Painting Bedroom Furniture White
Your bedroom furniture adds functionality, comfort, and style to your space. After years of use and daily wear and tear though, it’s totally normal for these pieces to lose some of their original look and charm. If you’re looking for a fresh, clean, and modern change, why not try painting your bedroom furniture white?
We’ll walk you through some tips and tricks on how to create a stunning white finish for your bedroom furniture. These painting furniture ideas will not only give your furniture a new life, but also transform the entire look and feel of your bedroom.
Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary – a place to unwind, relax, and recharge. And to enhance that peaceful ambiance, you can paint your furniture white! Painting your bedroom furniture white creates an airy, serene feel, brightens up the room, and makes everything feel more spacious!
White is a timeless color that can easily adapt to any interior style, whether it’s modern, rustic, or traditional. So if you already have a style set in your bedroom, a white piece will complement it perfectly. Plus, with white being one of the neutral furniture paint colors, it’s easy to add pops of color or change up the decor whenever you feel like it.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about painting bedroom furniture white. From prepping your furniture to choosing the right white paint and applying it to create a smooth, durable finish, we’ve got you covered. Let’s get started!
Supplies Used for Painting Bedroom Furniture White
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- Krud Kutter
- KwikWood
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- BIN Shellac Primer
- White Paint
- Paint Sprayer
- Waterbased Polyurethane
- Cedar Fencing Boards (for new top)
- Miter Saw
- Dewalt Orbital Sander
- Diablo 220 Grit Sanding Disc
- Nail Gun
- 1.5″ Brad Nails
- Stain (mix of Dark Walnut and Weathered Gray)
- Rags
How to Paint Bedroom Furniture White
You can’t just paint over your bedroom furniture with white paint and call it a day. Here are some key tips for a successful furniture makeover! Whether you’re a beginner or not, it’s good to know (and remember) the basics before diving into the project.
Prepare Bedroom Furniture for Painting
You’ll want to remove all hardware from your bedroom furniture first, such as handles or knobs. This will make the painting process easier and make sure that no paint gets on them. Plus, it gives you a chance to clean and update them if needed. Here’s how to clean old furniture hardware if you’re keeping the same ones.
Next, give your furniture a good cleaning. Wipe down all surfaces with a mild cleaner like Krud Kutter to remove any built up dirt, grime, or oils. If not, the paint won’t adhere properly and you’ll end up with a sloppy finish. After cleaning, let your piece dry completely.
You’ll need to take care of the hardware holes, as well as any other holes or scratches on your bedroom furniture. Fill those in with one of these best wood fillers for furniture like KwikWood and let it dry completely. Once it’s dry, sand it down with fine grit sandpaper to create a smooth surface for painting.
And to top it off, scuff sand your entire piece to create a rough surface that will help the paint adhere better. If your furniture has any existing shiny laminate finish, much more sanding is needed to remove that shiny layer.
Prime Bedroom Furniture Before Painting
Before moving on to the actual painting process, it’s important to prime your bedroom furniture. Priming creates a base layer that helps with paint adhesion and guarantees a smooth finish. Use BIN shellac primer for the best results.
BIN is one of the best primers for wood furniture and it’s one of the best primers to stop tannin bleed. It’s best to avoid this bleeding by applying this shellac primer first, rather than fixing it later after you’ve already painted your piece.
You can apply BIN shellac primer with a brush, roller, or the spray can version. Don’t use it in a paint sprayer as it’s very combustible. Apply two coats of primer for maximum effect, and let it dry overnight before moving on to painting.
But be warned – BIN primer has a strong smell. Make sure to work in a well ventilated area and wear a respirator for protection. You don’t want an uncomfortable or even dangerous painting experience! For a more detailed guide on using this primer, here’s how to use BIN Shellac primer.
Paint Bedroom Furniture White
For the white paint, you can use any of these types of paint for furniture or we recommend Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel Paint. You can also make your own homemade chalk paint like we do, using Behr Latex Paint in Pure White. We shared our homemade chalk paint recipe here so you can see how easy it is to make and use!
Use an HVLP paint sprayer for a smooth and even application of the white paint. This will also save you time and effort compared to using a brush or roller. The Vonforn sprayer and the HomeRight paint sprayer are some of the best paint sprayers for chalk paint, so if you’re using chalk paint (homemade or not), go for a budget-friendly sprayer like these! Read our Vonforn paint sprayer review if you’re interested!
