Advice on painting finished, dark pine bedroom furniture

[phylny]

Hello, I hope someone who is smarter than I am (shouldn't be too hard to find) can give me advice on our old bedroom furniture.

We have 25-year-old bedroom furniture that we no longer use for our master, but that we want to redo to use in a guest room one day. It has a dark stained/polyurethaned finish that to me is too gloomy and overwhelming for what I have in mind (a bright, pretty guest room) and I'd like to paint the pieces either a Williamsburg or Phillipsburg Blue, or maybe a cream color.

There are so many pieces that while I want to do a good job, I don't want to be bogged down in any preparation that's unnecessary.

The set consists of a queen headboard/footboard and two siderails, an armoire with six drawers, a dresser with drawers and doors, a hutch with a mirror, and two night tables.

Questions:

1) Should I have the pieces stripped, or can I apply an oil-based paint after preparation?

2) Is there an alternative to sanding that is safe and works well? (Liquid Deglosser, or something similar?)

I am planning to go to our local paint store to ask questions, but wanted to ask here first so that I am more prepared.

Thanks in advance for assistance!

[yy4me]

1. No matter what you do, this will be work. You have to prepare.

the surface or the paint will not adhere properly. I have done a lot of refinishing in my days and have found that the best way to do the job right is to strip down to the bare wood and start over. That said, I know you don't want to do that so I will encourage you to do the best preparation you can. You must degloss the old surface or the paint will not stick properly. Liquid deglossers work but smell to heaven. You must ventilate your work area well. The fumes are toxic. You will also need a ton of old rags and 0000 steel wool so that you can smooth the surface after the deglossing. Sanding will also work, using fine grit sandpaper. You want to get rid of all the shine but not cut into the wood. Clean well with solvent(denatured alcohol works for this job) after sanding because the powder residue will show under the new paint. Vacuum the surface too. Oil based paints are best for a longer lasting surface. They are harder and washable, a real necessity. Consider priming the wood surface to insure proper adhesion. What kind of wood are you working with?

No matter how you look at the job, it will be a long project. Be careful of advice from the hardware store, some of the clerks are free with advice and, although their intentions are good, they have never done this type of job and can lead you astray. I once saw some advice given to a person who wanted to strip paint off an old chest. They suggested scraping the surface with a piece of broken glass. Never heard such a stupid thing in my life. There are tools to strip and that is not one of them. I'm sure there are many here who will offer advice, assess them all before starting this job.
Always remove the hardware before starting. I have seen refinishing jobs where people have worked around the drawer pulls.

Having the furniture stripped will be expensive. Don't ever use the "dip-it" refinishers. Wood should be stripped by hand. I can give you tips on that it you decide this route may be of interest.
Can the job wait until warm weather so that it can be done one piece at a time outdoors?

[Stinky The Clown]

2. I generally agree with yy4me

Stripping is the best way to go about this.

As an alternative, I have had great luck with Sherwin Williams paint stores - both for products and for advice. They have some damned good primers that allow a top coat over most any kind of crap base. I would bet anything they have a primer that will work over poly. I recently painted some melamine paneling (and there's NOTHING worse than getting that stuff to hold paint!) and it turned out beautifully. The primer was about twice the cost of the paint I used (acrylic enamel), but the overall job was a huge success.

[gpandas]

3. zinzer-1-2-3 primer sticks to anything

it is a great product

[Warpy]

4. That was my suggestion, but

I'd recommend sanding the pieces first, especially if it's a glossy varnish.

Even 1-2-3 primer needs something to hang onto.

[phylny]

5. Thank you to all for your thoughtful responses! n/t

[Kolesar]

6. I would sand it to "degloss" it, but the primer is where the real action is

You can get a primer that will stick to your surface (after at least washing it, I should note). Sanding will degloss and give some "tooth" for primer to stick to.

I am wondering how smooth of a result you want. You should be able to find a primer with a "leveling" property, which means it will fill cracks and smooth the surface. (Leveling is generally used in an automotive application).

If you wanted a super-high-gloss finish (piano laquer), you would have to more preparation than I described.

I would avoid sanding. That puts nasty dust with the old finish into your air. Surely wear a respirator if you do.

You might pull out a drawer and take it to the store. Or read up at www.sherwinwilliams.com http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/painting_techniques/

[DrDan]

7. XIM is another great primer to consider

I got it at Sherwin Williams at their recommendation. It is claimed that it can be used over glass.

I am re-doing my kitchen cabinets - as an alternative to the $35K estimate to replace. The previous owner had installed laminate cabinets. They are very sturdy so I figureed it was worth a chance.

I initially sanded the cabinets and then used 2 coats of the XIM primer as I am covering a dark-blue laminate. I sanded well between each coat. This primer sands very well btw.

Then I used a semi-gloss oil-based enamel over the primer.

The results were excellent!

[dipsydoodle]

8. Hi Phylny

I'm trying to figure why you want to use oil based paint on the furniture given that it's unlikely to have hard use like a door frame for example.

Have you ever tried buttermilk paint ? I must confess I can't easily relate to the colour names you used as alternatives - Williamsburg or Phillipsburg Blue. Are either of those similar to any of the colours in this colour chart ? http://www.old-village.com/prod_williamsburg.html The name Williamsburg in the address is coincidental - I found that site ages ago whilst just looking for some buttermilk colours I could match over this side.

If you were to use that type of paint which is water based the whole issue would be very easy. Just flat off off the existing finish with wire wool and wipe over with meths to remove any grease traces, paint the whole lot of white with the cheapest emulsion you can find, as a base coat. and then paint the buttermilk colour on top. Buttermilk drys quite fast - when completely dry just seal the finish with dead flat water based varnish.

If you want a distressed look then use two colours - one on top of the other. When dry rub gently with a dry kitchen scouring pad on the places which would naturally be handled. This is the way in which repro New England candle boxes, for example, are painted to make them look 200 years old even though new.