To Paint, or Not To Paint
To Paint, or Not To Paint
While I am a big fan of furniture painting, there’s a lot of people who have strong feelings against it and it can be seen as surprisingly controversial. Recently, I’ve seen furniture upcyclers and repainters being harassed on social media, because they paint or refinish wooden furniture. Some people are against furniture painting in all forms, and while I do understand where they’re coming from, I don’t think the subject is as black and white as that. I am often asked about furniture painting, so I thought I would write about some of the pros and cons of furniture painting, and offer some advice on how and when to make those choices.
The main argument against furniture painting is that painting covers up naturally beautiful woodgrain and workmanship, and that it can damage the wood - particularly if it’s then later stripped off the piece. I had to strip off a very thick paint from this Bardrobe and the process of removal caused damage to what was likely a very beautiful veneer. Personally, I don’t want to cover up wood with a nice grain and colour. I’ve had cases where there’s a lovely texture to the wood, but the colour isn’t consistent and very mottled, so painting in good quality paint preserved this texture but covered up the dodgy colour. I think there’s also cases where painting a part of a piece and leaving some wood exposed is a good compromise. People who are against furniture painting are also particularly wary about painting older, rarer pieces of furniture, believing they should be preserved in their original state where possible.
While I do agree with preserving antiques and rarer furniture, as well as not covering the natural beauty of wood grain, the reality is that a lot of older furniture is just not what people want to buy or keep. A huge amount of very good quality furniture ends up in landfill. And if it’s a case of being crushed in landfill versus being repainted and preserved for longer, so it’s enjoyed for many years to come, the latter is definitely preferable. Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and your local car boot sales are filled with older, unwanted furniture. From a sustainability point of view, it’s better to paint or refinish an existing piece of furniture than to buy something new (that often lacks the build quality of older furniture). Additionally, if you use the right kind of paint, painting can be a way to preserve the furniture.
And on a personal note, if it’s made of unstained pine, it’s colour is too ugly to preserve, so go nuts.
Now Suze, it’s all well and good saying it’s not a straight forward black and white issue, but how do I actually make the right choice? I’m so glad you asked. Here’s some quick notes of advice on how to make the choice of painting furniture for yourself:
Check for engravings, markings or unusual construction techniques that indicate a manufacturer or date of build. Always do a search online to make sure you’re not about to paint a rare and priceless piece of furniture.
Choose your furniture carefully. If it’s a well built piece but ultimately something fairly common place, I think you can paint it guilt-free. If it’s particularly unique and in good condition, make sure you do your research before you paint it.
Use the right kind of paint. Use paint that specifically says it can be used on furniture or wood, don’t grab any can of paint and assume it’ll be fine (any old wall paint and car paint is a BIG no no). If you want to buy eco-friendly paint, read my guide here about it.
Be mindful of what the piece is and where you are. I’ve found that in the US, for instance, mid century furniture is rare and harder to find, so if I was in the US I wouldn’t paint anything mid-century unless it had surface damage that needed covering or if it would otherwise end up in landfill. Conversely, in the UK, mid century furniture is very common place and cheap to buy, so I have less reservations about painting it.
Look for pieces that have a great structure but a damaged or uninteresting finish. Most of the furniture I paint falls under this category.
Many recycling and waste centres in the UK have charity shops attached to them that sell items in good condition. These are great places to find furniture whose next destination is very literally landfill.
If in doubt, send me an email if you have any questions!