Do you want to renew your old wooden chair? But you don’t know how to spray paint wood chairs properly. In this post, you can easily spray paint wooden chairs without any extra difficulties.
In this article, you can look through practical methods of painting your old chair. Also, you can get the answers to the questions such as how to sand appropriately, prepare for the process, and seal the wood correctly. An easy step-by-step guide is also for you to follow.
We will discover simple and exclusive methods to spray paint wood chairs together.
So let’s get started!
Can you use spray paint on wood chairs?
Yes, you can use spray paint on wood furniture, even chairs. Spray paint is much faster, and dry time is shorter than ordinary brushed-on paints.
Spray paint is much handier for the chairs, especially for the furniture’s intricate nooks and small parts. So you can choose any spray paint explicitly manufactured for wooden objects.
One of the best things about painting with spray paint on a wooden chair is that you can repaint it repeatedly when needed.
A step-by-step guide to spray painting wood chairs
Step 1
You should prepare the things you need before painting the chair. Preparing the gear beforehand shortens the time of the painting. This table helps you to create an idea of what is required in the process.
| Spray primer | Soap and water |
| Spray paint | Newspaper or plastic to cover the area from overspray |
| Sanding block/220-150-grit sandpapers | Eye protection goggles |
| A clean rag/tack cloth | Mask to cover nose and mouth |
| Wood putty | Turpentine, nail polish remover if needed |
Step 2
Cleaning the furniture is the most crucial step. So the first task you must do is to clean the chair with a block of soap and warm water. Use a clean rag to wash the chair.
It helps you to lose any debris, cobwebs, and dirt build-up on your furniture. If the area you want to paint is greasy, use a grease remover to clean it. After releasing all the extra residues, rinse the chair thoroughly. Keep it dry in the open air until the object is thoroughly dried.
Step 3
The next step is sanding the surface. If the surface you are painting covered with cracking paint, you need to sand it with coarse-grit sandpaper. It can remove chipping paints from stained equipment, which helps you to achieve a smooth and flat surface.
After removing more significant pieces of residue, change your sandpaper into a finer one. You can destroy all the light dings and scratches with finer grit sandpaper. Try to hide all the flaws on the chair with sandpaper because they can be seen after covering it with paint.
In this process, you can use two types of sandpaper. For the first sanding, 220 grit sandpaper is handy. You can use 150-grit sandpaper for the next move to achieve a smoother finish.
Step 4
Look carefully everywhere on the chair so there are no blemishes or holes in it. If you find such types of spots, try to fill them with the help of wood putty. Let it dry as per the manufacturer’s instructions in the open area. After drying the putty thoroughly, sand one more time the blemishes to achieve a smooth surface.
Step 5
Now you can tack off the chair to clean the dust from the chair. Use a damp cotton cloth or a tack cloth. Wipe away all the first slightly. Before proceeding, give some time to dry the chair perfectly.
Step 6
Queue came to priming. Make sure that you are applying fully the chair. But it shouldn’t be so much. Thick coatings of the primer may cause drip marks and goopy spots.
Distribute the primer well to all areas. Let it dry. All the primers have a variety of dry times, so read the instruction for the primer carefully before applying. It takes approximately an hour to dry thoroughly. But I recommend you wait a few hours to dry before starting the central painting.
There are lots of best primers for wood furniture. You can get information about their usage, cure time, and prices per this link. https://www.wood-turned.com/best-wood-primer/
Step 7
Finally! It is high time to paint your valuable chair. Several thin coats are better than a single thick coat. So spray the paint as much as possible on the chair and let each coating dry thoroughly. Dry time between layers consists of 30-60- minutes. The last top coating should dry longer in the open air. You can allow drying for 24 hours before using the chair.
You may hesitate about what kind of spray paint suits your furniture. And you are wondering about their instruction. Click the button to get helpful information about spray paint types for your chair.
Why do you need to prime the wooden chairs before spray painting
Priming is the best friend of professional painters. It is considered an important part of the DIY project. Whether painting a bare wood chair or repainting it, you should apply primer to the chair.
Why is it so important? To achieve shiny and beautiful color on the surface of your chair, you should apply primer to your object. Also, ensure the chair is ready to cover spray paint following the primer.
The surface treated right with the help of the primer can guarantee a charming result.
How many coats of primer you should use on wood depends on the chair’s condition. If you paint the chair over the existing coverage, you don’t need to paint it several times. But make sure that the chair must not be cracked.
Your chair is thirsty for coating and has never been applied before. In this case, you need to cover two coats of primer. Another situation you have to prime twice is working with a dark color. You want to change it to a white or a lighter color. Now two coats of priming are out of the way in this situation.
How many cans of spray paint are needed to paint one wood chair
No one knows how many cans of spray paint you need to paint one wood chair without seeing the chair itself. But according to practical cases, you might use one can of spray paint for the average size chair. If you apply the chair bright colors like yellow or green, you may use the second can of spray paint to fill the holes. If you don’t achieve the desired finish, repeat the process until you get the stunning surface.
