and peeling.

By following these preparation and painting directions closely, you should have a fine-looking piece of furniture to display in your home!