How do you know when you’re getting the best paint brand for your furniture? This is a question that I often get in my business. With so many brands out there on the market, it’s tough to know. Today I want to share the 7 things I expect from a good quality furniture paint with you. These statements in this blog post are strictly my opinions based on my experience with furniture paint.
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How To Pick The The Best Paint Brand For Furniture
1. Is the furniture paint water-based?
The best paint brand for furniture, in my opinion, will be water-based. It’s all about the cleanup. Let’s face it. Ain’t nobody got time for the messy and smelly chemicals it takes to clean equipment and brushes with oil-based paints. Today’s water-based furniture paints have been proven to be very durable, and with ease of use, they have become the go-to in furniture painting.
2. Is the paint highly pigmented?
The paint should be highly pigmented. With more pigmentation comes better coverage. With better coverage means less work. Why wouldn’t you want a paint that covers in 2 coats and not 3? Back in the day, I painted almost every piece with no less than 3 coats. Today’s furniture paint with high-quality ingredients will cover most surfaces with 2 coats. With dark colors, it’s possible to get coverage with 1 coat. Unheard of, right? I’ve done it!
3. Can the paint be reactivated with water?
With all the artistic designs you see in furniture painting today, it’s important to find water-based paint that reactivates with water for blending the colors. Not all furniture paints are created equal. Believe me; I’ve tried a lot. This especially helps when you have an oops! You know, when you splattered paint or your dog decided she needed some highlights in her tail. I know your laughing too. Ha! It’s the same way with painting your toenails. We all know the only way to fix that is to start over. With water-activated paint, you can spray mist it with water and correct it with your brush in most cases.
4. Is the paint easy to apply?
Let’s talk a little about the furniture paint application. It’s a great question. If furniture paint isn’t easy to apply… why bother, right? I paint for many reasons, but one is that it’s pleasurable. Therapeutic to a point. Painting furniture shouldn’t be hard. It’s not the difficulty that scares people away but rather the nervousness of how it will turn out—two different subjects. Painting is easy, and the application of the furniture paint should be as well.
5. Is the furniture paint self-leveling?
There are times that brush strokes are appropriate depending on the piece that I’m painting,’ but I want that to be intentional, not because the paint tells me what to do. That’s why I need to have self-leveling furniture paint. If I wanted the brush strokes, I’d create them.
6. Does the furniture paint give a durable finish?
When I say finish, I’m talking about topcoats. For a long time, all I knew was that all chalk/mineral-based furniture paints needed to be sealed with a topcoat. I have a little problem with that. That’s more work. I’m into working smarter, not harder. True enough, high traffic areas on furniture do need a sealer in my opinion, but I would like to have an option. I don’t want to have to seal the whole piece. It’s important that the furniture paint I use dries to a super hard, durable finish and doesn’t require a sealer.
7. Is the furniture paint affordable?
My Grandpa would always say, “money don’t grow on trees.” He once painted his pickup truck with a brush and leftover paint. I swear this to be true! My Grandma was furious. “George, what were you thinking?!” I can hear her like it was yesterday. In his defense, it was a pretty teal color. That 52 Chevy was never the same. Sorry, back to my point. Higher-priced paint doesn’t mean higher quality. And if you’re buying furniture to flip and sell, the paint cost shouldn’t cost more than the furniture. I want good quality paint at a good price.
So, here is my recommendation. I have found all these qualities in several different furniture paints on the market. The defining factor for me was the cost. Why pay more when you can pay less and get the same quality? With 60+ colors to choose from and even more, the possibilities are endless if you like to color mix like myself.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope this will help you find the best paint brand for furniture. If you’re considering Dixie Belle Paint and decide to try it, I’d love to hear your feedback. Drop me your thoughts in the comment section below. I love hearing from you.
Wanna see the furniture piece I painted above with Dixie Belle? CLICK HERE to see the completed project.
Happy Painting! 🙂
xo, Do