Spray paint your white furniture with 2-3 coats of paint, doing a back-and-forth motion in a slow and consistent pace. Make sure to cover all areas evenly and let each coat dry before applying the next one.
Distress and Seal White Bedroom Furniture
After the white paint dries completely, you can choose to distress your bedroom furniture for a more rustic or shabby chic look. This involves sanding down the edges and corners of your furniture to reveal some of the wood underneath.
Do some light distressing with 220 grit sandpaper – don’t go too hard and create deep scratches or gouges. Remember, you can always distress more if needed but it’s harder to fix overdone distressing. Here’s our blog post about distressing furniture to learn more about the different techniques of distressing furniture.
To protect your white bedroom furniture and seal in the paint and distressed areas, adding a topcoat is definitely a must do! If you used mineral, acrylic, or chalk paints, spray 2 coats of water based polyurethane over them. You can learn how to spray polyurethane in this post.
Cut New Furniture Top
For this bedroom piece, we cut a new top using cedar fencing boards and a miter saw. We sanded the wood top with our Dewalt orbital sander paired with Diablo 220 grit sanding discs to smooth out the surface. We then attached the top securely using a nail gun and 1.5″ brad nails.
Stain and Seal New Top
Of course, we won’t leave the new top as is, so we applied a stain of a half-half mix of dark walnut and weathered gray for a beautiful and unique finish. We used a rag to stain the surface, making sure to follow the natural lines of the wood grain for an even and streak free coat.
Once you’ve coated the wood top with stain, let it sit for a while to allow it to seep into the wood and create a deeper color. Then remove any excess stain using a separate clean rag. Here’s a more detailed guide on how to stain wood with a rag to help you out!
Take the stained rags after and lay them outside to dry flat. These oil based stains are flammable, so it’s important to avoid any risk of combustion. You can throw them out properly when they’re totally dry.
And to finish off, when the stain has dried and set for 48 hours, you should apply 3 coats of water based polyurethane to seal and protect the stained top. This topcoat will not only add a nice satin finish but will also help preserve your new top for years to come.
And you get a classic white bedroom furniture piece that’s even made more charming with a distressed finish and a stained top! It’s clearly a stylish addition to your bedroom, and it’s all thanks to your DIY skills!
More Before And After Makeovers
Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.
If you have a bedroom piece you want to spruce up, we think you should definitely give it a white paint makeover. It’s a simple and budget friendly way to transform any furniture into a fresh and chic touch to your personal space.
Painting Bedroom Furniture White
Transform the entire look of your bedroom with our guide to painting bedroom furniture white from prepping furniture to painting.
Materials
Instructions
- Start preparing bedroom furniture by removing hardware to make it easier to paint without obstacles. Then process to clean any dirt and grime off the surface with a mild cleaner like Krud Kutter.
- Fill any hardware holes or scratches on the bedroom furniture with a wood filler like Kwikwood and let it dry before sanding it down to create a smooth surface for painting. Scuff sand the entire piece to help the paint adhere better, especially if there is a shiny laminate finish.
- Prime the bedroom furniture with BIN shellac primer for better paint adhesion and tannin bleed prevention. Apply 2 coats and let it dry overnight before moving on to painting. Be careful of the strong smell and use proper protection when working with this primer.
- Spray your chosen white paint with a paint sprayer, and apply 2-3 coats onto your bedroom furniture in a consistent, even back and forth motion. Let each coat dry before applying the next one for a smooth and professional looking finish.
- For a more rustic or shabby chic look, distress the edges and corners of your white bedroom furniture with 220 grit sandpaper. Remember to not go too hard and overdo it, as it's easier to add more distressing later on than to fix overdone distressing.
- To protect and seal in the paint and distressed areas, apply 2 coats of waterbased polyurethane especially if you used mineral, acrylic or chalk paints. You can learn how to properly apply polyurethane by reading our guide on it.
- Cut a new top for your bedroom furniture using cedar fencing boards and then sand the surface smooth with an orbital sander and fine grit sanding discs. Attach the new top securely with a nail gun and 1.5" brad nails.
- Stain the new top with a half-half mix of dark walnut and weathered gray using a rag, following the natural lines of the wood grain for an even coat. Let the stain sit for a while before removing any excess with another clean rag.
- Lay the used stained rags outside to dry completely to avoid any risk of combustion, as they contain flammable oil based stains. Once dried, throw them out properly.
- Finish off by applying 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane to seal and protect your new top from daily wear and tear. This will also add a nice satin finish for a beautiful and durable final touch to your white bedroom furniture makeover!
Recommended Products
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