Furniture and Furnishings - Can I paint a veneer finish?

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View Full Version : Can I paint a veneer finish?


shydiyer
10-05-08, 10:02 PM
I have a 1960s or 1970s Brohill dining room set that is very heavy and well made, but verrrrry dated. I've seen some repainted 70s furniture that looks very cool, but not sure how to redo it. The table has a heavy veneer finish. I'd like to paint it all a solid color (including the hutch, table, chairs) but how do I make sure I get a smooth table top? What do I do to the veneer? Sand it and prime it? Anything I need to know to make this work right? Is this cheesy stuff going to come back in style and I'll regret doing this? Thanks in advance!


marksr
10-06-08, 04:39 AM
Welcome to the forums!

Personally I don't care much for painted furniture .... but that's just my opinion.

To paint it you need to first scuff sand all the wood/veneer that you intend to paint. After removing all the sanding dust, coat it with a solvent based primer followed by 2 coats of either an oil base or waterborne enamel - sanding lightly between coats.

You could use a latex enamel but it isn't as durable as oil or waterborne.

pauljackson
10-15-08, 05:35 AM
I have a 1960s or 1970s Brohill dining room set that is very heavy and well made, but verrrrry dated. I've seen some repainted 70s furniture that looks very cool, but not sure how to redo it. The table has a heavy veneer finish. I'd like to paint it all a solid color (including the hutch, table, chairs) but how do I make sure I get a smooth table top? What do I do to the veneer? Sand it and prime it? Anything I need to know to make this work right? Is this cheesy stuff going to come back in style and I'll regret doing this? Thanks in advance!

Hi,

If you have a veneer surface, it is probably slick smooth and needs to be "roughed up" with sandpaper or a chemical sander before primer or paint will be able to grip it and adhere properly. Before you do this, you need to be sure you want to take the risk; if you sand the surface, the gloss will be gone, and after you paint it you will not be able to get it back to it's original appearance.

hope this helps a bit! :)
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