Poly seems like the easier method, but once you get the hang of using wax – you realize it is so easy to apply and buff. Thanks Terri – Water-based poly is a great product, one that I always used, but after making over my first piece of furniture with chalk paint and wax, it was the finish I had always tried to achieve with poly and never could. It is called Liberty Blue. Its also oil based, which works best on top of stained wood and other oil based paints. I recently finished one of the last two DIY projects in my master bedroom makeover. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. January 2020 Don’t allow your furniture to be ruined by the normal wear & tear of everyday life! In fact, it looked awful – streaky and uneven. Painting furniture is all about adding your style to the piece. Another benefit is the ability of polyurethane to be polished. I was thinking about half way through this that, if DIANE has a problem with a product, I can absolutely assume “I” will have a problem with it….thanks again! So the fear that you will have to keep waxing the furniture every few months is not valid. Keep in mind we did buff it as much as we could! For 98% of my painted furniture makeovers, I like the smooth clear finish soft/paste wax gives a painted finish, but I don’t use it for everything. If I were painting a dining room table I would use a sealer or top-coat over any paint type. You used Minwax Polycrylic on your light colored bathroom cabinet. Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links. Since it is water-based it won’t yellow. The gloss would be shinier than the buffed wax and you may see a sheen difference. Whether decorating our own home or painting for clients and customers, it comes up often. I just ordered two unfinished bookcases for our living room and I plan to paint them (too many shades of wood going on already otherwise I would stain) but I feel paralyzed about the last step. (not high touch area) ( I will leave plenty of time to dry) Paste wax works great at sealing chalk painted pieces since the paint has a flat finish that is porous. Apply another very thin coat of Bonding primer. If you do need to seal or wax over It has a slight smell, but not as bad as the Johnson’s. I have used this brand more than any of the others. The best finishes effectively perform this function and last a long time, while also enhancing the beauty of the furniture. If you want to paint marble, you need to really scuff up the surface with sandpaper – 100 or 60 grit. A coat of poly can make your painted furniture look as good as new for a long time. I love the blue on that desk! You need to have special skills to get it just right.If I can’t get it right after making over dozens of pieces of furniture, then someone newer to the furniture makeover process may really find it challenging. This causes streakiness. I always remove the poly and then apply the wax? Of course you can wax the top of your chest and poly the sides. Gel finish. I like that your opinions are experience based and you back them up with pictures to show how beautifully it works out. It furthermore works best on oil-based paints. The dresser came along with my husband 46 years ago, and he is strangely attached to it!! How to choose the best furniture paint for you Buying the right furniture paint deserves a bit of strategic thinking. And knowing which woods will work best for a painted finish will help you choose the least expensive option. When using latex paint, the white primer you put on first will stop tannins from bleeding through the paint. When using chalk paint which is flat matte finish, soft paste wax is used to seal it. I wanted the bench seat to match the black legs of the bench so I spray painted the seat of the bench with black satin spray paint. Thank you Diane. Wax is a top coat that helps seal in the paint and provides good protection from spills, liquids, etc. To prep your chest, you need to give it an overall sanding with 100 grit sandpaper. It is sold in 1/2 pints and quarts ranging in price from $11 – $18. Apply each coat with the same tools to ensure your brush strokes on the base coat don’t show through to the top. Do you know how you would go about painting a new color over a waxed finish? This is a mistake. Hi Christy – I don’t think you have to worry. Have a great weekend. Another thing about when you paint an object, you only need to choose one finish. Hi Lacy – I totally understand your question. I have some leftover chalk paint, so I will try that first. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog or to like us on social media for more weekly post on furniture and fun DIY projects . Coat the entire piece of furniture with a second coat of paint. We allowed 24 hours between coats to dry. I painted Ed’s desk with Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Liberty Blue. Paint can take up to 30 days to fully cure/harden even after it is dry to the touch. All of these would are water-based and come in a clear flat finish. I am asking because if it is white, sealing with a top coat even a water-based one may yellow the finish slightly over the years. You can't do better than clear polyurethane when you need a protective coating for painted furniture. Applying a new layer takes 1o minutes. Congrats on the new baby! I always wait about a day after buffing. I really like this blog and wanted to ask a question. BTW, the paint guy recommended a faster drying poly which I used and had to sand off because it dried much too quickly for a long tabletop. So I’ve had to create a secondary email in order to do so. I hope this helps. I think adding wax to protect a painted finish seems scary to some people. Annie Sloan Clear Wax – You can’t go wrong with this wax. Most recently, I’ve been using a clear coat varnish on my painted furniture pieces, and I am finding that this is the easiest top coat finish I’ve ever used. That is something else to keep in mind when deciding on a top coat for your project. It comes in a few different sheens. I have used these on a few pieces. Ive been looking for a polyurethane I can brush on to protect them from the elements. BUT…I also love to change things up and repaint them at times. Watch my new topcoat video here 👉https://youtu.be/CbZJCWllcl4My favorite top coats for chalk paint or furniture paint are … My father in law was a furniture maker and he taught me to use the dry roller method. A clear polyurethane topcoat can seal exterior paints and help prolong the life of the finish. Even if you want to apply dark wax over the top to create an antiqued look, you will need to do a clear coat of wax over the whole piece, before you apply any dark wax. Try the KILZ Premium High-Hide Stain Blocking Interior Clear Wood Finish, one of the best wood finishing topcoats available for furniture. It will all be clear. Hi there! My boyfriend and I used chalk paint on an old dresser to change the color. If you just applied the stain, make sure it is fully dry before sealing. How to Apply a Durable Polyurethane Top Coat To Painted Furniture. What are your thoughts and what did you do on this desk? Also how long do I wait until the paint dries to apply the sealer. It originally was a cherry wood and had the ‘red’ color look for the seat. For every other piece of chalk painted furniture on which I have used wax to seal the surface, I haven’t had to add new wax. If you haven’t figured it out yet I am always full of questions so…..I have another one (just to make sure I perfectly understand something). They may deepen the color a bit and add a subtle sheen, but they don’t change the color. Rinse well and let dry. Thank you! If it looks good and doesn’t remove the paint, then it will be OK to use. I prefer wax, but it does take some buffing to get it to a sheen, but once you do, it looks great and will cure to a hard finish in a few weeks. Hi Marlene – The marbleized effect on your cabinet sounds nice. Chalk paint will stick to anything. I have a question related to a waxed finish. But then, the surface area of what you’re painting is … Check out this post to see it in action:http://bit.ly/2G2KOys. The thinner paint made for a smoother coverage from the paint sprayer. But if you are working on a project where you do need a sealer then make sure to check out The Best Method for Sealing Painted Furniture. 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