The Best Paint for Furniture Makeovers

Over the past several years I’ve been painting furniture as a hobby. It started as a way to furnish our apartment on a budget and then I fell in love with finding pieces of furniture that were in need of love and giving them a new life. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, including what not to do and what works so well. So I’m here to share a few painting tips and mostly what brands of paint work the best for painting furniture.

Firstly here’s a link to all the furniture projects I’ve worked on over the years. https://visualheart.com/furniture you can see there’s a certain style I like to stick with. I love mid century and clean lines.

Prepping Your Furniture
Always clean it well with a damp rag to remove dirt and dust, then give it a light sanding to rough up the surface, especially if it’s shiny. You may have a piece that has a plastic laminate top, this is where you’d sand it with a heavy grit paper to create some texture so the paint has something to stick to. Wipe it down again and once it’s dry and clean, apply primer. My favorite primer is Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 by Rust-Oleum, this stuff covers stains, seals in nasty smells and creates an amazing surface for your top coat paint. Be sure to apply the primer in several thin coats and let it dry according to the instructions on the can, I like to wait overnight. Take your time with the prep stage, it’s the most important part, if you fail to create a good foundation for your top coat, the piece will chip easily over time.

My Favorite Paint Brands
I’ve worked with a few brands in the past few years, some failed my standards because of dry time and application and others I fell in love with. I love each paint brand for various reasons, they each provide a different finish or look and apply in different ways so I can’t say I have an all time favorite, but I have a few and they’re discussed below.

Benjamin Moore Advance
Most of the pieces you’ll see on my website are painted with Benjamin Moore Advance in high-gloss because this is the first paint I discovered and I just kind of stuck with it for a long time without exploring other options. This paint is meant for furniture, trims, doors and cabinets because it has a beautiful high-gloss smooth finish. It’s ideal for high-traffic surfaces and great for side tables that may have wet cups placed on it. It is super durable if you apply it correctly. The technology in the paint is self-levelling so it naturally smooths out as it drys. I find that using a low pile microfiber roller is great for application as well as a high-quality brush. When I used a brush I was careful to apply it in a smooth motion in thin layers avoiding brushing over the same area more than once. I used to use foam rollers, but I quickly learned that it was creating tiny bubbles on the surface that don’t go away when it dries. While the quality of this paint is great, the application can be a pain. You need to apply it in several thin coats and wait a long time between each coat to avoid chipping and tackiness. So for this paint you’ll need patience and lots of time but it’s worth it if you want a beautiful high-gloss finish.

Fusion Mineral Paint
I discovered Fusion Mineral Paint this past year after they provided me with some paint from their Tones For Tots Collection, I painted this dresser and couldn’t believe how easy the process was. All I needed to do was prep my piece and apply the paint with a high-quality brush. Apply in a smooth motion and in 2-3 coats depending on the colour, your piece is done. The lighter the colour the more coats you may need. I found that the whites needed more coats than any of the colours, it likely has to do with the pigments in the paint. The benefit with this product is that it dries fast between coats, applies easily and it’s non-toxic. The finish is matte but if you apply their wax product to the piece once it’s dry you can get a lovely clean surface.

Fat Paint Company
I don’t have a lot of experience with Fat Paint since I’ve only painted one small piece with it, the purpose was to experience what it was like to use a chalk style paint. I was skeptical at first because I had been using high-gloss furniture paint for so long, but I fell in love with it and that’s why I’m sharing it here. I quickly learned that Fat Paint makes painting furniture so easy and it covers so well. I didn’t think I could get the clean modern look I wanted with a chalk style paint, but to smooth it out you just lightly sand between coats, finish with wax and buff with a rag. This paint went on so well with a high-quality brush, but keep in mind it is a matte finish. I love that this paint is easy to use and has great coverage.

Brushes, tools and other useful products
Fusion Mineral Paint Synthetic Bristle Brush
Fusion Beeswax Finish
Microfiber roller kit – I’m not picky about the brand name
Rustoleum tack cloth – helps remove dust and dirt with no lint
Zinsser Primer
Cheap acrylic art brushes – for small details and hard to reach spots

So there you have it, my favorite furniture paint brands, each with their own unique finish and application. Feel free to comment with any questions here or find me over on instagram and message me with any questions you may have. Happy painting!