The Best Paint for Furniture

There’s chalk paint, latex paint, 2 types of milk paint, and enamel paint too. It’s so easy to get confused when it comes to picking paint for your dresser, table or nightstands. Here is a breakdown of what paint you should use on your wood (or laminate) thrifted furniture finds to get the best results.

Picking the right paint can really make or break your furniture project. So let’s break down the different types of paint, pros and cons, tips for each paint and what type of finish you can get from each paint.

I’ve been refinishing and selling furniture since 2014, and these are all types of paint I have used for my own furniture projects. They all can work for wood, or laminated (the plastic feeling stuff) furniture, but the way they work, and how to use them may differ.

On top of that, the end result (the finish or style) can really change depending on what paint you use. You’ll want to pick the different paint for a sleek traditional shiny finish vs a matte chippy paint look.

Let’s dive in!

Milk Paint
(Powdered)

Milk Paint creates an old fashioned finish, and is perfect to create a chippy finish or a solid finish with no chipping. It has a mind of it’s own though, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a ocd specific idea of what you want it to do.

Milk Paint is best for an old fashioned chippy finish (or not chippy). It also is really known for having color variations, so don’t expect it to look perfect.

Pros:

• Milk Paint is water-based for easy cleanup.
• Real milk paint is all natural and VOC free.
• Milk Paint creates a completely unique finish that can’t be easily made with other paints. The finish usually has color variations in it.
• Milk Paint is easy to use, and is perfect for raw wood.
• You can mix “bonding agent” into the paint to make it stick even better. (Available from the milk paint retailers)
• It’s fun to use, because it can have a mind of it’s own.
• It’s also easy to sand and distress.

Cons:

• Milk Paint comes in a powdered form and has to be mixed with water before use.
• It has a mind of it’s own (chipping here or there, not chipping at all, or chipping more than expected.) The finish also can have variations of color in it.
• Milk Paint also has to be sealed for durability and wipe-ability. (Hemp oil or water- based poly are my favorite top coats for milk paint.)
• Only mix up what you need for the day because it goes bad quickly.
• It’s not found at local hardware stores usually.
• Most Milk Paint companies have a limited line of colors.

Tips and Tricks to use Milk Paint on Furniture

• Relax and have fun!
• If you don’t want any chipping, add bonding agent to the paint, and make sure you scuff sand the wood really well.
• To create extra chipping with a hair dryer to heat up certain places of the paint while it dries.
• Shellac will make milk paint crackle and chip more.
• The color will really deepen once you apply hemp oil or poly.
• It’s a surprise what will happen! Sometimes it doesn’t chip when you want it to, and sometimes it chips when you did everything to not let it chip. Lose control and let it do it’s thing.

Latex Paint
(Homemade Chalk Paint)

Latex paint is the paint that you would usually buy for the walls inside your home. You can pick it up at any hardware store and it usually comes in flat, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. The store usually has an area where they will tint it any color you want (or match it to a swatch you have) for free.

Honestly I have only used latex paint on one furniture project, and that was one of my very first paint projects.

I do however use latex paint a lot as the main ingredient to make homemade chalk paint.

Since latex paint doesn’t distress as easily as chalk paint, and you will need to prime under it, so it’s best for a completely solid finish with no distressing.

Pros:

• Latex paint is easily accessible at your local hardware store
• It is water-based for easy clean up.
• You can get it tinted to any color you can imagine, and you can even get it color matched to a color swatch you have on hand.
• Latex paint is the cheapest option.
• Can be made into homemade chalk paint.

Cons:

• Latex paint doesn’t stick to many surfaces very well. It must have a adhering primer and very good prep before painting.
• If you want to make it into chalk paint, you have to mix it, instead of it being ready to go out of the can.
• It is also best to seal latex for durability (and I don’t like the feel of plain latex paint.) To seal latex paint I use this water-based polyurethane.
• Latex doesn’t distress or sand back very easily, so a farmhouse or shabby chic look isn’t as easy to get as with chalk paint. (Once it’s made into chalk paint, it will distress nicely)

Tips and Tricks to use Latex Paint on Furniture

• I prefer making latex paint into homemade chalk paint for better adhesion and for better distressing.
• Latex paint isn’t made to stick finished wood surfaces. Use a primer like Bullseye 123 over finished wood before painting to give the latex paint something to hold onto.
• “Paint and Primer in One” will not provide good adhesion. The primer in this type of latex paint is only good for extra coverage. Not to help paint stick to finished wood. It also isn’t good for making homemade chalk paint.
• I prefer to buy the interior flat latex paint in Behr Premium Plus (at Home Depot).

Chalk Paint

** Chalk paint has a HUGE stigma about being a “no prep” necessary paint. This honestly is NOT TRUE. I mean, I love the sound of not having to clean or lightly sand furniture before painting, but if you want your project (not to mention the hours of time you spent on it) to last a long time, it’s really best to prep.

Chalk Paint has made a big name for itself in the furniture painting world. Mainly because it requires less prep (notice I didn’t say “no prep”), there are so many things you can do with it, and it dries quickly.

The types of finishes you can create with chalk paint are endless. Distressed, worn and antiqued looks are the easiest to achieve with chalk paint.

• Shabby Chic with a little to no distressing.
• Blending or dripping with multiple colors of paint.
• Water down the paint for a thin washed effect.
• Glaze or dark wax for an antiqued look.
• Classic solid finish with no distressing.
• Combinations of the above finishes.

