How to paint a pine wardrobe white?

Nintey · 17 May 2013 at 10:14PM

To paint or not to paint? I have never attempted this before and wanted some advice on painting a pine wardrobe white please. We are moving house soon and cannot really afford/don't want to buy new wardrobes when the ones I have are perfectly adequate just the wrong colour!

This is my wardrobe -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38609933@N08/8748869790/in/photostream

I want to paint it a lovely shabby chic white colour and I wondered if this would cover ok with all the knots in it? Or would it just look like a complete bodge job by the time I've finished?!

What prep / paint would I need to use? Thanks!

manda1205 · 18 May 2013 at 10:30AM

Its possible, but there is a lot of sanding involved. Ideally you want an electric sander, you need to get through all that horrible yellow varnish to the bare wood before you can then paint. Im no expert but from my past experience I would remove doors and if possible dismantle the whole wardrobe as it'll be easier to sand them as single panels. Sand them all down so theres no varnish left, give a once over with either a wood primer or watered white emulsion (I've used both and not found its made much difference). Then Id use a white satin as a final coat, will probably need a few coats of it. Also recommend using a mini roller not a brush.
As I said Im no expert and you may get better advice, but that is how I have done some of my own pieces and Ive been pleased with the results.

Nintey · 18 May 2013 at 10:47AM

Thanks Manda1205 that's perfect, thanks for the advice!

I found a sander whilst clearing out the shed the other day and that's what set me off with this idea of painting the wardrobe! I also have this cabinet that I wanted to paint white to match the wardrobe -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7191651.htm

It just like a wood vaneer thing, would I also need to sand this first, or could I just prime and paint?

angelsmomma · 18 May 2013 at 10:57AM

The shabby chic board has lots of information on this sort of stuff. They seem to buy chalk paint and that does away with a lot of the prep.

manda1205 · 18 May 2013 at 1:13PM

Nintey wrote: »

Thanks Manda1205 that's perfect, thanks for the advice! I found a sander whilst clearing out the shed the other day and that's what set me off with this idea of painting the wardrobe! I also have this cabinet that I wanted to paint white to match the wardrobe -
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7191651.htm

It just like a wood vaneer thing, would I also need to sand this first, or could I just prime and paint?

Im not sure that malibu drawer would come up very well to be honest. You would need to key it up to get any paint to stick (sand over it to make it rough) but as its a veneer it may then go through to the mdf. They're also quite thin, so not sure how much you'd be able to sand. If you don't mind what happens to the drawers, just try it and see, but be prepared to have to bin them if it doesn't work.

slowcoachme · 18 May 2013 at 9:27PM

I have very similar problem, whole bedroom furniture bought in the 80's, with that very deep golden colour and varnish.
I have looked into this and Annie Sloan does a range of paints that apparently can be used with no prep at all. It's probably not cheap and it's not widely available. Has anyone used it?

How to paint a pine wardrobe white?

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