How To Paint Furniture without Sanding

How To Paint Furniture Without Sanding

 

I have a new addiction and it is rehabbing furniture, whether new or old, into something that I love. So far I have a done a vanity (which needs redone because I didn’t know what I was doing) a bookcase, and then a bench. I am also currently working on a bathroom vanity which is a laminate, making it a whole different animal. I have an entire bedroom sitting in my garage calling my name as well, but I can only imagine how long it is going to take me, so I have been procrastinating.

While I love painting furniture, I hate sanding. Its messy and just not fun. Luckily there is a primer that completely eliminates sanding! Kilz Bullseye 1-2-3 is seriously one of my favorite products. Recently, a local hardware store had it on sale for 50% percent off and I drove round trip 45 minutes just to stock up!

So here is the furniture that I am going to give you the tutorial on. A black bench that I bought from Homegoods when we moved in to the house. While I love the bench with storage baskets, I realized I didn’t love the dark color and wanted to lighten it up.

How to Paint without Sanding
Sorry about the awkward picture. I had to dangle off the counter to get a good angle!

Here’s how to paint furniture without sanding! 

 Step 1 Clean the furniture that you want to paint thoroughly. I use a spray bottle filled with two parts water 1 part white vinegar. I spray it down, wipe it well, and then let it dry completely.

Step 2 Apply your paint. Put a very light coat on and make sure you smooth out any drips. I recommend using a good quality roller with a high foam density. Let dry for 1 hour.

How to Spray Paint Furniture
This is after 1 coat of primer. I see in the picture here that I missed the a lot of spaces under the drawers!

Step 3 Since my furniture was so dark, I needed another coat. If you have a lot of bleed through, I would recommend doing this as well. Apply one more coat of primer. Again, be careful to smooth out any drips. If you have corners that you cannot get into, use a small angle brush. Let cure over night.

 Step 4 Apply your paint! I used Rusteoleum Heirloom White Spray paint for this. It is a beautiful slightly off-white that’s warm and creamy, not a stark bright white. I let dry to the touch and then applied another coat. When spray painting, use very light quick strokes. This is not the time to be heavy handed!

Step 5 Apply a top coat. I used Minwax Finishing Wax, but any polyurethane or poly acrylic would work!

And there you go! Easy and relatively quick! Other than dry time, this only took me about an 2 hours total.

Here is the (almost) finished product! I still plan to add new knobs and an upholstered cushion, but haven’t gotten the chance yet. I am absolutely in love with the new color and it looks so much lighter and brighter here!

Here is a before and after of the area where I keep the bench. For a tutorial on the wooden photo boards, go here!

How to Paint Furniture
Heirloom White Spray Paint, How to Paint without Sanding
So much better as white!

Here is a list of products I use and recommend! (Affiliate Links)

Rust-Oleum 2004 Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 White Water-Based Interior/Exterior Primer Sealer, 1-Quart

Rust-Oleum 240254 Painter’s Touch Satin Spray, Heirloom White, 12-Ounce

Minwax 78500 Regular Finishing Wax, 1-Pound

Shur-Line 03700C 4-Inch Foam Mini Roller with 12-Inch Handle

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24 thoughts on “How To Paint Furniture without Sanding

  1. The white really brightened up the space. I have a table on my porch that I’ve been dying to paint but didn’t want to sand. I’ll be giving this a whirl!

  2. I do not like to sand so this product is one I am definitely interested in trying. Sanding is so time consuming that it makes me push off projects. Thanks for linking to the Ultimate Linky Party!

  3. I hate sanding…enough that it stops me from doing some of the updating to my furniture. Gonna try this. And, I like the white much better.

    Thanks for sharing!

  4. I am repainting an old chest of drawers and getting bubbles as I roll on the paint. I usaed 2 coats of primer with a sponge brush. Now I’m using a dense foam 4″ roller to apply paint that I added some Floetrol to make it go on smoother. Before I do another coat of paint, do you have any suggestions?

  5. Hey admin!
    Its really amazing topic basically how to design the old furniture and improve the old furniture. And sure the new ideas of furniture design related to the post. And i am sure people like this design and amazing design.by the way thanks for sharing nice post. Now the days ill be working on the articles and amazing article that are related to the funny images, funny videos thanks for shared nice post.

  6. I like the bench with baskets; I am also ok with taking it to white. With That said-I would lower the small row of pics above the bench. They are way too high. Their height leaves way too much empty space above the chest. I also see lots of colors. A blue room next to this one; this one is lime green. The pics above have lots of red in them. A turquoise blanket on the chest. Too much. I would suggest; adding a pop of red to the chest; maybe a vase that is red. I would maybe place a TALL group of branches in a container on the chest; this would help fill the empty space. Other than that it is all good.

    1. Hi! Thank you so much for your input! I have actually changed up this entire space because I needed the bench for another location in the house! I went with a more neutral palette. Also, the paint color is a very light yellow, it is crazy that is appeared lime on your screen! It is always so hard to get correct colorization on screens. Thank you again for stopping by and for your input!

  7. Love your post! Now I want to go to my local thrift store, buy all the ugly furniture, and redo it all! I am curious if this method would work for a bright pink desk? I would assume so since it worked for your black piece but do you have any suggestions for painting something with such a bright color?

    1. Oh Lord, don’t get me started on painting old furniture! I have a garage full of stuff that I want to paint!! its an addiction!!

  8. wow,
    Loved the recipes on your blog and ideas of painting with out sanding .Well read this blog of newspaper today in Urdu with various updated news channels,blogs and columns. Furthermore ,delicious quick recipes and many house hold tips to make your house for furnished .

  9. I don’t really love to sand thus that this item is just one I am considering seeking. Sanding is really time intensive it gets me shove endeavors . Thank you for connecting into the Ultimate Linky Party!

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