Pros:

• It sticks to furniture a lot better than plain latex.
• Cleanup is easy with Chalk Paint.
• A lot of brands are Eco friendly and VOC free.
• You can create multiple different finishes with Chalk Paint.
• Chalk Paint is easy to use with a paint brush or paint sprayer.
• It’s ready to paint straight from the can.

Cons:

• It must be sealed for durability and to be able to wipe it clean. (I prefer to seal with water-based polyurethane instead of wax.)
• It’s more expensive than most latex paint.
• Only some brands are available at local hardware stores.
• Most Chalk Paint companies have a limited line of colors.

Tips and Tricks to use Chalk Paint on Furniture

• Really shiny, smooth surfaces need to be scuff sanded really well, and possibly primed for best adhesion. I prefer to prime with clear shellac or BIN to help with adhesion and to prevent bleed through (read below.)
• Add a little bit of water for better leveling and fewer brush marks.
• Chalk Paint can be sprayed in a paint sprayer. This post explains how!
• Seal Chalk Paint with this water-based polyurethane instead of wax.
• Don’t want to make these five biggest furniture painting mistakes.

Acrylic Paint
(General Finishes Milk Paint)

This one is confused a lot with the milk paint we talked about before (the powdered kind). The way it works and the finish it creates is total different! This paint creates a super smooth finish and is super easy to work with!

Acrylic paint is great for a classic solid finish, but it can also be distressed to create a farmhouse worn look. It should sealed after distressing though.

Pros:

• It sticks to furniture a lot better than plain latex.
• Acrylic Paint doesn’t have to be sealed for low traffic surfaces!
• Cleanup is easy and it is low VOC.
• Acrylic Paint levels really well.
• It also sands and distresses well.
• Chalk Paint is easy to use with a paint brush or paint sprayer.
• It’s ready to paint straight from the can.

Cons:

• For the best durability, it needs to be sealed. (I prefer to seal with water-based polyurethane instead of wax.)
• It’s more expensive than most latex paint.
• It’s not available at local hardware stores.
• There is only a limited amount of colors in the paint line.

Tips and Tricks to use Acrylic Paint on Furniture

• Use a high quality paint brush and /or roller to get a brush free finish.
• Mix colors together to create new colors!
• Acrylic Paint can be sprayed, but you should thin it at least a little bit for the best finish.

Pigmented Poly

General Finishes Pigmented Poly is quickly becoming one of my favorite paints to use on furniture.

It doesn’t need a topcoat (the name says it all, it’s poly!), and it’s super durable. It levels really nicely and comes in a really nice satin sheen (also available in semi-gloss).

The easiest finish to get with pigmented poly is a super smooth classic finish with no distressing. You can definitely distress it, but it should be sealed once distressed.

Pros:

• Pigmented Poly doesn’t need to be sealed for durability!
• Cleanup is easy and it is low VOC.
• Dries fast and can recoat after 1-2 hours!
• Pigmented Poly levels really well and distresses well.
• Pigmented Poly is sprays on like a dream.
• It’s ready to paint straight from the can.

Cons:

• It wasn’t made to be brushed on – though I have heard of some having good results with brushing and rolling it on quickly.
• Pigmented Poly is currently hard to find in quart size (quart sizes available on Etsy)
• The poly comes in black or white (or clear), but you can tint it (for an extra fee) to your color of choice.
• If you distress it, it will need to be sealed with the Enduro Clear Poly.
• Not available at local hardware stores usually.

Tips and Tricks to use Pigmented Poly on Furniture

For best results, prime with General Finishes Stain Blocking Primer before painting.

Read this post for complete “how to” on General Finishes Pigmented Poly.

No matter what type of paint you use, here are a few overall tips and tricks when it comes to painting furniture.

Prevent Stains that Won’t go Away – Bleed through

Wood can “bleed through” water-based paint. It shows up as yellow, red or orange stains, but no matter how many coats of paint you use, they don’t go away. 🙁

And sometimes the bleedthrough doesn’t show up until the piece is totally done. Noooooooooo!

To prevent this from happening, always prime with a stain blocking primer before painting. (Clear Shellac and BIN Shellac Based Primer are the best for this, but there are other less stinky and potent options.)

How to Paint Laminate Furniture

You CAN paint laminate furniture (you know that super shiny, plastic looking stuff) with any of these paints.

The trick is using a really good bonding primer before the paint.

Bonding or adhesion primers stick to slick non porus surfaces, and they create a surface for any paint to hold onto as well.

So if you want to paint over laminate furniture, just be sure to prep (read the next tip), prime (STIX or BIN primers are perfect for laminate furniture), and then paint with your choice of paint.

Prep is Best

Prep is the most important part of a good painted finish.

Make sure to clean dirt, grime, oil and wax off first. Krud Kutter or a 50/50 mix of Denatured Alcohol and Water works great!

Then scuff sand everything to give your paint or primer something to hold onto. I like to use 220 grit sandpaper for this.

After sanding, vacuum up the dust, and wipe everything down with a tack cloth before painting.

In the end, the best paint for your furniture is the paint that creates the finish you are looking for, in the color you are looking for. These are all types of paint that we use on a regular basis, and I would hate to be limited to only one of these for all of my furniture painting projects!

Time to paint!
-Natalie