Wood cladding is invited both in interior decoration and outdoors. This material, both natural and timeless, gives a warm atmosphere and an incomparable charm to the house.
Despite its various advantages, raw wood furniture deteriorates over the years. To restore its shine, a few solutions are available to you. Between wood furniture paint, varnish, and lacquer coats, the latter option attracts most people due to its multiple benefits.
If you are wondering how to lacquer wood furniture, this article provides important explanations on the subject. But to better understand our ideas, it is important to define the interest of lacquered wood paint.
📋 What to remember: Personally, I consider lacquering furniture as the art of patience, because the result depends 90% on the preparation of the surface. For me, it is the most elegant finish to modernize an interior. By applying at least 3 ultra-thin coats, you will achieve that much sought-after professional mirror effect without any brush marks.
Why lacquer a piece of furniture?
🍀 Good points:
– Luxurious aesthetic finish
– High resistance to shocks
– Easy to clean
🔻 Limitations:
– Very long preparation
– Slow drying (dust)
– Very visible defects
When you think about renovating your interiors, a few small jobs are to be planned, for example filling wall holes, redoing floor coverings, and also giving furniture a second life.
If you plan to modernize them with a classic market paint, your table and chairs are enhanced, but their lifespan remains uncertain.
On the other hand, lacquering wood furniture is not only for beautifying it. The lacquer coats provide it with high resistance to temperature changes, humidity, and the test of time.
As for varnish, it does not manage to hide the furniture’s imperfections. However, lacquer is capable of concealing them.
Moreover, it is not only suitable for indoor wood furniture but also outdoor. It is the glossy finish lacquer that is adapted to outdoor surfaces.
Besides that, lacquering furniture steps helps increase the longevity of your old furniture. After application, it becomes both smooth to the touch and shinier, reflecting light.
If you do not know how to lacquer raw wood furniture or how to repaint lacquered furniture, remember that this operation is within everyone’s reach. You just need to equip yourself with the necessary tools and follow a few steps, and you’re done.
📍 My experience: In May 2024, I wanted to lacquer a vintage dresser bought for 25 euros at a flea market. I neglected sanding between coats and ended up with dust grains embedded everywhere. The lesson learned is clear: always work in a room free of drafts and vacuum your surface before each new coat.
What is the first step to lacquer a wooden piece of furniture?
To carry it out successfully, you must start by preparing the surface. It must be in good condition to receive the wood lacquer paint.
The first step is to clean the wooden furniture with warm soapy water or a degreasing product. Then wipe it with a clean cloth and let it dry for 24 hours.
To make it completely smooth, sand the surface with medium-grit sandpaper. This softens it and removes all small rough spots.
Once this step is finished, use a vacuum cleaner to remove sanding dust. As soon as the furniture is ultra clean, you can apply a primer.
If you do not have a lacquer filler, feel free to use universal undercoats. When the wooden furniture is dry, sand the surface again with sandpaper.
Following this preliminary phase, it is time to lacquer wooden furniture. Some people prefer to apply two lacquer coats, others decide to add one more. In any case, it is essential to choose a good wood lacquer paint.
What type of paint should be used to lacquer furniture?
Like lime, there are several products to paint lacquered furniture or simply to lacquer wooden furniture.
Recall that lacquer comes directly from Japan. It is highly praised for its shine and high resistance to weather conditions. It consists of a solvent and binder.
Lacquer comes in many types, namely acrylic lacquer, alkyd, glycérophtalic and natural origin.
The first is a water-based model. It is used both indoors and outdoors. Compared to some categories, it is completely odorless.
As for the second, it consists of water and alkyd resins. Like acrylic lacquer, it emits little odor.
For glycero lacquer, it is a solvent-based type. It is not widely used indoors as it releases organic compounds. This product is thus classified among polluting paints.
Now let’s discuss natural origin lacquer. As its name suggests, it is made from binders of natural source. That is why it is perfect for indoor wooden furniture paint.
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Lacquer also offers you 3 finish choices, including glossy, matte, and satin lacquer. The first is very aesthetic. With a mirror effect, it can be quite resistant.
🌍 Did you know? In the tradition of piano lacquering, up to 8 to 10 successive layers can be applied, each sanded with water, to achieve unparalleled color depth and shine.
For the second, it brings a note of sobriety to the wooden furniture. And if you prefer satin lacquer, it is defined as a better compromise between glossy finish lacquer and matte lacquer.
How to prepare the furniture surface before lacquering it?
Some people take DIY courses to learn how to paint lacquered furniture or how to lacquer furniture step by step. To achieve excellent results, surface preparation must not be taken lightly.
