Help... Questions. Painting furniture...

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shuguzi

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#272667 8-Jul-2020 14:00

Hi all...

I have a question...

I am planning to paint my son's bed upon his requirement.
In order to paint the headboard and footboard, I will have to disassembly the bed, then I find a problem... The headboard and footboard does not stand by itself. It will need to against something after paint... Then the paint touch other items will affected...
How can this be prevented??
Should I paint one side and then the other side? If in this way, it gonna take couple of days to do the paint. In cluding the drying time, it goona be about 10 hours to do 3 coats. Then about 20 hours to do double side...

jonb

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#2519324 8-Jul-2020 14:08

Can tape some newspaper to the wall it will lean against whilst painting, or a big piece of cardboard, there will only be a tiny part of the headboard actually touching. If you paint the top bit first, it will be nearly dry by time you are ready to turn it over for the other side, have lunch before turning it over, or use a gentle hairdryer heat to speed up drying in that little section before turning over.

timmmay

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#2519345 8-Jul-2020 14:42

Don't rush the painting. It takes paint days or even weeks to fully dry and harden, so you need to be pretty careful moving it around if it's only dried in the past day or so.

Preparation is usually the key to a successful paint job.

neb

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#2520188 9-Jul-2020 16:38

On top of @timmmay's advice, if you really, really want to do it all at once (which I wouldn't), drive some nails into a piece of plywood and rest the thing to be painted on the points, with the least visible side down.

However, doing it in two parts is still better.

richms

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#2520201 9-Jul-2020 16:52

Screw into the foot of it from underneith and then suspend it from the screw on a wire.

Richard rich.ms

shanes

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#2520204 9-Jul-2020 17:03

This does depend a little on the paint...

While it may take 10 hours to do three coats when you have to wait for 2 - 3 hours between coats, it will normally be touch dry in 30 minutes, so you should be able to lean it gently on something without damaging the paint or transferring to the other surface.

By doing it that way, it would only add 30 minutes to the total painting time, not double it.

FineWine

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Nurse (R)

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#2520660 10-Jul-2020 11:44

richms:

Screw into the foot of it from underneith and then suspend it from the screw on a wire.

One of my first skills was spray painting aircraft in the Airforce. Suspending items which needed painting on both sides is the way to go.

String a sturdy line across your garage.
Rough sand down (P40 or P60) depending upon present condition of surface
finish off with a fine sand down (P100 or P120).
Screw in a curtain eye hook per leg and hook items over the strung up line.
Degrease entire surface with a mild solvent - Turps or degreaser from your local man cave shop
SPRAY coat one layer of Undercoat paint, not primer let dry according to paint instructions
lightly sand down (P120)
SPRAY first top coat and let dry according to paint instructions
SPRAY last top coat and let dry for 24 hours
gently reassemble bed

NOTE: when spray painting, move your body along the surface. Do not bend your wrist or you will get an uneven coat. Hold can 12 inches away from surface. Paint the edges and legs first, then the large flat surfaces. Press the cans nozzle as you approach the surface NOT while the can is in front of the surface that way you do not get a build up of paint in one spot.

Good luck 🎓

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

neb

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#2520739 10-Jul-2020 13:24

FineWine:

String a sturdy line across your garage.
Rough sand down (P40 or P60) depending upon present condition of surface
finish off with a fine sand down (P100 or P120).[...]

lightly sand down (P120)

That sounds pretty rough for furniture, and I'd also assume you were spraying two-pack epoxy if it could handle that level of beating up. For furniture I'd sand with P150 before the initial coat and then give it a very light brushing with P240 or 400 between coats if it's the type that needs sanding between coats, which a lot of household paints don't. Better yet use a nylon pad to lightly rough the surface.

Also if it's water-based either spray (with a mister) water on it and sand down the raised nibs or sand after your first coat of water-based primer, for the same reason.

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FineWine

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Nurse (R)

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#2520835 10-Jul-2020 15:53

neb:
FineWine:

String a sturdy line across your garage.
Rough sand down (P40 or P60) depending upon present condition of surface
finish off with a fine sand down (P100 or P120).[...]

lightly sand down (P120)

That sounds pretty rough for furniture, and I'd also assume you were spraying two-pack epoxy if it could handle that level of beating up. For furniture I'd sand with P150 before the initial coat and then give it a very light brushing with P240 or 400 between coats if it's the type that needs sanding between coats, which a lot of household paints don't. Better yet use a nylon pad to lightly rough the surface. Also if it's water-based either spray (with a mister) water on it and sand down the raised nibs or sand after your first coat of water-based primer, for the same reason.

I agree with most of what you suggest, but did sort of qualify the sanding "depending upon present condition of surface" and yes the final sand downs between coats you could use a nylon pad, one that is suitable for glass cleaning as you should only be getting rid of those dust nibs or dusty overspray. After sanding use a clean, preferable new, microfibre cloth and then immediately paint.

I would still only use an 'undercoat' type paint. As this is a previously painted surface and undercoat paints are better at filling in all those tiny imperfections and feathering areas, while primers are for raw unpainted wood which has yet to be sealed.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.