What paint to choose for furniture?

What to do if high-quality furniture has served its purpose, a grand renovation is planned, and old interior items do not fit into the new concept? Painting can be the way out, because it is she who allows you to restore and give a second life to any furniture made of wood or metal. Modern paintwork materials will help to realize the most daring idea, and a variety of colors and shades will help to ensure that the updated furniture matches any style of the room, be it high-tech, pop art or country.

Painting wooden or metal surfaces of furniture can significantly extend its service life, as well as protect it from moisture, mold and mildew. For the restoration of furniture facades, you can use several types of paints. The choice depends on the specific requirements for safety and quality of coverage.

The most common types are:

• Acrylic. This group of paints is one of the safest for humans and animals, as water is used as a solvent. It does not have a sharp chemical smell, which means it can be used indoors, for example, in the winter period. It is suitable for dyeing not only MDF coatings, but also particleboard and chipboard. This is an ideal option for children's furniture both for home and for children's educational institutions. Some manufacturers produce acrylic paints in cans, which simplifies application and reduces material consumption.

• Oily. Most often used for metal furniture, but can also be used for wood products. They have a strong odor, which requires the use of personal protective equipment, and work carried out in a well-ventilated area.

• Alkyd-urethane - a common composition that is used to paint both solid wood furniture and MDF panels.Creates a film on the surface that is resistant to moisture, sun and mechanical damage. It may have a strong specific smell, therefore, work should be carried out only in well-ventilated areas and choose paint from well-known manufacturers. Often with such paint covered facades of kitchen sets.
• Polyurethane resin. Paints based on these components form a smooth, shiny surface that can last for about 20 years. Polyester paint for home use is rarely tinted, but industrial shades can be given any shade. The washable surface, painted with polyurethane paint, will withstand the effects of most household chemicals, including aggressive substances.

• Chalk paint went on sale in 2017. It creates a velvety, smooth coating on the furniture, which to the touch is very similar to chalk. The paint is non-toxic, it dries quickly, it can be applied immediately without additional treatment. The main advantage is that it can be used to paint any surface of concrete, wood, metal, stone and plastic.The only drawback - the paint can not be found in every, even a specialized store.

• Specialized formulations for dyeing leather furniture. These paints can be either on a natural basis or composed of synthetic components. The latter are more reliable, since they have a good covering ability, they keep on the skin for a long time. Natural dyes do not possess these qualities, but they are safer for humans and animals.

In some colors you can find the inscription tixotropic. This term means that this composition does not leave streaks and stains during dyeing, it allows to achieve maximum decoration. Most popular manufacturers produce such paints.

Modern paintwork materials have a wide palette of colors. Some compositions are easily tinted, which allows to increase the number of possible colors and shades up to several thousand. If there is no necessary shade on sale, then it is better not to engage in independent mixing of color and paint, since it is not always possible to achieve the desired result.

In building stores this service is very often provided.Tinting is carried out on special equipment, so getting into the desired color will be one hundred percent.

As a rule, it is not difficult to find matte or gloss paint of basic colors, first of all, white and black. If you want something unusual, then paints in cans will come to the rescue. They are highly decorative, therefore they are suitable not only for painting the surface, but also for giving it certain effects.

Among the paint-spray can be found the following:

• pearl (various shades);
• gold
• bronze;
• with the effect of aging (craquelure).

The choice of color depends on the style of furniture, purpose and overall design of the room. So for the bedroom usually choose bright, unobtrusive shades, and for the nursery, you can use brighter colors. Popular varnishes for wood and wood stain. They give the wooden furniture and interior items any favorite shade, for example, wenge.

The market of paints and varnishes intended for painting furniture is represented by more than a dozen companies from different countries of the world: Germany, Italy, USA, Russia, Greece, Austria.The most demanded on the Russian construction shelves, judging by the customer reviews, are the following manufacturers:

• Renner (Italy) - paint of a premium segment, allows to achieve high decorative results. All products comply with European quality standards, safe for humans and the environment. The compositions of the Italian production Renner have a low consumption, good hiding power, form a durable coating. They are universal, they can be used for any internal or external work. However, due to the high cost, not everyone can afford the materials of this company.

• ALPINA (Germany) - paints and varnishes of the German company, the release of which began back in 1909. During this time, ALPINA has conquered the whole world. Paints for furniture of this brand are environmentally friendly, beautifully tinted, easy to apply and durable.
• Dulux (United Kingdom) - brand of the English company AkzoNobel. Products are safe for humans, have no sharp odors. Dulux paint is resistant to abrasion, easy to clean and great for rooms with high humidity.

• TEKNOS (Finland) - The global volume of these paints in the international market is more than 40%. The optimal ratio of price and quality, in addition to all the paint is added a special component that makes the coating immune to the formation of mold and mildew.
• TIKKURILLA (Finland) - it is safe for humans and the environment, the risk of allergic reactions is minimized. A huge selection of paints for different purposes, a rich color palette, as well as the possibility of tinting made this paint popular all over the world.

• TEKS (Russia) - Russian company producing a large number of names of paints and varnishes for various needs. Differs in low cost, fine technical characteristics. Products are safe at adherence to staining recommendations.
• LAKRA (Russia) - Russian company producing a wide range of paintwork materials. Paints for furniture of this company differ in low cost and quite good characteristics. The coating has excellent vapor permeability, durable and resistant to mechanical stress. Requires strict adherence to staining technology.

The final quality of paintwork coatings for furniture depends not only on the cost and characteristics of the paint.

In order not to make a bad choice, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

• Type of the painted surface. For wood, one type of paint is used, while for metal, another. The same applies to paints for leather, plastic and other furniture. You can find these recommendations in the passport of the product or on the package itself.
• If there is no experience in coloring, it is better to prefer thixotropic dyes. They will allow you to create a smooth laminated coating without drips and streaks. Such compositions are in the product range of each manufacturer as among the expensive, and among representatives of the budget coatings. Find the mark "tixotropic" on the label of paint.
• Paint should have a high resistance to moisture, mechanical stress and ultraviolet radiation. Otherwise, in a few years you will have to paint the furniture again, as it will lose its decent appearance.
• When using in nurseries or bedrooms, consider paint safety. Information on the composition and possible effects on humans can be found on the label or the manufacturer’s website.

Each work has its own secrets. To carefully paint the furniture you need to choose the right brush and roller, stock up with masking tape.

It is necessary to consider the following points:

• Soil for pre-treatment of furniture should be the same composition with the selected paint. Otherwise it will not be possible to achieve a beautiful, smooth coating.
• Alkyd enamels are a great, budget alternative to more expensive coatings. Therefore, with limited funds, you can safely buy this type of paint. They form an even, brilliant coating that perfectly withstands mechanical damage and high humidity.
• Oil paints and enamels fall into the category of inexpensive ones, but their toxicity is worth considering. Work requires respiratory protection, active airing of the room to avoid intoxication.Paints should not be used if there are allergy sufferers in the house, they are not suitable for painting children's furniture.

Repaint furniture - a necessary and interesting occupation. You can feel like a designer or artist, picking up the color or complicating the decor of the usual things. Do not be afraid of experiments, they just need to carefully prepare.

How to repaint the old cabinet, see the video below.