Is it better to use spray paint or brush-on paint for wood
Many professional painters prefer to use spray paint for wooden chairs. But you can choose the type of paint according to your condition or wish. Below you can discover for you the advantages of both paint methods.
Spray painting. Furniture experts often turn to spray paint while doing luxuriant projects to achieve lacquer and shiny results. There are lots of advantages to using spray paint for your old chair.
- Spray painting is more speedy than brush painting.
- Smooth coats without brush
- Many spray paints are more durable than acrylic latex paint because spray paint consists of oil-based ingredients.
- You can spray paint on any surface, such as metal, wood, plastic, concrete, wicker, and resin.
- Dry time is shorter than the brush paint.
- Spray paint is much easier to paint on intricate nooks and trim pieces.
- You don’t need to waste time on cleanups such as brushes, buckets, or rollers.
Except for chairs, spray paint is ideal for tables or benches because of the easy lifting. But you may face a problem when using spray paint on oversized furniture.
Brushed-on painting. Even if painting with a brush takes more time, you can achieve a beautiful result with a brush or foam rollers on painting your chair.
- Painting with a brush is much cheaper than spray paint because spray paint consumes more color than covering with spray paint.
- You can mix custom colors, and you can easily change the color of the paint.
- Using paintbrushes is much safer than spray painting. You can do the process outside.
Disadvantages of using spray paint for your chair
Even if spray paint is easy to use and long-durable for your chair to paint, it has some disadvantages. One of them depends on the financial components. Spray paints are much more expensive than ordinary paints.
If your chair is a little bit bigger, use regular paint because you must apply a massive amount of paint.
For the small designed chairs, hard-to-reach corners, and intricate nooks, spray paint is a great choice.
Another disadvantage of using spray paint on wooden chairs is that spray paint is harmful to both environment and your health. Spray paint produces more toxic ingredients when spraying. This leads to several problems for the environment.
To avoid the harmful features of spray paint on your health, wear protective gear before painting. These protective clothes help you to decrease the effect of toxins when you are using spray paint for your wooden chair.
Common spray paint mistakes when painting wood chairs
We should know helpful information about errors we can make while using spray paint to avoid them beforehand. Below you can see some common spray paint mistakes before, while, or after painting a wood chair:
1. Cracking. You may encounter a common mistake while painting a wooden chair. It is the result of poor preparation, which causes weak adhesion. You can avoid cracking by being more careful in your preparation stage. Ensure all oils and dirt specks are gone before painting a wooden chair.
2. Paint blobs. Don’t handle the can too close, or don’t move the can too slowly to the chair. It creates paint blobs on the surface. To avoid these bobbles on the wooden chair, pay attention to your technique. The distance between the can and the object should be 10-112 inches.
3. Flaking and peeling, and similarly, flaking and peeling result from poor preparation, like cracking. Try to avoid any contaminants on the surface of your chair.
4. Orange peel. Is it so funny? Why is it called orange peel? The reason of it the paint resembles the peel of an orange after drying is because of the little pockmarks. This is caused by using too much paint in one area. So try to avoid over-application to spray paint wood chairs. Moreover, pay attention to the dry time between coats.
5. Runs and drips. To avoid this new introduction method, you need to be patient. There are several causes of runs and drips.
- Moving too slowly the can of spray paint or inconsistent speed
- Spraying too close to the chair you are painting
- Applying too-thick coats
The solution to these problems is straightforward. Just try to apply thin coats and let them dry thoroughly on the wooden chair.
6. Smudged paint. This is the cause of painting too fast before drying the first coverage fully. Give some time to dry thoroughly for each coating to dry completely. Read the instruction for each spray paint. The manufacturers give the guide for you.
7. Shrinking. This is the most exciting problem which you can encounter while painting. Maybe you have never heard about this problem before. It is a rare condition that may happen. A large change in humidity or a significant temperature change from hot to cold can affect shrinking. The solution is also so easy that you can choose a moderate day to paint.
8. Fisheyes. Yes, you read it right! It is not a camera lens. It is also a problem that may happen using spray paint on your wooden chair. An oily or dirty surface causes fisheyes. You must thoroughly clean all the imperfections and contaminants at the beginning of your painting.
9. Overspray. You will need to prevent the nearby areas from excess paint. In this case, newspapers, plastic, cardboard, or masking tape will help you. Put on everything you don’t want to cover with spray paint.
If it happens, use turpentine, paint thinner, or nail brush remover to remove the paint.
10. Patchy or uneven coverage. You can have a problem like that when you don’t cover the object several times. Some wooden chairs require many light coats. But don’t apply a few thick coatings.
11. Spray paint lines. It is the cause of dirty and clogged tips. To avoid this problem, clean the information and wash it after each usage.
Final thoughts
So we’ve already looked through all the steps to spray paint wood chairs. You learn some valuable and practical tips for your painting process. Also, there are extra exciting topics such as
- The importance of priming
- The approximate number of spray paint for your chair
- A step-by-step guide to using spry paint on your chair
Moreover, you’ve learned about the advantages and disadvantages of spray paint. Common problems you can avoid while spray painting wooden chairs are also given to follow.
I recommend you read all the tips carefully and follow the instruction fully while proceeding.