How to refresh your furniture with colour

There couldn’t be a better time to focus on those small decoration projects within the home.

If you have always wanted to refresh a chest of drawers, book case, or wardrobe with a colourful twist, now is the perfect time to reinvent items and transform them into bespoke pieces.

Wall and Skirting: Hollyhock 25 Highlight Stripe: Hellebore 275 Chair: Carmine 189 Floor: Royal Navy 257

Upcycling or simply painting a piece of furniture is one of the easiest ways to create a focal point, whether you’re painting a stand-out piece or a complementary item that will blend with the rest of the scheme.

Drawers: Marigold 209 Stool: Chocolate Colour 124 Walls: Bone China Blue – Pale 182 Building blocks: Marigold 209 & Carmine 189 Flooring: Bone China Blue 107 & Bone China Blue – Pale 182

For example, If your walls and woodwork are painted with a neutral combination of stepped shades from the ‘French Grey’ family, furniture provides the opportunity to incorporate some bolder tones. A contrasting accent colour such as ‘Tuscan Red’ on a chest of drawers will bring warmth and character to your room while still retaining a muted, sophisticated finish.

If your walls are painted in a deep, rich tone such as ‘Mid Azure Green’, consider a complementary colour such as ‘Dorchester Pink’ for the piece of furniture. This will add freshness, fun and bring an element of contrast.

Wall: Carlton House Terrace - Pompon Desk: Tea with Florence 310 Dado Rail: French Grey – Dark 163 Lower Wall: French Grey - Mid

Once you have selected a colour, you will then need to choose a suitable finish…

For interior woodwork projects, we would recommend our ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ finish and our ‘Intelligent ASP’ should you need a primer. ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ is:

• Available in all colours
• Ideal for painting interior woodwork including kitchen cabinets and furniture such as chairs, tables, wardrobes and trim.
• Fully-washable
• Virtually odourless in application and dry in 1–2 hours
• Environmentally-friendly
• Available in 1l, 2.5 for smaller projects & 5l tins for larger projects
• Child-safe
• Low-sheen of 30–35%
• Very durable

Unit: Pleat 280 Shelving: Heat 24

Our in house Professional Decorator has provided this step-by-step guide to follow for interior furniture projects using Intelligent Satinwood and Intelligent ASP:

A Guide To Painting Previously Painted Wooden Furniture:

• Ensure surface is clean, dry and grease free using sugar soap to remove all loose and flaking paintwork then rinse with clean water. Rub down with a medium grade sandpaper feathering in where paint has been removed.
• For a significant colour change, apply one coat of ‘Intelligent ASP’ (all surface primer) to ensure the depth of colour is retained. Allow to dry for at least two hours.
• Stir the paint thoroughly before use then apply the first coat of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ evenly and allow to dry for four hours.
• Apply a second coat of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’. Two full coats of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ are recommended to achieve full depth of colour. Your piece will be surface dry within 1–2 hours.

A Guide To Painting Bare or New Wooden Furniture:

• Ensure that the surface is cleaned and treated.
• Ensure that any knots in softwood and all hardwoods are sealed with Aluminium Wood Primer or knotting compound.
• New wood should then be primed using Intelligent ASP (15% v/v with water to allow penetration into the substrate). Ensure wood is dry as damp wood should never be painted.
• Stir the paint thoroughly before use. Apply the first coat of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ evenly and allow to dry for four hours.
• Apply a second coat of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’. Two full coats of ‘Intelligent Satinwood’ are recommended to achieve full depth of colour. Your piece will be surface dry within 1–2 hours.

Once you’ve completed your furniture project, don’t forget to share the results on social media, we’d love to see them!