Prep for painting doesn’t have to be painful! With just a quick clean and scuff sand you can paint virtually any surface with Fusion Mineral Paint. No matter what your surface is, this handy guide will show you how easy it is to prep your furniture for paint, it’s easier than you think! Do not skip the Prep step, it may affect the adhesion, durability and longevity of your painted pieces. Getting your furniture prepped properly will save you time and ensure you have the best results each and every time! Follow this ultimate guide on how to prep your furniture when painting with Fusion Mineral Paint. Painting furniture is a quick and easy way to completely refresh your space with a little time investment, you can paint it beautiful!
Prep for success
Fusion has excellent adhesion durability and coverage, however, a little prep will ensure you have a successful painting experience. Some pieces will require very little prep and others a little more. Choose your surface below and follow these simple prep steps to ensure your piece turns out perfectly!
Jennylyn, from Fusion Mineral Paint, explains different prep for different surfaces in this video
Step 1
The first step is always cleaning. We recommend TSP Alternative, it is a biodegradable, organic degreaser. Using a degreaser is important because it is the oil, and grease that will cause issues with the paint adhering well. These greases and oils build up over years of handling and use and are quite normal. We just need to eliminate them for the best results. Cleaning before you scuff sand ( if your project needs it ) stops you from grinding the dirt further into the paint or wood fibres.
TSP Alternative
Using TSP Alternative is simple! Dilute 2 capfuls of the solution into 1L of water and wash your piece thoroughly until your rag is clean. Throwing away the dirty water won’t harm our waterways as our formula is organic. This powerful degreaser can be used in a spray bottle for ease of application. Unlike true TSP, this one is eco-friendly not requiring gloves or a mask.
Check out this full makeover video
Step 2
Choosing your surface is the next step.
Prep for Painting over Raw Wood
Fusion Mineral Paint can be applied to raw wood. After cleaning just give it a very light sanding if there are any scratches on the wood to even out the surface. Always sand in the direction of the grain. If you have done any recent stripping of the wood and used any water on the surface, then wait a day for the wood fibres to dry out completely before applying any coating so as to ensure that when you do apply the paint onto the raw wood, it can soak in and basically seal the surface. This is why Fusion™ Mineral Paint is considered a self-priming paint.
When the paint dries, it can be a bit rough on the surface due to the fact that the wood fibres can swell a little ( due to the water content of the paint ) and dry in that “at attention “ position. A quick sanding using fine grit is all you need to knock back the grain. Remove any dust with a lint, free damp cloth. Then onto your second coat. This second coat will be considered your “finishing” coat and you will be left with a washable, low-sheen finish.
NOTE: if the raw wood has knots or is known to be full of resins, then you will want to ensure you apply a blocker on that surface, such as Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer before applying the paint to finish. See below for more details.
Prep for High Gloss surface
For best adhesion, a high gloss surface such as lacquer should be lightly scuff sanded. Your aim is to dull the sheen, not remove the finish entirely. You do not need to sand back to bare wood. Use a 400 grit sanding pad or sponge like it is a cloth and wipe it in the direction of the wood grain until you can see you have knocked back the sheen. This should only take 2-3 passes with a 400 grit sanding pad. Even a large dresser should take no more than 5 – 10 mins sanding lightly. You are creating a ‘tooth’ for the paint to adhere to. Once scuff sanded, remove any excess dust prior to painting.
Prep for Removing wax, pledge, or sticky residue – prepping new metal for paint.
Nothing likes to adhere to wax, so if you have wax or even a polish such as ‘pledge’ on the surface of your piece you will need to remove it. Grab some mineral spirits and a clean rag and give it a good wipe-over. Apply the mineral spirits with a rag and clean the surface until you can’t feel a waxy residue any longer. The mineral spirits breaks down the wax and silicon-based polishes, the cloth will remove it. If you have lots of wax from years of re-applying just substitute the cloth for some 000 steel wool. The other surface that would need a wipe down with mineral spirits is new metals. They often come from the factory with an oil coating on, the mineral spirits will remove that ready for painting.
Prep for Painting over old dull paint finishes
Almost all painted and previously finished surfaces can be painted over with a simple clean with TSP. After cleaning you want to assess the substrate to make sure there is no loose or peeling paint. If there is you would need to fix that by sanding or removing the old chipping paint, then apply the paint!
This video shows Jennylyn painting over a previously painted surface.
Prep for bleed through/knots
Certain woods like Cherry or Mahogany will bleed tannins or have knots like Pine or Oak. To stop this from happening, you must use a stain blocker to prevent them from coming through your paint finish if you are concerned about this. This is most noticeable on lighter paint colours. Apply 1-2 coats of Zinsser BIN Shellac. Shellac is the key ingredient that seals in wood tannins and bleeds from knots. After cleaning your piece with TSP Alternative, apply a coat of Zinsser and let it dry for 30 minutes prior to using Fusion Mineral Paint.
Zinsser BIN shellac stain blocker is the only stain blocker we recommend to prevent the wood bleeding through the paint. It is available to order from our shop.
How to stop bleed through and knots! Jennylyn shows you how.
Prep for Melamine, Laminate, and Themafoil
Prepping these slick high gloss manufactured surfaces for paint can be tricky, however not impossible. Fusion has you covered! We have an adhesion primer for impossible to paint surfaces. Ultra Grip is our 100% acrylic resin-based adhesion primer. Be sure to remember your first step is always cleaning with TSP Alternative, apply 1 to 2 very thin coats of Ultra Grip with a roller or high quality synthetic bristle brush and leave to dry overnight or at least ( 12 hrs ) for best results. Allow minimum 2 hours between coats of Ultra Grip. The paint will now adhere to the surface with no problems.
How do you know if you need Ultra Grip?
Do a test paint patch, if you see separation like this – we call it lacing, then there is something on the surface like a wax residue or factory coating like Teflon. Ensure you’ve cleaned your piece well with TSP Alternative, do your test patch and if it laces, apply 1-2 coats of Ultra Grip. The second coat of Ultra Grip should stop lacing and your paint will adhere beautifully.
Always ensure there is no wax if separation continues to persist, as nothing will adhere well to wax it must be removed.
Applying Ultra Grip with an applicator pad or a damp car sponge will ensure a smooth application. This product is slightly thicker and likes to hold texture so be sure to apply it smoothly.
And just like that, it’s easy to prep it beautiful for a gorgeous paint job! By following these simple ket steps you will ensure a perfect paint finish every time!