In this session, we are going to review the basics of cleaning to get your furniture ready for painting.  Paint needs a good clean surface in order to properly adhere.  Years of use, polishing, and handling results in a build-up on the surface that paint does not like. Probably the number one failure in painting is not properly cleaning the piece.

No one likes to do it but it's one of those, pay me now or pay me later things.  A lot of folks will tell you, all you have to do is just paint, no special prep.  While that may work, sooner or later you will get caught.  Nothing is worse than getting a piece of trash in your paint while applying and it's really much easier to properly clean than to have to start all over if the paint fails to "stick".  It's not that hard and the process gives you a chance to look for other issues that will need to be addressed, missing hardware, a stuck drawer, or door that just doesn't fit.  So now that we have you convinced that cleaning is a good idea, let's go.

Now lets get down to the real work.  There are two products that we like to use to clean our furniture.  The first is TSP.  It comes as a powder that you mix with water or as a ready mix.  One nice thing about mixing your own is that you can make it a little stronger if needed for a particular piece.  Remember to always follow the manufactures instruction, sometimes more is not always better.  The other is Simple Green. ​ However there are a number of fine cleaning products on the market, just use what you like.

​Regardless of your cleaning product, thoroughly clean the piece getting in all the crevices and nooks (that where most of the crud lives) using a soft cloth. We will sometimes use a micro-fiber cloth for cleaning if the piece is really dirty, saves a little time.  You may also want to use a paint stick with your cloth wrapped over it to get into really small places.  Once washed down, thoroughly rinse with clean water to not only remove the remaining dirt but to also get all of the cleaning agents off as well.  You may need to change the rinse water several times to remove all of the loose grim. In areas that are hard to get into, use a hairdryer on the lowest heat setting to help force out the dirt.  If you have an air compression, that works even better.  Once rinsed, allow the piece to completely dry before proceeding.  We like to set the piece outside in the sun and get a little help with the drying.

Final Note: If it's going to be awhile before you paint, don't worry about keeping the piece covered and clean because in the next post we are going to get it dirty again.

 In this session we will be introducing the paint products we sale and use representing paint and paint related products from two manufactures;

   - Fusion Mineral Paint

   - General Finishes

Both are excellent and offer an extensive range of colors and finishes for DIYers as well as professionals.  We carry both because we feel they compliment and enhance each other in both color and usability.

Fusion: Fusion's mineral paint is a water base product that is self-leveling and does not require a top coat.  It is an excellent choice for brush applications but may also be sprayed.  It comes in small testers sizes so you can view your color choice or use for small projects. The standard is a pint size and the pint will cover 75 square feet paint, think large dressers, buffets or an armoire with two coats and have paint left over. It is currently offered on over 50 colors. 

​We also carry other Fusion products; clear glaze, antique glaze, ultra-grip, waxes, and other finishing items.  We will discuss those in more detail in a future post as we discuss their application to enhance your project.  Also note that the paints may be mixed together to create custom color blends.

To learn more about Fusion Paint visit their web site.

General Finishes:  General Finishes' milk paint is a poly-acrylic water based product that is self leveling and does not require a top coat.  While not a true "milk" paint, it recreates the deep bold colors of traditional milks paints. It comes in pints and a pint will paint most pieces of furniture with two coats.  It is currently offered in 26 colors.

General Finishes Chalk like paint is a water based product that does require a top coat, either waxing or sealer.  Since it re-hydrates it is an excellent choice for color blending.  It comes in quart sizes. It is currently offered in 20 colors 

We also carry other General Finishes products, pearl effects, glaze effects, high performance top coats, gel stains, and extenders.  We will discuss those in more detail in a future post as we discuss their application to take your project to the next level.  Also note that the paints (milk and chalk) may be mixed together to create custom color blends. 

To learn more about General Finishes Paint visit their web site.

Final Note:  We are certified retailers for both product lines, having completed their respective training requirements and can help you with your painting needs as it relates to those products.  

We are making progress on learning the mechanics of creating blog posts and have made some progress in creating our Tutorial posts as well as some General Information posts.  We hope to get the process finalized and start posting on a regular schedule.

We would like to offer a few guidelines as we start this process.  We will attempt to publish our posts on Tuesday evenings and will try to do that every two weeks.  Feel free to comment or ask questions on the post and we will attempt to response in a timely manner.  We will leave the comment period open for 2-3 weeks.

If you have future post subjects that you would like to get our take on, just drop us an email or add a comment on a post.  If we have knowledge on the subject we will try to address. 

We may from time to time discuss other products that we use, we are not affiliated with any of those products and receive no compensation from their manufacturers.  They are just products we have found that work for us, fill a need, and we realize that there are other products that perform in similar ways.