Furniture lacquer: what you need to know

What characterises furniture paint?

Furniture paint is always a varnish. It not only gives a piece of furniture a new colour, but also protects it against wear and tear. With furniture paint, you always create an additional layer on your furniture. Ideally, this not only looks very good, but also protects your furniture against knocks and scratches. After painting, the surfaces should be easy to maintain, lightfast and durable in every respect.

When is paint used for furniture?

There are many reasons to use furniture paint. Painting furniture, for example, is a great option if you no longer like a piece of furniture in its old colour. Perhaps it no longer matches the new wallpaper or wall paint. Or maybe you simply want to see something new. If you have an off-the-peg piece of furniture, you might want to conjure up something individual that doesn't exist anywhere else and give it black furniture paint for industrial chic. Or you might want to give a pretty flea market find an authentic vintage look by painting it with a nostalgic colour. You could use a classic white furniture paint for this.

Not every piece of furniture is made of wood; metal and plastic are also often used. You may be wondering what colours you can use to paint a cabinet or chest of drawers with a plastic veneer surface. And whether it is necessary to sand the surface before painting. We can reassure you: Yes, you can also paint metal, plastic veneer and even high-gloss surfaces with furniture lacquer. Sanding is not normally necessary. You should only sand these areas if the old paint is peeling or otherwise damaged. So nothing stands in the way of remodelling your IKEA furniture!

Choose the right furniture colour

Before you start your project, it makes sense to choose one of the 4 furniture paint qualities offered by MissPompadour. This is because these lacquer variants not only create a different look, but also serve different requirements. Last but not least, the choice of colours also plays a major role - any colour is possible, from brown furniture paint to turquoise furniture paint.

Chalk paints for furniture: large selection at MissPompadour

Chalk paints and chalk varnishes impress with the velvety surfaces they create on your furniture. These matt paints are suitable for indoor furniture.

If you would like to paint furniture with chalk paints, we recommend our CosyColours chalk paints collection. With this collection, MissPompadour offers a soft, extremely cosy colour scheme. With these furniture paints, you can create a velvety, matt, elegant surface. The odourless, water-based furniture paints work on any surface and the chalk content gives your furniture a slightly rustic touch. This is why this furniture paint is also particularly suitable for shabby chic finishes. The soft colour shades and powdery surfaces are reminiscent of the old days, when varnishes were not yet trimmed with lots of acrylic and solvents to create a glossy finish.

The chalk paints in the LittlePomp collection, whose qualities and colour shades have been specially designed for children, also have a matt and elegant appearance. Like all MissPompadour products, they are also completely harmless to health, meaning that even pregnant women can work with them. These paints are completely VOC-free, which means that they do not release any toxic vapours into the environment during processing and drying. Everything painted with them is saliva-proof and extremely hard-wearing.

Just as matt as chalk paints: Paint furniture with Matt Varnish

If you haven't found the right colour in MissPompadour's chalk paint furniture colour scheme, take a look at the MissPompadour Matt & Matt furniture paints in the Just paint collection. They are available in over 90 different colour shades. They are for interior use. By painting with Matt Varnish, you can achieve a powdery, velvety surface that has a particularly elegant appearance. The remarkable depth of colour and high opacity of the water-based furniture paints set no limits to your creativity.

Eggshell Varnish: The right furniture lacquer for heavy-duty surfaces

The absolute all-rounder at MissPompadour is the Eggshell Varnish & Sh immering furniture lacquer variant from the Just paint collection. With it, you can achieve silky matt surfaces that are extremely hard-wearing. This furniture paint is weatherproof, so you can also use it on garden furniture. Why not paint your garden bench with red furniture paint? Indoors, it is particularly suitable for tables, chairs, benches or kitchen furniture - in other words, all pieces of furniture that are exposed to heavy use. Both paint qualities - Eggshell Varnish and Matt Varnish - are also colour-coordinated with the MissPompadour wallpaper collection and are also available as wall paints.

