What Paint To Use on Wood Furniture? (Wood Paint Ideas)

Furniture is a need of every home or office, but it’s also important to give life to your wood furniture. People like to use distinctive types of furniture such as game furniture, bedroom furniture, lounge furniture, and more. A coat of paint for furniture is necessary to make it look elegant all the time.

Good quality paint for a chair, nightstand, table, or specialty piece gives the furniture a unique appearance after a few hours of DIY work. When you wander online, you will find a lot of paint finish furniture options. Nevertheless, choosing the right paint for the furniture is a daunting task. The most commonly used paints are oil-based, acrylic paint, latex, chalky paint, and more. All these have their unique advantages and are used for different furniture.

In this guide, you will get a better understanding of what paint to use for wood furniture. Don’t forget to read the tips to choose the best paint for your home furniture.

Latex paint

Latex paint for furniture is at the top and popular due to many reasons. The reasons include easy accessibility and availability in several colors. Available from different brands and you can also shop them online without any hassle. The most important aspect of best paint for wood furniture is that they have low or zero VOC and are good for indoor painting projects.

Furthermore, they hold onto a relatively soft finish vital for furniture and are commonly used. Likewise, the several colors available bring another benefit for you. You can mix different shades to make new colors. It means you can easily find a color according to your vision of colors. They are also available in multiple finishes such as flat, matte, semi-gloss, satin, glossy finishing, and more.

Positive Points of Latex Paint

They are easily available in the online market with several color options.
You can clean them easily with a neutral soap or water.
You can choose among several finishes.
Best paint to paint furniture.

Negative Points of Latex Paint

Some types of latex paints are not washable.

Chalky Paint

The vintage furniture and old-world charm have increased the use of chalky paint. It’s water-based paint, consists of latex on its base, and best paint to use on furniture. You don’t need to worry because it gives you a thick, durable, and buildable texture on furniture. Chalky paints are also available readily and online to make them accessible for everyone.

Previously, some people tried to prepare chalky paint like a DIY project, but it did not give the best results, just like the commercial formula. It’s a fact that it’s a bit expensive, but you will like the paint quality and smooth finish on the furniture.

Moreover, a chalky paint finish dries faster and leaves brush strokes while recoating. When you get experienced in painting, you will get minimal brush strokes. Due to these reasons, it’s popular to paint wood furniture or home game room furniture.

Positive Points of Chalky Paint

The adhesive power is good for most surfaces.
Gives the furniture a smooth finish.
Quick dry time.
It’s the best furniture paint type.
Best paint for desk.

Negative Points of Chalky Paint

The brush strokes sometimes remain visible.
It has limited color options.

Milk Paint

If you want slightly thinner paint for your furniture, milk paint might be your vital choice. It’s thinner than chalky paint and high-quality non-toxic best paint for refinishing furniture. It is prepared from milk protein with the help of an activator, i.e., Borax or line. Different color pigments are used to alter the paint’s tint.

Do you know why people like milky paints? The primary reason is it’s eco-friendly and has no harmful chemicals or fumes. It’s been a popular paint for many decades and a good replacement for commercial paint applications. In addition, it’s suggested to use a bonder with any milk paint.

It’s a unique kind of paint and is available in powdered form. Just mix a certain amount of water, store it, and use it anywhere you want. It’s much more affordable than chalky paint and produces almost similar results.

Positive Points of Milk Paint

It’s a non-toxic formula in powdered form.
It dries quickly.
It is usable on most surfaces.
Best paint for bedroom furniture.

Negative Points of Milk Paint

It’s challenging to get consistent saturation if you are a beginner.
Bonder is required.
It may get scratches if you don’t use a sealer.

Acrylic Paint

It’s also a type of water-based paint applicable for furniture having similar results to latex paint. The color particles into the acrylic polymer, and you get a smooth color finish on the furniture. In actuality, this best paint for wood desk is a versatile paint and can be applied to several kinds of surfaces and furniture types. Nevertheless, it’s better to use it for small-scale projects such as tables, gaming furniture, picture frames, and other accent pieces.

Furthermore, you don’t need to mess with the smooth finish as acrylic paint is self-leveling making the overall work easier. If you want better adhesive power, it is a good idea to use a primer with it. Another important thing is that the drying time is less for acrylic paints, and you can apply multiple coats in a short time.

Moreover, cleaning is also straightforward as you can use soap and neutral water for it. Keep in mind that they have less resistance to cracking and chipping because it’s water-based paint. Besides all, it’s still a good choice for furniture. In short, it’s best for small-sized furniture and a good affordable choice.

Positive Points of Acrylic Paint

It’s pretty easy to apply.
It’s a self-levels paint.
It gives a resilient finish and resists stains.
Richer in colors.
Best paint for dresser.

Negative Points of Acrylic Paint

It might need a primer for best results.
Available in small containers.
Overall long curing time.

Oil Paint

Oil based paints for furniture are also known as alkyd paint and durable paint for different furniture types. In comparison, they are more expensive, take a lot of time to dry, contain higher levels of VOC, and need high ventilation. However, it’s not a big deal when you get a smooth and beautiful look for your furniture.

If you don’t like the chip or scratches on the furniture easily, oil-based paints might be your primary choice. It requires a natural bristle brush, turpentine on hands, or mineral spirits to make the paint thinner.

It’s also useful for cleaning purposes. The most prominent aspect of using oil paint is that it adheres well and can be applied on all surfaces. You can even apply it on porous surfaces, and self-leveling makes the application easier. If we talk about the dry time, it requires about 24 hours to dry completely.

Last but not least, it’s useful for all types of furniture and gives a durable finish. However, you need to get ready for the long dry time, fumes, and other things till drying. Overall, it’s a good choice to get a long-lasting paint solution.

Positive Points of Oil Paint

Durable paint and finish.
Self-leveling even on porous surfaces.
Useful for multiple types of surfaces.

Negative Points of Oil Paint

High VOC level.
Comparatively high drying time.

FAQs

You can use different paint types according to the wood, such as latex paint, chalky paint, oil paint, and more. However, it also depends on your requirements, such as dry time, durability, and more.

When you use chalky paint, sanding is not necessary. You can enjoy a beautiful matte finish with zero surface preparation with such paints. So, get the beautiful and smooth finish with chalky paints.

Several paints are available in the market to apply to old furniture. The commonly used paints are Rust-Oleum, semi-gloss latex, Benjamin Moore, and more.

This statement is true but up to some extent. If the paint does not require any preparation of the wood surface, you can apply the paint directly. If yes, you have to follow the procedure for surface preparation.

Bottom Line

To sum up, there are distinctive types of paint to use on wood furniture. The final selection depends on the dry time, type of wood, finish type, and many other significant aspects. We have shared the most commonly used paints for wood furniture. We believe you will find the paint information helpful.

Enjoy Wood Furniture Painting!

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What Paint To Use on Wood Furniture? (Wood Paint Ideas)