A Swedish-inspired painted sideboard - Part 4 - Painting the sideboard

A Swedish-Inspired Painted Sideboard - Part 4 - Painting the Sideboard

Now it's time to put everything you've learnt into practice and begin painting your piece of furniture.

You Will Need:

• A piece of furniture to paint
• Filler and a sander as required
• Eggshell paints in your choice of colours
• Paint kettle
• Paint stick
• Water
• Scumble glaze if you want to
• 2 x standard decorators brushes for the colour wash (You need 1 for the wet wash and 1 to act as a softener brush)
• Chalk
• A selection of the smaller paintbrushes
• Paint palette
• 3 x water jars filled with water
• Damp cloth or biodegradable wipes
• Decorators varnish in a finish of your choice

Painting Your Furniture

Step 1

If your piece isn't untreated raw wood, you will need to spend some time prepping the surface for painting. Sand it back to remove any wax, varnish or lacquer and rub it down with sugar soap to get rid of any grime or grease.

Step 2

Apply the colour wash using the technique you learnt in Lesson 16; you can refer back to the step-by-step instructions provided in this workbook.

Step 3

Once the colour wash is dry, chalk your design onto the furniture, referring to your mock-up as you go. It's up to you as to whether you chalk your whole design on first and then begin painting, or if you would prefer to work in sections. You may want to measure certain elements to get the ratio and pattern repeat correct, as we did in the mirror frame project.

Step 4

With your design chalked on, you're ready to start painting! If you are painting on a vertical surface, it may take some getting used to - just remember to rest on your little finger and use confident, fluid motions.

Step 5

When you have the main body of your motifs painted, you can move on to adding the detailing and lowlights.

Step 6

Before adding your white highlights, it's a good idea to remove your chalk outline to remove any confusion later on. You can do this with a damp cloth or biodegradable wipes. Go lightly to avoid taking off any paint - you may want to try a dabbing motion to avoid smearing any potentially wet paint.

Step 7

After all the chalk is removed, you can begin to add your highlights. If you feel your white is too bright, you can knock it back by mixing it with an umber or ochre-toned paint.

Step 8

When you're finished painting, you can either leave it as is or add a layer of Decorators Varnish to give it a shine and extra durability.

Tips for Painting Furniture

• Don't worry about your chalk outline being perfect - any mistakes can simply be wiped off with your hand.
• Be open to adjusting your design as you go along; you may feel the need to add some elements and take away others. It's all part of the creative process!