Preparing your ‘substrate’ (the surface you are going to paint), is probably THE most important part of refinishing a piece of furniture – this goes for ALL paints on the market! So how to prep for painting? PREP is based on the surface, not necessarily the type of paint you’re using (although that does play a role to an extent). We have heard of those “NO PREP” Paints out there, but with so many variable surfaces out there be it melamine, glass, wax, oil paint, varnish, ceramic or dirt, there is no “one paint does it all no-prep”.
PREP IS SIMPLE! Follow these steps to find out how to prep for your surface.
Prep is my favourite 4 letter word! I always stress how important prep is because it is the basis of everything. It’s like trying to build a house on a poor foundation, it will eventually fall over! However, if you spend the time to do it properly, use the right materials and follow professional specs for building, it will last a good 100 years! The same goes for paint! If you try to just paint over something thinking that it will solve any pre-existing conditions or issues with the surface, it won’t.
Whilst it may temporarily “cover it up” and look pretty good, its longevity of it is questionable. So why do anything without full effort? PREP is really easy! Just follow this Step by Step card to clarify the confusion about what exactly prep is, and what surfaces need prep.
With so many variables out there, laminates, wax coatings, Teflon sprayed everything resistant coatings, etc the list goes on and on. There is no One Size fits All so to speak! Each piece needs to be assessed and prepped accordingly, no matter what paint you use prep is key! It’s not something to be feared, it’s very easy and straightforward. If you’re going to put your name on a piece of work- shouldn’t it be the best piece of work possible?
How To Prep for Painting?
Simply follow this flow chart based on the starting surface you’re working with.
If the surface is super shiny, give it a quick sand removing the super slick smooth surface. This gives your paint something to stick to.
If there is any grease or oil, use a degreaser to clean like TSP.
Check for wax by using your thumbnail to scratch the surface – if it rumples and lifts, you have wax. Remove the wax with odourless solvent or mineral spirits.
If you are painting melamine, glass or a shiny surface you may want to use a product such as Ultragrip. Fusion Ultragrip helps the paint stick to impossible surfaces.
If you think the item will bleed stain or wood tannins through your new paint apply a Shellac Based Primer to stop Bleed Through.
The more you paint and as you gain experience you will intuitively know how to prep for painting. If in doubt do a test patch from start to finish to ensure it will give you the desired results.
Fusion Mineral Paint is superb at sticking (fusing) to most surfaces. As long as you remember that any paint is only as good as the surface you paint it on! Follow our preparation suggestions and you will achieve a fantastic finish every time.
If you want the full low down on Prep – the long version is what I mean – I have laid it all out for you here.
Amazing article on the exact way to properly prep furniture! Excellent article…
Ok guys first of all I love this paint. Hands down the best paint and most durable paint I’ve ever used. Out of one jar of the most beautiful turquoise or real color. I’ve painted the tops of 4 bar stools. A chest my husband built to basically hold his junkbut was by y front door unfished. Preface that I live with my husband and two much loved dogs on the lake in a small block cabin/house. So the kitchen and living room are divided by the island/bar and both look out on the beautiful Tennessee River. I am 57 disabled/retired from working in the legal field for 30 years. Where this all leads to is that I live on a very limited income. Over the past 2 years we’ve been married I have finally begun to embrace saving money doing things myself and making ugly things beautiful on this limited income. All my retirement finacial asset and good credit went to the ex husband. This took several years of intense therapy for me to embrace starting over. So here’s my question to readers. I would love to be able to afford the Ultra grip that seems to be necessary to do my next little project. But the paint not cheap but worth every penny. The new project is a set of the stones are cannisters that my Mom used. They cleaned up really well. I was surprised by soaking in Dawn and water and a scrub brush did. They still had flour and meal. She’s been gone awhile. So I want to paint these cannisters. They have the metal hardware and you buckled them down to seal them. They cleaned up nicely along with the seals. What would it require to prep these canisters to paint with the fusion paint that I still have almost a half jar. Did I mention I love Fusion paint. I assumed I might could first paint them with some white paint on hand. I just don’t plan on painting the inside since I want to use them. They were the last set she owned and she was so proud of them. They are dark green. Any help someone could give me who has used Fusion to paint over ceramic I would greatly appreciate. I look forward to some helpful hints
You could use the Ultra Grip after a good cleaning, and it will adhere very well. Try one out to see how it goes 🙂
Thanks so much for this in depth article on paint preparation. I believe the vast majority of issues, that arise during and after painting, is because the piece was not properly prepped.
This should be a staple article for every furniture painter to read and every retailer to know to pass on to their customers.
What is TSP?
Tri sodium phosphate