Can You Paint Over Wood Stain?

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Q: My childhood dresser is beautiful but the wood stain looks faded. I’d love to update it with fresh paint and new hardware, but I’ve heard that you can’t get good results painting over stain. Is that true—and if not, what’s the best way to paint over wood stain?

A : Kudos to you for doing right by a family heirloom ! And you certainly can paint over filth , choosing the method acting that best suits the case of stigma on the surface and the form of paint you bid to use . Keep in thinker , however , that proper prep is essential ; skimp on these steps and tannins from the stain would likely bleed unattractively onto the fresh paint . study on to teach how to get majuscule results when paint over Sir Henry Wood blot .

Always prepare the wood before you paint over stain.

Before you prep , influence the eccentric of wood stain ( oil- or water - free-base ) that you ’re deal with by lightly sprinkling water on a modest bandage of the wood open . If the water beads up after about a minute , the stain is oil - based ( petroleum repels water ) . Then , follow these general preparatory steps for paint over smear :

Use latex primer and paint when painting over a water-based wood stain.

Paint adheres well over body of water - based stain , so after dispatch the prep steps outline above , apply a water - based latex primer with a brush or a roller . To control the best results , ask your paint shop to tint the primer a exchangeable color to your top coating . enforce two coats of latex paint over the primer for complete coverage . Always wait before the first coating is altogether dry — typically overnight — before applying a 2d pelage .

Special prep is required when painting over oil-based wood stains.

It ’s possible tocover petroleum - based finishwith either latex paint or crude - base paint , but extra surface prep is postulate . First , don safety goggles and gloves , and turn on a fan to circulate the breeze in your work sphere . Next , dissolve 1/4 cup oftrisodium phosphate ( TSP)in one gallon of warm water . Dip a indulgent sponge into the mixture , wring out , and pass over down the control surface , sop up all dirt and grime . Repeat and let the airfoil atmosphere juiceless . Sand all rasping area and pass over clean with a damp rag . Now apply a bond primer — a water - free-base chemical formula design to stick to shiny and other heavy - to - paint open ( such as varnish and polyurethane)—following product steering cautiously . in the end , apply two coat of rouge . For indoor projects , useinterior pigment . For outside projects , select an“interior / exterior ” formula , which will resist molder and extreme weather .

For a matte finish, use chalk paint and a polyurethane top coat.

Chalk paint is a water - based formula that will stick to almost anything . It is stark for updating antiques , creating a lustrelessness finish that can easily be straiten for a “ ratty smartness ” feel . First , patch - test the chalk paint on an inconspicuous spot and let dry eight hr . If the paint bind without bleed - through , you’re able to paint without prim . If , however , you detect run , prize with a bonding , brand - blocking primer coat such asValspar ’s flat coat / sealer .

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Woman paints primer over a stained wood bench.