Anyone know about refinishing furniture?

[ariesfl326]

A few months ago I bought a desk for myself (to scrap of course) and a desk for my daughter. I bought both of them from Craigslist and need to repaint them. I plan on using a separate primer, not the combo primer/paint. My biggest question is what brand of paint is best? I would love to be able to get the paint from Home Depot since I have a credit card for that store but I'm open to other suggestions.

Are there any other tips or suggestions you can offer for refinishing/repainting furniture?

Thanks!

[Paula]

I love Home Depot!! They have very good paint.

As for tips, is your old desk painted or varnished already? If it has a varnish, you should take off the old finish and then paint. If you don't, it may be a little patchy. If it's painted, then you will want to sand it so that the surface is smooth and then repaint. But, ideally, you should remove the finish either way so that you'll have a nice smooth surface when you paint. It really depends on how much work you want to put into it.

[MommaTrish]

Originally Posted by Paula

I love Home Depot!! They have very good paint.

As for tips, is your old desk painted or varnished already? If it has a varnish, you should take off the old finish and then paint. If you don't, it may be a little patchy. If it's painted, then you will want to sand it so that the surface is smooth and then repaint. But, ideally, you should remove the finish either way so that you'll have a nice smooth surface when you paint. It really depends on how much work you want to put into it.

What she said.
My father refinishes furniture for a living (has been for the past 14ish years) I can ask him when I see him on Christmas.

[Sarah8914]

I think by priming it though, you avoid having to take off a preview paint/finish. I am no pro... maybe varnish is different, but priming works amazingly well!

This lady spray paints everything. I haven't mastered spray painting (and don't know where in the world I would do it) but I'm going to try it with a cheap (actually free to us) bookshelf we've had for years. http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2010...iture-101.html

She's done tables, hutches, desks, chairs, even a piano!

[ariesfl326]

Thanks ladies! The desk I bought my daughter is definitely wood so I think it will take some sanding. There's no varnish on it.

As for mine it's a little different. It feels more like laminent (spelling?) with pressed board in between. Reminds me of the furniture you can buy and put together yourself. If I can get some pictures I'll post them but right now it's stuffed in my garage.