Sealing painted furniture

Does painted furniture need a sealer? How can I seal painted furniture? What is the best way to paint already painted wood furniture? The table legs and apron.

For the bottom portion of this painted table, I am using Dixie Belle clear coat in a satin finish. Spoon a bit onto a new plate as well. Examine the piece to ensure that the paint has dried and cured.

It is a topic that is brought up in 1 of my furniture painting workshops. Sealing painted furniture. There is no shortage of choices you have to seal your furniture once it’s painted.

There is polycrylic, polyurethane, top coats made specifically for chalk-type paints , furniture wax, liquid waxes, heck there are even spray on versions of top coats. Painting furniture is all about adding your style to the piece. Everyone that has painted furniture will have their own preferences. We all have a different skill set and use different brushes, rollers and rags to makeover furniture.

All of these factor into how a painted piece will turn out. One of the most common questions that we get around here is simple, “Do I need to seal my furniture with a protective clear coat after painting it? My preference is in that order.

Water-based poly being the most durable of them all. Here are some ways to seal chalk paint. You may wonder what’s the best type of sealer for a high-traffic piece like the dining table.

In my experience, water-based MinwaxPolycrylic works the best. I like to use Protect or a polycrylic. With this step, you can also use a paint sprayer or a high-quality paintbrush.

A good topcoat will make your paint job stronger and hold up against little circuses that may be roaming around. Waxes are best used in low use areas. Free Shipping on Orders over $35. So if that table you just painted is a dining room table, the wax may not be enough. Your hot cup of coffee could melt the wax.

Typically, you apply the wax in a thin. All you will need is one coat. It will keep the furniture from soaking up your paint and taking coat after coat after coat of paint. If you are using a paint that requires no priming first, you can skip that part.

Set-up your workspace in a well-ventilated area. Before you begin your renovation project, set-up your working space. Use a 140-grit to 180-grit sandpaper to smoothen the surface of the wood.

This will help prepare. A top coat is a sealant, it will seal and protect your chalk paint from being ruined by moisture or sticky fingers or even weather. Aside from protection, a top coat will further enhance the color of your chalk painted furniture.

It gives the piece a shield against scratches, water rings from drinking glasses and just dirt in general. You’ll be using the medium grit to knock off the finish, so your primer will better stick, and the fine grit to sand between painted layers. It is easy to apply with a lint free rag.

I don’t recommend polyurethane for painted furniture, because it tends to yellow the paint over time. It’s also oil-base which works best on top of stained wood and other oil-based paints. When the wax hardens, it seals the painted surface with a lovely natural looking soft sheen.