Can You Mix Latex Primer With Latex Paint

Get-go things outset, a ginormous thank yous for all of the kind and generous words everyone shared over our Roll-Top Desk Makeover. It definitely fabricated it worth the countless hours of painting, painting, and more painting. I remember my favorite annotate of the day on Tuesday was Melissa's because it made me laugh (and I love to laugh):

Yous have no idea how much joy it brings me to know that the term "mullet desk" has officially been coined. And now, having earned that accolade, I call up I tin can retire as a D.I.Y. blogger.

Then again, I'm having way too much fun to get out of the game now. Time to pull a Michael Jordan! I'thousand baaaaaack! #thatwasquick

10 Tips for Painting Furniture with Latex Pigment

Mark and I have painted many a furniture piece using latex paint, though none as challenging as the Roll-Top Desk-bound. Having conquered this one, though, I thought it might be useful to share some of our tips and tricks for working with this fantastic medium.

(Though pssst! I'll tell you a hugger-mugger: many of these tips would utilize to working with other types of paint, too.)

Tip #one: Use the all-time supplies for the chore. And don't scrimp on paint.

You'll be starting off on the right pes if y'all invest in supplies that volition make your job easier and achieve the finish you are looking for. Below is a list of recommended supplies for a typical piece of furniture projection. And I'll go into more detail most how to use these supplies in the tips to follow!

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PREP

roll of dark-brown architect'southward paper
ScotchBlue painter's tape
valved respirator
disposable gloves
heavy-duty felt pads
power drill
super fine grit sandpaper
rags
mild dishsoap or a pre-paint cleaner like TSP

PAINTING SUPPLIES

I'll go into more item as to how nosotros accept used these supplies in Tips #6, #7, #8, only here they are listed for your reference:

foam brushes (smooth end)
foam roller and tray (primer)
bristle brush (rustic end)
handy pigment loving cup
plastic grocery bags for lining paint cups

Pigment & PRIMER

When it comes to painting furniture with latex, don't scrimp on quality. If you do, you'll end up needing to paint a few actress layers…which with a slice like a Roll-Summit means several more hours of painting and dry out time. If y'all shop at Lowe's their premium latex paint brand is Valspar. At Home Depot, it'due south Behr, which is what we used.

Behr fifty-fifty has a premium plusULTRAline of paint that includes primer, which comes with rave reviews…but every bit y'all'll come across in Tip #5, we used a special Bondz primer for this painting project, so we stuck to their premium plus brand for that reason. And I was very pleased with the quality! It but took ii coats to achieve full coverage.

And I recommend buying paint samples in advance since things e'er look different on your piece than they do on the paint swatch. Actually, we skipped that with the Curlicue-Tiptop Desk-bound since we were so eager to go started, and the "silvery screen gray" was a tad lighter than we wanted. So, we were sure to apply Behr'southward "ultra pure white" for the drawer fronts and stenciling to provide the greatest dissimilarity confronting the gray. We won't skip that next fourth dimension!

Our colour palette: Behr'south argent screen gray, ultra pure white, and precious stone turquoise.

SEALANT

See Tip #10 for the skinny on these fabulous products:

Polycrylic Aerosol Spray in Clear Satin (for hardware)
H2o-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Satin
Rust-O-Leum Condolement Grip Handle

Tip #2: Choose and prepare an ideal workspace.

Things to consider when choosing the proper space:

temperature: check your can of paint for recommendations, but the general consensus is that somewhere betwixt 60º – 80º F is your ideal range.
ventilation: if you lot are in a small workspace, make sure you lot have windows and fans to help move the air during the drying time (keep the fans off while painting).
light: working in natural lite is ideal…although, many painting projects will probable last into the night. So, bring extra lamps into the workspace if needed.

I think Mark and I severely underestimated this tip with our Blackness Distressed Table and Buffet projects. Because living in Florida and attempting to paint in an open garage in the muggy summer weather is simply plain foolish. Not only did the heat and humidity vastly increase drying time, simply we struggled with light and dust issues. Sometimes, information technology's better to piece of work inside and transform one of your living spaces into a temporary workspace.

And that'southward exactly what we did with our Curlicue-Height Desk Makeover. We slept in our guest room for a few weeks and turned our Master Bedroom into a painting space. Not merely is this where we would eventually shop the desk (so we didn't take to break our backs trying to move it), just information technology was air-conditioned and well lit.

Nosotros were conscientious to mask the floor with brown architect's paper and painter's tape to protect from pigment drips. And we utilized as many surfaces as possible to assistance spread out the many drawers to dry, from our bed, which nosotros covered in a tarp…

…to our hamper!

And of class, safety first! I wore my valved respirator rather than breathe in the paint fumes for hours at a fourth dimension. And gloves were great for protecting the skin and making for easy make clean-upwards.

Tip #3: Have time to prep your furniture.

