How to Prepare Furniture for Painting

Everything you need to know about prepping furniture for painting including how to clean furniture before painting, how to fill holes and chips, how to sand furniture, and when you need to prime furniture before painting.

In order to create a beautiful piece of painted furniture that will last for many years to come, it’s important to properly prepare furniture for painting. These tips include how to clean furniture for painting, how to fill gaps and holes, when and how to sand furniture before painting, and when primer is needed before painting.

cover image for how to prepare furniture for painting full post with tricks on how to prep furniture before painting

If this isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, you may want to check out my full page on how to refinish furniture. It has a TON of information on the best ways to both paint furniture and restore the natural wood on furniture.

How to Clean Furniture Before Painting

Paint just won’t stick to dirt, grease, dust or anything else that lurks on vintage and antique furniture. It’s important to properly clean wood furniture before painting so the paint is able to adhere to the surface. Here are my top choices for cleaning wood before painting:

Murphy’s Wood Oil Soap

Murphy’s wood soap is a mild cleaner that is safe for wood surfaces. If my piece of wood furniture is not excessively dirty or grimy, Murphy’s wood soap will clean it well. Use a green pad or sponge to clean away anything on the surface. Then, use a damp rag to “rinse” the cleaner off the surface of the wood. Then, use a clean rag to wipe away any excess moisture so it’s not sitting on the wood.

TSP or TSP Substitute Cleaner

how to clean wood furniture before painting with tsp cleaner

TSP or TSP Substitute cleaner is my go-to cleaner before painting kitchen cabinets and it can also be used on dirty furniture. It works very well at removing grease and grime before painting and is a more heavy duty cleaner as compared to Murphy’s wood oil soap.

It can be purchased in a powder or a pre-mixed spray cleaner. If using the powder, just mix it with warm water using to ratio on the box. Once you have the cleaner mixed or ready in the spray bottle, use a green pad or sponge to clean away anything on the surface. Then, use a damp rag to “rinse” the cleaner off the surface of the wood. Then, use a clean rag to wipe away any excess moisture so it’s not sitting on the wood.

Denatured Alcohol

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Denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol both work to clean wood furniture before painting anything with water-based paint. Just mix a solution of 50% alcohol with 50% water. Use a green pad or sponge to clean away anything on the surface. Then, use a clean rag to wipe away any of the residue. This alcohol cleaner will evaporate fairly quickly after cleaning.

Fix Holes and Surface Imperfections Before Painting

Before painting any piece of furniture, you want to create a smooth surface. This might mean it’s necessary to fill in holes, gap, gouges, scratches, or chips in veneer on a piece. If filling a small area like holes left from hardware or small cracks or chips, standard wood filler works well for this. Just use a plastic spatula to smooth the wood filler on the surface to fill the area. If the area is deep, it’s better to do apply one thin layer, let it dry and then apply a second layer.

vintage wood dresser with wood filler to fill in gaps and scratches
before

On the piece above, I used wood filler to fill in the grooves that had been created from the hardware move around over time.

If you need to repair a large or deep area like in the piece above, I suggest using a two part wood filler. It creates an extremely durable repair that will not crack or shrink down. After the wood filler dries, sand it down to be level with the original surface. Be sure to wear a mask when sanding wood filler as the particles can be an irritant.

This piece had water damage on the side that removed the veneer and the next layer of wood on the bottom of the cabinet. But after using wood filler to create a uniform depth, I could sand it and then paint it to make it look close to new. Here’s a look at how this antique glass cabinet turned out.

Lightly Sand Before Painting

I understand that plenty of paint manufacturers say you don’t need to sand and plenty of furniture painters also say you don’t need to sand furniture, but I will say I always lightly hand sand every piece before painting. It literally takes only 5-10 minutes and helps to smooth out the surface so your paint sticks and is as smooth as possible when it dries.

The key to this step is that you are only trying to scuff up the surface, not remove any existing finish. Use medium grit sandpaper (between 120-220) to lightly hand sand before painting.

