Painting IKEA furniture will transform your boring average flatpack into a unique piece that you’ll surely value dearly. Just like you, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of IKEA lovers who also share the urge for beautiful and inspiring ideas for repainting IKEA furniture.
So, if you:
Keep reading! This article will help.
Unfortunately, myths about peeling paint circulate the web and many people seem to ask the same question:
“Can you paint IKEA furniture?”– Yes, you can. But you need to prepare.
Luckily for you, we just so happened to write this blog post that will help you figure out how to paint IKEA furniture the right way.
Here’s what you will need to obtain before painting IKEA furniture:
Surely, this is question #1. Should you paint your unit prior to flat pack assembly or should you dismantle it after it has been already assembled and used for a good period of time?
The Answer:
It all depends on how much you are actually willing to invest. If you’re ready to put the extra dash of effort and chase the perfect finish, then you should definitely go with option #2 and take the flat pack apart. If you want to be efficient in terms of time – you could simply paint your flat pack as it is. Whatever you decide, know this: the furniture must be well cleaned of any grime before you start painting.
Regardless if the paint is rolled or sprayed, it will cost you far less hassle and nerves (in terms of painting itself) if you can paint your IKEA furniture prior to assembly (in its out-of-the-box state).
Bear in mind that taking an already assembled flat pack unit apart may result in unforeseen damage to its parts and those are often hard to fix.
Painting a unit you’ve already put together has both pros and cons.
Here are both the pros and cons:
A team can go and get your Ikea furniture and deliver it straight to your doorstep.
This article is meant to help you paint the most common IKEA units, such as Kallax (former Expedite), Lack, Malm, etc. All these flat packs are built out of laminated veneer chipboard, which is known to prevent paint from properly adhering to the surfaces.
The reason lies in the fact that most types of paint have a difficult time with smooth, non-porous melamine coatings, like the ones IKEA uses.
If you want to successfully paint IKEA furniture, you will have to be properly prepared. If you fail to properly prepare the surface prior to colouring it, the paint might simply chip off. That’s why it is crucial for you to do your homework right prior to applying the primer.
Different IKEA units come with different surface coatings. What most flatpacks have in common is the vital need of sanding, also known as keying. Some pieces come with a smooth and shiny feel, while others have a sleek and glossy touch to them.
The goal of sanding is to give the primer a proper base to grab onto. Try something that will only roughen up the base, i.e. a P120 grade sandpaper would do just fine.
Removing leftovers is absolutely mandatory when sanding prior to painting. You do not want to have dust and other tiny particles in the way, otherwise, they may prevent the primer from adhering properly.
Sturdy adhesion can be tricky.
The main purpose of the primer is to act as an efficient base for the paint to stick to, regardless of the type of painted surface. If you fail to apply the primer properly, your paint will face the high probability of chipping off.
Painting via spraying will provide a decent result in terms of simplicity. Even though it’s quite efficient, the paint will almost always fail to adhere if you skip or neglect the primer.
Most products will deliver a whitish colour, which is perfect if you’re about to apply a lighter palette. However, for darker paint, you’ll have to apply several primer layers for an even finish.
Regardless of how you paint your IKEA furniture – via spray, mini-roll, or brush – it will be there to stay as long as you’ve done proper preparations.
Once you’re done and the primer has dried off, apply one last round of gentle sanding by using any medium-high grade sandpaper. The goal here is to fix any defects, bumps, irregularities, or other issues. As long as you keep things gentle and keep your primer out of harm’s way, everything will be okay.
It is important to use the right primer for the right type of surface and paint. Make sure you thoroughly read what the product labels have to say.
There is a widespread rumour that mixing oil-based and latex paint is impossible. Truth be told, that’s not absolutely wrong. To have oil paint over a latex primer is a no-no, but using latex paint over oil primer will actually work.
Before we proceed, it’s important to once more stress on the fact that, if you do not key nor properly prime your furniture, you’ll surely regret the results.
Tips for painting IKEA furniture:
Stick to these tips and success will follow, otherwise, the paint will most likely chip off from the slightest of knocks or from something as silly as placing a hot cup of coffee. If you are doing this in a carpeted room and some of the paint has splashed over the carpet, don’t worry – here is how to remove paint stains from carpeting.
Sealing your IKEA unit after repainting it is crucial to keeping the pleasant and glossy feel of the finish.
Did you use eggshell paint? If so, then a top coat of sealer can do a great job for your finish. While there a are quite a few types of poly-sealants out there, products that will help you fully finish painting your IKEA furniture can be both oil-based polyurethane and water-based polycrylic sealers.
The first one is proactive and comes in both oil and water-based varieties, as well as in glossy or satin finishes.
Oil-based sealants tend to turn yellow as they age. Although this is true for most products, water-based products do have a few advantages of their own. They won’t cost you the hustle and nerves to both apply and clean. Water-based sealants have a faint odour and are far less toxic compared to their counterparts. They also take less time to dry, compared to oil-based sealants.
Water-based sealants would be a better choice for painting IKEA furniture, but you should consider the alternative as well. Oil-based polyurethane behaves better when exposed to extreme temperatures, compared to option #2.
How about coating your IKEA paintwork via Polycrylic?
It is a water-based type of coating. You can find both high gloss and satin finishes. Usually, you can apply it via either a spray bottle or with a roller.
Applying a transparent coat of satin polycrylic is often close to unnoticeable and will benefit the wellbeing of your IKEA paintwork in the long term.
Polycrylic works great over regular latex. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for matte latex. The compounds of matte paint keep the otherwise “fast drying” polycrylic from doing so. This means that you may end up with cracks when everything dries off.
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Now you know how you can paint IKEA furniture! Feel free to share your own tips below in the comments.
Image source: iMoved Studio/shutterstock.com
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