Make new from old with white furniture paint

Painting old furniture white - tips and tricks

There are a few things to bear in mind if you want to paint an old piece of furniture white. Firstly, there is the right preparation: the piece of furniture must first be carefully cleaned. This applies regardless of whether it has old layers of varnish that can be painted over or a natural wood surface. Old furniture in particular has many more crevices, corners and edges, pilaster strips and protrusions due to its careful workmanship. And in all these nooks and crannies, which often make up the charm of a piece of furniture, dust and dirt have accumulated over the years. With the mild MissPompadour To Clean, you can reliably remove the dirt of decades.

It is also important to determine whether the piece is stained. In the past, it was often customary to give wooden furniture a different look with a coloured stain. However, stain is still water-soluble after years. If you paint over it with water-based paint, the stain can bleed into the colour. This can result in surprisingly pink or light yellow surfaces instead of a beautiful white colour. Rub the surface vigorously with a wet cloth before painting. If the cloth is discoloured, the wood has been treated with stain. A primer with MissPompadour To Bond & Block will then help. It is also applied with a brush or Roller in the same way as the colour.

Some woods have the unpleasant property of still exuding traces of tannins after years. This often happens with oak, but also with tropical woods. Painting can trigger this process again after a long time. This bleeding of tannins causes the white paintwork to yellow and thus destroys the coating. Priming the wood with To Bond & Block also helps with such substrates.

If the surface is marred by scratches or other damage, you can use MissPompadour To Fill to create a smooth surface.

Last but not least, you should carefully inspect your old piece of wooden furniture for pest infestation. Nobody wants to bring woodworm into their home. Although old wormholes often look charming, you should make sure that the worm has left its home. Otherwise, only an insecticide will help.

Choosing the right varnish to varnish furniture white

Old pieces of furniture are often painted white if they are to fit into a vintage interior design style. It is then advisable to work with a lacquer quality that is visually reminiscent of the old days. White & matt furniture varnish such as MissPompadour Matt Varnish is perfect for painting a vintage look. Although its powdery matt surface is reminiscent of a varnish from another era, the varnish is extremely modern in its composition. It reliably covers all surfaces, is water-soluble and has a low odour. It can therefore be used well indoors. It is particularly suitable for cupboards, shelves and chests of drawers. In other words, for furniture that is not exposed to high mechanical loads.

If you love the completely matt look of chalk paint, the white shades in the CosyColours collection are just right for you. They are perfect for DIY and shabby chic.

However, there is also furniture whose surface should be particularly hard-wearing. This certainly includes all kitchen furniture, but tables or a chair also need a more stable coat of paint than a chest of drawers. You can paint hard-wearing furniture with the semi-matt MissPompadour Eggshell Varnish. It is extremely easy to clean and is also suitable for outdoor use. If you are working on children's room furniture such as a changing table or a cot, it is best to use LittlePomp chalk varnish. It is available in 3 beautiful, child-friendly shades of white.

Shabby chic - beautiful old furniture

Shabby chic is an interior design style that goes particularly well with white. Whether a flea market find or a family heirloom, old statement pieces make all the difference here. They offer the opportunity to create romantic, dreamy spaces, places of retreat in today's often hectic world.

If you design a room in this style, be careful not to paint all the furniture in a single shade of white. This often creates an undesirable "clinical effect". Shades of white also come in many different "colours". Different pigments produce different shades of white that tend towards grey, beige, pink, yellow or light green. If you mix pieces of furniture in these different shades of white in a room, you will get a real vintage look. You can also give furniture artificial signs of wear by sanding edges and pilaster strips. Start carefully with sandpaper and work towards the desired result in several steps.

The right tools for painting

To Paint furniture, you need the right brushes as well as the paint. The MissPompadour fine brush with its angled bristles and fine hairs is particularly suitable for getting into hidden nooks and crannies. A paint roller is required for larger surfaces .

Order white furniture lacquer and tools from MissPompadour

The question of the right colour shade also arises with white. Its pigments should be compatible with the other colours in the room in order to achieve a harmonious overall impression. It's a good thing that the practical MissPompadour colour cards are available. Each colour-card can be removed individually from the pack. This allows the different shades of white to be placed next to each other and compared. They can also be pinned to the object to be painted so that they can be examined in any light at your leisure.

MissPompadour offers 4 furniture paint qualities. Firstly Eggshell Varnish and then Matt Varnish. Both are available in all 90+ colour shades in the MissPompadour Collection. There are also CosyColours chalk varnishes in more than 30 warm, muted colour shades. There is also LittlePomp chalk varnish. This is a children's collection in 15 enchanting, soft pastel shades that are also suitable for adults. If you find it difficult to decide, our friendly and extremely competent customer service team is guaranteed to be able to help. You can reach them almost around the clock by email, WhatsApp and phone.

Questions and answers about the furniture colour white

• Can coated furniture be painted?
  Veneered furniture can be painted without any problems. The paint colour will also adhere here if you prime the surface in advance with To Bond & Block. This primer also supports the opacity of the varnish on smooth surfaces.
• Do white varnishes not cover as well as coloured varnish?
  Light colour shades have slightly less opacity. Nevertheless, with MissPompadour varnishes you can usually achieve a great result with 2 coats when painting furniture.
• Which paint quality is the right one?
  That depends on how heavily used your piece of furniture is. To Paint furniture in the kitchen, for example, use our washable and impact-resistant Eggshell Varnish. If you are painting a more decorative buffet, use CosyColours chalk varnishes or Matt Varnish to create velvety matt surfaces. And in the children's room, it's best to use LittlePomp chalk varnishes.