DIY Sanding Block Sponge

To make this DIY sanding block, simply wrap a piece of sandpaper (cut in half lengthwise) and wrap it around a used sanding sponge. Using a sanding block helps to give you something to grip onto and it gives the most even sanding.

wrap a piece of sandpaper around a sanding block to reuse and change the grit

The paper will stay in place when you sand and can be thrown away after it dulls. Plus, you can change the grit on the sanding block simply by using a different piece of sandpaper. Of course, the best benefit is the savings in cost. A half piece of sandpaper is WAY cheaper than a new sanding block. I’ve used the same two sanding blocks for 10 years using this technique.

how to remove sanding dust after sanding before painting furniture

Then, use a tack cloth or a clean lint-free cloth slightly dampened with a vinegar/water mixture to remove any sanding dust from the surface. (If you’ve never used a tack cloth before, I highly recommend you give it a try. They pick up so much extra fine particle dust that cloths just can’t remove.)

Prime Furniture Before Painting

Usually, you don’t need to prime furniture before painting, however there are some instances where it is necessary to prime before painting. Yes, that means that sometimes you need to prime even if you are using chalk paint or an all-in-one paint. Those paint manufactures do state that sometimes primer is needed before painting furniture (they just don’t blast this piece of information loudly!). This post will give you everything you need to know about priming furniture before painting – when to prime, the different types of primer to use, and how to prime furniture!

These primers are the best for painting furniture and cabinets when you need to cover up stains, odors, or wood bleed through.
Best Primer for Furniture

Ready to start painting?

Be sure to read this full post on the different types of furniture paint. It describes the pros and cons to every type of common furniture paint including all-in-one paints, acrylic paints, chalk paints, milk paints, alkyd paints, and oil-based paints.

And this post details the step by step process on how to paint furniture.

how to prepare furniture for painting by cleaning, sanding, filling and priming

Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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14 Comments

  1. Question! What primer should I use if the top coat is NOT going to be white?

    1. Sorry for the delay in response to you question, Kathy. If I need to use primer, I use white for almost any topcoat, except for dark grays and blacks or reds. For a color like this, I personally would use a clear shellac primer as I’ve found it to work really well on furniture. Let me know if you have any other questions!

    2. I’m sure you’ve already figured out the answer to this as I’m answering a year later. I’m sorry! But I use a clear shellac to prime if I’m painting in a color other than white.

  2. Hi, Jenny!
    What are pros and cons of using primer in spray and quart?
    Awesome blog, btw! Very informative! Love it!

    1. Hi Marina, Sorry I didn’t reply sooner – this comment got lost in the mix. I love using spray when I’m painting something with spindles, like chairs or a table base. Of course, you have to watch for drips, and I find I need to do an extra coat with spray as compared to brushing it on. I like to brush when I’m painting dressers or flat surfaces like tabletops. I just find I have a little more control that way. Hopefully that helps!

  3. I just wanted to say Thank You! I have been learning so much from your tips. Sincerely, Michelle

  4. Wow. I just came across your blog as I’m trying to learn how to paint my nightstands. So much helpful information!!!! I’ve already learned a lot from about 3 of your articles. Thank you so much!

  5. Great article from you! I’m refinishing a piece of solid cherry wood, do I need to sand and prime before using a chalk or milk paint? Thanks so much

    1. Hi Crystal. Raw cherry wood will definitely bleed through paint. However, if there is an in-tact finish in place, you can just paint right over it. I would scuff up the finish with 220 grit sandpaper (but don’t go too crazy with the sanding because if you remove the finish, you’ll get bleed through of the cherry wood) and then just use chalk paint (because it adheres really well, even to pieces with finishes on them). If you do need to prime because there is some raw wood exposed, you’ll want to use a primer that hides that wood bleed through. I use (aff) clear shellac primer or Smart Prime. I hope that helps!

  6. I just sanded a black painted piece to rough up then repainted with flat black, I then rubbed on dark walnut stain with wash rag which caused lent all over, panicked I rubbed most off with thinner plus was very tacky feeling after 12 hrs. So also sanded spots just lightly, can I re stain? I think I am creating more work it seems using flat black?