Although y'all may want to dive correct into painting in one case y'all've purchased your supplies, concur your horses! It's very of import to prep your furniture for the painting process. The time you invest upwardly front will relieve you time in the terminate and improve the quality of your finished piece. Here are a few of the ways to prep your furniture for painting:

If working on a solid piece that has an edge running across the flooring, I recommend propping information technology upward on a dolly, heavy-duty felt pads, or soft pine. Non simply tin can you more easily mask your floor with builder'south paper, but it will aid y'all pigment that bottom border with ease.

Remove whatever removable elements similar hardware, shelves, drawers (meet Tip #iv).
Sand any crude edges where a foam castor might take hold of.
Remove any sticky gunk with soap and water or one of my favorite products, Goo Gone.
Fill whatever holes with forest glue.
Make certain to requite your furniture a proficient thorough clean earlier applying your primer. If you sanded, use a damp rag to remove grit. Even if you're skipping the sanding footstep and the slice appears to be free of "gunk," you still desire to give it a once over with some warm soapy water. I recommend using a mild dishsoap or a pre-pigment cleaner like TSP. Just brand sure to follow information technology upwardly with a last pass of clear water, so you don't exit backside whatsoever lather residue. And allow for aplenty dry time before applying your get-go coat.

Tip #4: Organize hardware in ziplock bags.

First of all, take a few "before" photos of your furniture piece before disassembling information technology or taking a paintbrush to it. This is particularly helpful in jogging the retention if you have a good amount of hardware like we did with the Ringlet-Elevation Desk-bound. Also, I call back in general, it'due south rather fun to await back and see the dramatic transformation. You can tack the photo beneath the tabletop or inside a drawer equally part of its history!

I also recommend storing your hardware in labeled zip lock bags. Don't trust yourself to recall where every screw and knob goes. Instead, label some clear numberless and shop your hardware there within. It will make the procedure of re-installing 10x easier!

Tip #5: Make sure your first glaze of paint has something on which to grip.

Usually, this means to sand your furniture starting time. And for nearly of our pieces, we did only that.

However, for furniture with a lot of nooks, crannies, and drawers, where sanding would be a headache and a one-half, consider using a Bondz primer instead. When I first read about this magical primer that allows you to skip the sanding pace and yet gives the latex paint something on which to grip, I knew it would exist perfect for the Roll-Acme Desk.

The same rule applies for hardware. If you don't want the paint to peel, information technology's needs something to grip to! And then, we gently sanded the brass hardware with a super fine dust sandpaper prior to spray-painting them to match the new drawer pulls we purchased.

And hither'due south a handy way Mark painted the screws: he dropped them into pre-drilled holes and so he could easily spray their faces. Clever, no?

Tip #6: Use foam rollers and brushes for a smooth finish.

I did a lot of enquiry and experimenting on how to achieve a smooth finish, since that's the wait we were going for with the Roll-Top Desk, and the winning formula was four-fold:

foam brushes + painting with the grain – over-brushing + gentle sanding of rough spots in between coats = a smooth, smooth end

The cream roller was nifty for covering flat surface surface area when applying primer…

…however, we used inexpensive foam brushes to achieve a smooth end on the top coats. Purchase a bunch of them in a multifariousness of sizes, and as soon equally they start to pause apart, just throw them away and kickoff afresh.

And sanding those rough spots after priming and afterward my first coat of grayness helped keep things smoothen, besides. Merely be sure to run over the piece with a clammy rag to articulate away any sanding dust.

Tip #7: Utilise bristle brushes and sorry techniques for a rustic finish.

In the past, nosotros've institute that bristle brushes work best when you're going for a rustic, distressed end.

With our Blackness Distressed Tabular array and Cafe Makeovers, we sanded the edges after our final blackness top coat, and so used a stain pen on the exposed edges to requite it that Pottery Barn look.

With our IKEA Hacked Wardrobe and Side Tables, we used the dry out-brushing technique, where we barely dipped our bristle brush in white paint and dry-brushed from side to side, going against the grain. It gave it that beachy, whitewashed wait.

We even did the same technique on the pallet boards that make up the wardrobe back wall and shelves.

Tip #viii: Work from mitt-held paint cups instead of the can.

Re-cap the cans equally soon as you take the hat off; otherwise, you'll find that the top layer of paint volition rapidly begin to harden into a filmy layer that gunks upward your paint (think of that residue that forms atop soup as it cools). Instead, pour some of the pigment into a smaller container similar a handy hand-held paint loving cup.

For speedy clean-up, line your mini paint buckets with plastic numberless. No more rinsing hardened paint from your cups prior to switching colors. Only pour the backlog pigment dorsum into your can and throw the bag away. (Another stroke of genius from the hubby.)

Tip #nine: Shop wet brushes in the refrigerator to hit the pause button your project.