Apart from its cleaning and degreasing which were covered in the previous section, we will now talk about stripping.
In most cases, we are dealing with an old piece of furniture that is already painted or varnished. Therefore, this old finish must always remain homogeneous and stable. If this is not the case, it is necessary to restore it.
If the wood surface was previously waxed, you must remove the wax using a product designed for this purpose. There are also several natural solutions that seem effective, such as a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda.
If it is already covered with an old varnish or wood furniture paint, the use of a stripper is required. It is preferable to use an acrylic product. That said, you must scrape the furniture with a putty knife to remove the stripper residues.
It may also be that the previous paint and varnish still maintain an even appearance. In this case, sand the surface with sandpaper of an appropriate grit to ensure better adhesion.
All that remains is to dust your wooden furniture using a small broom. Don’t forget to wipe it with a slightly damp and, of course, clean cloth.
What tools are necessary to properly lacquer a piece of furniture?
If you do not know how to repaint lacquered furniture by sanding or how to lacquer wooden furniture, it is essential to equip yourself well.
To properly prepare wooden furniture, you need a cleaning product, a stripper or a wax remover. A sponge, a vacuum cleaner, and a small broom are necessary to clean and dust the surface.
Besides that, use a lacquering filler, a wood furniture primer preferably acrylic, a flat spatula, a putty knife, a brush or a lacquer roller, a flat brush with soft bristles, clean cloths, and of course lacquer or lacquered wood paint.
It is advisable to choose a good product so that the final result is top-notch. Although the top-of-the-line model often costs more, know that the price is worth the quality. Do not hesitate to favor an expensive but professional paint.
To remove the roughness of the support, use an abrasive paper grit or sandpaper with the most suitable grit. If the furniture is damaged, use wood filler to restore it.
For your safety, wear gloves to protect your hands. To avoid dirtying your clothes, wear a coverall or simply old clothes. If you are working inside the house, it is advisable to wear a mask.
💡 Tip: For a flawless result, work with grazing light. This will allow you to immediately spot any gaps or possible dust before the lacquer starts to set.
How many coats are generally recommended to lacquer a piece of furniture?
As a general rule, lacquering a wooden piece of furniture is done with at least 2 lacquer coats. Depending on the type of wood furniture paint, it is possible to apply 3 coats.
Let’s first talk about the first one. If the furniture has reliefs, it is advisable to use a cutting-in brush. Then paint the surface delicately and evenly with a paint roller.
Once the first coat is thoroughly dry, lightly sand the surface with sandpaper or 120-grit abrasive paper. The goal is to remove micro bubbles that probably form during the application of the lacquer and its drying.
As for the second coat, it should be applied after the first one has dried. After applying it, sand the surface with 120-grit sandpaper. If necessary, it is still possible to repeat this operation to provide a nicer finish.
When the second coat is dry, you can apply the third. It is done with a glossy finish lacquer. It requires a full drying time of 24 hours.
⚠️ Common mistake: Applying a coat that is too thick in an attempt to cover faster. The lacquer will run, create unsightly “runs” and will never dry through, remaining sticky to the touch for weeks.
When lacquering raw wooden furniture, it is advisable to choose the appropriate tool carefully. The selection depends on the size of the surface. For a small surface, you can use a brush, a bristle brush or even a roller.
Otherwise, it is faster to use a paint spray gun. Try to paint lacquered furniture on both sides to avoid swelling, warping, or cracking over time.
| Type of lacquer | Final appearance | Complete drying | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyurethane lacquer | High gloss | 24 to 48 h | High |
| Acrylic lacquer | Satin / Glossy | 4 to 6 h | Medium |
| Glycero-phthalic lacquer | Mirror finish | 12 to 24 h | High |
How to avoid brush or roller marks when lacquering furniture?
When planning to lacquer raw wooden furniture, our main goal is to give it a fresh new look. However, when there are roller or brush marks everywhere, it is safe to say that one is extremely disappointed with the results.
Fortunately, it is entirely possible to prevent this situation. To do so, it is recommended to use good tools during the furniture painting process and to lacquer correctly. Favor a lacquer brush or a model with fine or soft bristles.
Similarly, some rollers are mainly designed for repainting lacquered furniture. It is wise to favor them to limit imperfections on the furniture.
When you apply the product, make sure the paint is not too thick. You can apply it in cross passes. Avoid overloading the brush.
It should be noted that marks often also come from the environment. It is therefore preferable to paint lacquered furniture when the ambient temperature is between 10 to 20 degrees.
Estimez la quantité de laque nécessaire pour votre meuble :