Which furniture can I paint or varnish?

Basically, you can paint all furniture. Depending on the surface, you may need to prime or seal the painted surface at the end.

Redesign children's rooms with furniture paint

Have you inherited a pretty cot or cradle, or perhaps found a chest of drawers at a flea market that could be used as a changing table? Then why not grab a brush and paint and give this furniture a new look and your very own style. Perhaps use a neutral yellow or grey furniture paint? Or a classic blue or pink furniture paint? Anything you like is allowed! All chalk paints from the LittlePomp children's collection are also available as wall paints, so you can create interesting tone-on-tone effects with furniture and walls. Finally, you can give the LittlePomp chalk varnish an even more hard-wearing finish with our colourless MissPompadour To Wax-Polish.

Varnish and chalk paint: painting furniture in the kitchen

Kitchen furniture can also be given a completely different look with the furniture paints from MissPompadour. If your kitchen has plastic surfaces, it makes sense to prime them with a primer such as MissPompadour To Bond & Block. This ensures that the furniture paint adheres securely to the smooth surfaces. You can even use it to prepare high-gloss surfaces for a coat of furniture lacquer.

For kitchen furniture, we recommend the particularly hard-wearing Eggshell Varnish quality. However, once you have found the perfect colour shade for you in the CosyColours chalk paints, you can also use them to paint your kitchen cabinets. Finally, seal the paint with MissPompadour To Seal. This preserves the matt finish of your varnish, but gives it an additional protective layer that makes it more resistant.

Outdoor furniture: colour for outdoors

Garden furniture can also often use a new coat of paint. Here it is important to use a paint quality that is weatherproof. At MissPompadour, the suitable quality is Eggshell Varnish. Regardless of whether your furniture is made of wood or metal, old paint that is damaged or peeling must be sanded off. You should also always prepare outdoor furniture with a primer. Use MissPompadour To Bond & Block, as this will increase the durability of your paint. Maybe use a floral colour like orange furniture paint instead of the familiar green furniture paint?

Furniture lacquer: A few tips for application

It is always important to carefully clean a piece of furniture before painting. All dirt and dust must be removed before painting. The best way to do this is to use MissPompadour To Clean and. The mild but very effective cleaner cleans without harming the surfaces or your skin. If your furniture has already been treated with Wax-Polish, sand the areas well.

Order furniture paint in the MissPompadour Shop

We recommend that you order colour cards first. Both the Eggshell Varnish and Matt Varnish colour cards are individually removable and come in postcard size. This allows you to compare the colours in any light. The colour cards for the LittlePomp chalk varnishes are hand-painted. This makes it easy to feel the feel of the chalk paints. The colour samples in the CosyColours folding card are also hand-painted. Once you have found the right varnish quality and your perfect colour shade, order your working tools along with the varnish. In addition to a brush and paint roller, you will also need a paint tray. If you want to work with wax, don't forget our wax brush!

Frequently asked questions & answers about furniture lacquer

• Do I need a primer before applying furniture paint?
  If you want to paint unpainted wooden furniture, a primer may be useful. Wooden furniture made of old oak and tropical woods can bleed even after a long time. Old stain can also come off during painting and destroy your coating. Wood with noticeable dark stains, such as pine, must also be primed. Plastic or glass surfaces should also be primed so that the furniture paint can adhere to the smooth surface. Metal surfaces should also be primed. Colour shades that are problematic in terms of their opacity, such as reds and yellows, also benefit from a primer. This creates an even colour base for the furniture paint.
• How can chalk paints be applied and processed on furniture?
  All chalk varnishes from MissPompadour are easy to apply. The colours do not smell, they do not splatter or spill. Apply them in 2 coats and you will get a perfect result.
• Can you simply paint over furniture?
  Old varnishes that are still intact can simply be painted over. If the varnish flakes off, sand these areas and then prime with To Bond & Block.