The Fastest Way To Paint Grooves And Details
Are you tired of spending hours trying to paint your detailed furniture? Knowing the fastest way to paint grooves and details can make all the difference! If you’re ready to stop struggling and find a better solution, you’re in the right place.
Maybe you grabbed a cool thrift store find, or you just want to give something at home a fresh look. With these painting furniture ideas, keep reading for easy, practical tips to help you tackle every nook and cranny and transform your piece!
If you’ve ever tried brushing paint onto carved or detailed furniture, you know it’s a total time suck. With drips, brush strokes, missed spots, it’s the worst. But I found something that changed everything.
I used to think that brushes were my only option because learning how to use a foreign tool was way too complicated. And then, trying to brush pieces with curves, grooves, and details all over was a nightmare.
You’ve got to constantly keep your eye out for drips. It takes multiple brush strokes to get into all of the details. Brushing one coat of paint onto this cabinet would have taken me over an hour. So what’s the game changer?
Using a Paint Sprayer on Furniture
Guess what? I sprayed a coat of paint onto the same cabinet in less than 10 minutes. White paint usually takes about five coats. So yeah, that’s about five hours that I saved. Once I realized that, I never looked back.
Now, I use an HVLP paint sprayer on almost every single piece of furniture! It creates even coverage everywhere and reaches all of the hard to reach spots in just seconds. Here are the best HVLP paint sprayers for furniture that I have personally tested!
Paint Without Brush Marks
Plus, my painted furniture looks so much better than when I just brushed it on. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little bit of a furniture snob when it comes to brush marks on my furniture. I am firmly in the camp of believing that brush marks do not belong on my painted furniture.
So, I do everything in my power to create furniture that does not have brush marks. I have all the tips on how to paint furniture without brush marks in this post!
Now, you will see me painting furniture with a paintbrush, using different paints, products, and techniques, but in my heart and soul, painting furniture with a paint sprayer is where it’s at.
When I paint furniture for my own home, for my own purpose, I spray the paint on because I don’t want to see brush marks. I test out all these different techniques, not for myself at this point, but for you. I’m out here making all of the mistakes while I’m testing out new products just so that I can help you with your furniture projects.
Save Time with a Paint Sprayer
Avoiding brush marks is not the only reason to use a paint sprayer. Just the amount of time you can save by using one is absolutely incredible. On a regular sized dresser, you can expect to spend about an hour to an hour and a half brushing paint onto that surface.
The more details and curves, the longer it’s going to take you to paint with a paintbrush. Now, you can use different brushes. Round paint brushes are absolutely amazing to help you get into curves and details, especially if there’s a point on the round paintbrush. Check out our list of the best paint brushes for painting furniture here.
But still, you’re going to spend so much more time brushing paint onto furniture than spraying it. That’s even including any extra prep work that you might want to do when you spray paint your furniture instead of brushing your paint on. Here’s spray paint vs brush paint furniture to help you decide between the two.
If you’re just getting started with a paint sprayer, don’t worry. I have a proven system that I have used over and over for the last nine years. This helps prevent clogs or other issues that may come up if you don’t follow this system. There is a little bit more to it than just pouring the paint into the paint sprayer and going to work.
How to Thin Paint for a Paint Sprayer
Depending on the type of paint you use and the type of sprayer you use, you may need to thin your paint before spraying it. Sometimes, you can just spray your paint straight without doing anything else with the sprayer that you have.
But more often than not, you’re going to have to do a couple of things to get the sprayer to spray correctly or, honestly, just to make the finish look a million times better. Learn all about how to thin paint for a sprayer here, and if you have one of these models, check out how to thin paint for a Wagner sprayer and how to thin paint for Wagner FLEXiO Sprayer.
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Best Paint Sprayer to Use on Furniture Makeovers
You might be wondering, “What paint sprayer should I even use? How am I going to afford a $300 paint sprayer?” Well, guess what? The paint sprayer that I use over and over again is the Vonforn sprayer, and it costs less than $50.
It comes with everything you need, and it’s so easy to set up. You don’t need an air compressor. You don’t need any other fancy equipment. You literally just plug it into the wall, and you can spray your paint. Learn more about it in my Vonforn paint sprayer review here.
I am going to be completely honest with you, though. This beginner paint sprayer is not my all time favorite paint sprayer. Check out our list of best paint sprayers for beginners here and the best cheap paint sprayers here for more options.
I actually really, really enjoy the Wagner FLEXiO series of paint sprayers, specifically the FLEXiO 595 and the FLEXiO 5000. They are a little more expensive, but they’re not outrageously expensive. Think like $100 or $200. Get more answers to which Wagner FLEXiO is best? here!
How to Use Paint Sprayer
The first time that I used a paint sprayer, I was terrified. There was no information out there on how to use a paint sprayer to paint furniture. I didn’t know what type of paint to use. I didn’t know how to thin the paint or what to even thin it with. I had no idea what settings to use. There was no information out there. So, I had to just go at it, trial and error, making so many mistakes until I learned the system.
Once I knew the system, easy peasy, I can repeat it every single time I paint furniture. That’s exactly why I created my step by step system in my spray course, so you don’t have to learn the hard way like I did.
Spraying Doesn’t Have to Be Scary!
If sprayers have ever intimidated you, this class changes everything. Learn how to spray furniture confidently and save hours compared to brushing, without streaks, drips, or stress.
And no, you don’t need any fancy setup. As long as you have access to the outdoors, a garage, some plastic, and a small area to spray your paint, you’re good to go. For years, I just used my backyard. I laid down some plastic, put four five gallon buckets on top of the plastic, set my furniture on top, and then I was able to spray.
I also sometimes use my garage. I hang up some plastic on the wall, and I go to work. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are more tips on how to prevent overspray when painting furniture.
How to Clean Paint Sprayer
Now, for cleanup, it’s really simple. It takes about five to ten minutes to clean out my paint sprayer. Learn what to use to clean paint sprayer here, and for specific models, check out how to clean a Wagner FLEXiO sprayer and how to clean Vonforn paint sprayer.
To be honest, cleaning out a paintbrush takes about the same amount of time because the paint won’t come out from the inside of it. Here’s our guide on how to clean paint brushes if you’ll be painting with a brush.
Watch this guide on the fastest way to paint grooves and details on our YouTube video below!
So, if you’ve got a carved or grooved piece you’ve been putting off painting because the idea of brushing the paint onto the furniture just sounds miserable, try spraying instead. Once I switched to using a sprayer, I no longer dreaded painting detailed furniture or painting furniture white!
More Paint Sprayer Resources
- How To Tape Off Drawers For Painting With A Paint Sprayer
- Can You Use a Paint Sprayer for Polyurethane
- Can I Leave Paint in a Sprayer Between Coats
- How to Paint Furniture Indoors Without Making a Mess
Follow us on YouTube to get more tips for painting furniture. Or share your project with us on our Facebook Group and be part of our community. See you there!