The Ringlet-Top Desk was a lonnnng project, and nosotros didn't oft take 8 hours a day to devote to it similar nosotros did on the outset solar day. So, when nosotros took a break, we dropped our foam brushes in ziplock numberless and stored them in the refrigerator. That was a flim-flam I had picked upwards years dorsum when working with acrylic paints…and the same applies for latex. In fact, I have plant with stenciling projects, it's almost ideal to work with paint later on it has been refrigerated for 24 hours or so. Some of the liquid in the paint evaporates, making the paint extra thick (and y'all have less leakage beneath the stencil edges).

Tip #10: To seal your latex paint, employ a Water-Based Polycrylic Protective End.

We outset learned about Polycrylic Protective Finish from a human being we met through a Craigslist purchase. He flipped furniture for a living and raved near its sealant powers. Because it's water-based, it doesn't yellow furniture over time…very important for any project with low-cal paints.

Now, it has taken us a scrap of a journeying to autumn in love with Polycrylic, but now that we've figured out some of its nuances, nosotros are fans for life. There is i Key tip for working with this sealant and that isnotto overbrush. That's when you lot run into trouble. Equally presently as your castor starts to stick rather than glide easily, yous've over-brushed. Many of the air bubbles will settle as information technology dries, so it's best just to keep moving along rather than going back.

Also, sometimes, nosotros've found it tin can get tacky if you utilize besides many coats or use your coats too thick without sanding in betwixt. Then, with the Roll-Top, nosotros only did one coat for the drawers and the back and two for the areas that will have more contact (the edges, stenciled area, desk-bound acme, beneath the desk-bound where the chair lives). Some gentle sanding in between coats and at to the lowest degree 24 hours of dry out time in betwixt helped u.s. avoid that tacky finish that we unfortunately got on our Distressed Table Makeover.

And one gallon will get a long way. We've been using this same gallon on several big pieces and wait how much of our gallon was notwithstanding accept remaining:

Also, as mentioned before, the Polycrylic comes in an Droplets Spray in Clear Satin, which is great for hardware. The Rust-O-Leum Comfort Grip Handle is even so one of my favorite SWAG items that I took home from Haven final summertime. It'll save your hand from cramping during those spray sessions!

Pointers for Scroll-Tops

A few of you were asking in the comments last week about how to bargain with the roll-tiptop function of a roll-top desk. Now, I was very intimidated by that, equally well. I didn't want to ruin the desk by clogging upwardly the scroll-top with paint!

Actually, a large reason why we chose to use Latex Paint on the Gyre-Tiptop Desk-bound was because it is a thinner medium than Chalk Pigment. Besides, I take never used Chalk Pigment on article of furniture before (gasp!), and I didn't think it would be wise to experiment on this piece.

{UPDATE: I have since tried Chalk Pigment andfell in dearest.Here's my Beginner's Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Pigment.}

Hither are a few pointers I'll share for anyone interested in tackling their own roll-top desk:

Mark suggested I apply the paint at the most convex part of the curl top (where it has the most extreme curve). So, I would actually concur upward the roll-top and paint…slowly lowering it as I went. That manner, I'd get into all the grooves and avoid cracking.
When it came time to paint the groove on the side where the roll top slides down, I painted information technology with gray and sealed it with two coats of Polycrylic before rolling it downward. (This was after I had rolled it down prior to applying the Polycrylic and watched all the grey pigment peel up.)

At that place were also a few sections on the exterior of the roll-peak where the paint was rubbing off during the rolling procedure, and so I applied extra paint and Polycrylic to those spots, as well.

Afterwards the first coat of gray, I could come across the spots that would need extra paint and sealant.

Mark added some foam stoppers to the edge of the roll-meridian that hits the desk, then we wouldn't accept any troubles with the paint sticking…especially while it withal cures!

You can run into one of the stoppers here.

I'one thousand happy to say the curl-top still rolls! It's a chip less smooth than it used to be, but my in-laws suggested nosotros run a bar of soap or candle wax in the groove to help things glide more than smoothly.

Also, if it hadn't been the height of summertime, I might take considered getting some neighbors to aid usa move the Roll-Top outside so I could spray it with my FinishMax Sprayer. I honestly remember that would be such an ideal tool for a curl-top to attain a thin coat of paint that gets into all the nooks and crannies.

Still, we made do!

To Close

Well, I hope you're walking away from this post with some practical tips and tricks for tackling your adjacent latex-painted furniture project. Also, if you have any tips of your ain upwardly your sleeve, experience free to share them in the comments below. Let's explode these 10 tips into 100!

The Beginner's Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Pigment

Since the initial publishing of this mail, I dove into the wonderful globe of Annie Sloan Chalk Pigment and shared about my experience making over our Hot Drinks Station in my Beginner's Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Pigment. So, if you're intimidated by that medium, let me help allay those fears! It'south some other fantastic option for furniture makeover projects…peculiarly if you lot desire to skip the priming step.

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