How to Paint Wood

Co-authored by Sam Adams

Last Updated: March 17, 2024 Approved

You might think aside from walking and maybe riding a bike, painting wood would be a close third in the "things that are really easy to do" category. This might be the case if the wood you are painting is attached to an old barn. When setting out to paint wood, however, you have a couple of options: do it well or do it sloppy. You should strive to do the best you can, so with a little patience and a good technique, you can paint wood as well as any professional.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Wood for Painting

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This is probably the most overlooked part of painting wood, and in many ways is the most critical. Your work is only as good as the canvas upon which your creation takes life. Paint will not fill in cracks, dents, holes or other imperfections in the wood and keep them hidden after it dries. In fact, those imperfections will probably be even more apparent.
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Remove any old paint from the wood as necessary. If the wood you want to paint has paint already on it, you may have to remove it before adding a new coat. Take a putty knife and scrape away as much paint as you can without getting too persnickety about coverage; don’t worry, you’ll sand away smaller flecks of residual paint before the preparation is done.
- Unless the existing surface is an oil-based stain or finish, do not use chemical strippers. Scrape as much off as possible and then use a trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution to clean off the rest of the loose paint and grime. Rinse well.
- If your wood is treated with a stain or a finish, apply TSP to the wood. Instead of trying to remove the stain or finish entirely, focus on cleaning and sanding it (more on sanding later) in order to give the paint a porous surface to adhere to.
- Stripping the paint isn’t always needed. In fact, you can often paint over existing coats. This may call for a primer, though, if your paint isn’t sticking well to the earlier coat.
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Fill all dings and deep gouges with quality wood putty, if possible. Use a flexible putty knife and fill in all the areas needing attention. It is better to use too much in this step than not enough. You will sand down the area after it dries and hardens, so it doesn't need to be perfect at this step.
- Use regular spackle or joint compound to fill in small or shallow scratches. Try to use spackle with a primer included. Wait to dry completely before sanding.
- Caulk areas of long and deep cracks. Use a tiny bead of caulk, smoothing it out well. Wait to dry completely before sanding.
Start by sanding down the area where you've used putty or filler before moving to the rest of the surface for an even feel. Use a fine grade sandpaper for this work sanding the wood with 80 to 100 grit sandpaper, making sure to remove any paint that’s still on the surface. Finish off with fine 150-grit or higher to smooth out the surface and get it ready for priming. Remember to work the sandpaper with the grain of the wood, not against it, and to keep power sanders moving.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Sam Adams
Professional Contractor

Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.}

Sanding tools:
Random orbital sander: Powerful but expensive, requires sanding disks.
Sheet sander: Less effective, but cheap and uses regular sandpaper. Best on flat surfaces.
Sanding block: Very labor-intensive. Not recommended except on small projects or for finishing touches.
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Clean off any dust or wood residue with a tack cloth. If you have a vacuum, vacuum off the wood thoroughly, followed by a sweep with a tack cloth. If you don’t have a vacuum, wipe off the dust or residue with a tack cloth, finishing off with a damp cloth. Wait for the wood to fully dry.
- Paint or primer won’t adhere properly to dirty surfaces. Paint does its job best when the surface that you apply it to is clean.^{[2]
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  Sam Adams
  Professional Contractor
  
  Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.}
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Tape off any parts of the wood that you don't wish to paint. If you want a section of the wood to remain unpainted, or you want to paint a section of the wood a different color, you'll want to use tape to cover the parts of the wood you don't want to paint. You can get specially-treated tape designed for latex paint, like Frog Tape, at most hardware or home repair stores. These kinds of tapes adhere to wood well and are designed to minimize paint seeping into the pores of the wood.
- If you want to leave parts of the wood unpainted, you'll want to tape off at this stage of the prep. If you want to paint the wood different colors, you'll want to tape off after you've primed all the wood and painted specific sections.
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Prime the wood. Primer helps paint achieve a uniform, rich look on top of wood.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Sam Adams
Professional Contractor

Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.} Apply one coat for an even look in your final product. If priming raises the grain of the wood, consider sanding with a fine-grit sandpaper before the final coat of primer.^{[4]
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Research source} (Be sure to wipe off excess residue before applying your coat of primer.) Follow instructions on your primer when calculating time between coats as well as the number of coats.
- Which color primer should you use? Use grey primer for darker coats of paint and white primer for brighter coats of paint.
- Should you use oil-based vs. latex-based primer? For many years, professionals instructed painters to use an oil-based primer on wood and follow it up with latex-based paint. That is not always the case now. Oil-based primer adheres to wood better, but it's also less flexible than latex primer, which means it's more susceptible to cracking.^{[5]
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  Research source} On the other hand, oil-based primer is usually the more durable of the two. Unless you are painting wood outdoors, oil-based primer is probably your best bet.
- Should you use a spray primer or brush-on primer? It's mostly a matter of preference. Spraying is easier and faster, but it usually requires several coats to get good coverage. Brushing is slower and more painstaking, but creates a thinner, more even layer of primer onto which to paint.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Painting the Wood

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Most home paint jobs today rely on latex (water-based) paint. Aside from a handful of scenarios, this is probably the type of paint you want to use when it comes to wood.

Alternatives and additions:
Oil-based paint: a durable coat good for heavily used items. Dries slowly, leaving fewer brush marks.^{[6]
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Conditioner or Extender: Add this to latex paint to slow down drying and reduce brush marks.
Sheen, or gloss, is the amount of light reflected in your paint. High-gloss paints will appear to shimmer when exposed to light, while matte paints will absorb light and hide imperfections. When choosing a paint, look for descriptions of sheen and buy accordingly.

Common types of sheen:^{[8]
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Flat: non-reflective finish good for hiding imperfections. More color depth and easier to touch up
Matte: very slightly reflective. Easier to clean than flat but not as much as more reflective paints.
Eggshell, Satin: increasingly more reflective. These tend to vary greatly by manufacturer.
Semi-gloss, Gloss: the most reflective and durable sheens.
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Whatever kind of paint you choose, use high quality paint and brushes. It doesn't help to be cheap with paint; any savings you get by choosing cheaper paint will be sunk when the paint under performs and you need to buy supplies for a whole new project.
- Some people might be tempted to use a foam brush for their projects, but foam brushes give the painter less penetration and more air bubbles than bristle brushes. A high-quality bristle brush should blow a foam brush out of the water.
Submerge about a third of your paintbrush into your chosen paint. Tap the paintbrush on the side of the paint bucket, turn the paintbrush 180°, and tap the other side of the paintbrush against the bucket. You should have a fully-loaded paintbrush with just the right amount of paint for good coverage.
Brush evenly using somewhat shorter strokes. Repeat this three to four times until one segment of your wood is fully covered. Try not to let the paint stand very long between coats.
This process is called tipping, and it helps you get good coverage while minimizing brushstroke appearance. The brushstrokes will flatten out as the paint dries, which is one of the reasons why slow drying paint is important.
Depending on the paint you're using, as well as the finish you want to achieve (some people want the grain of the wood to stand out; others don't), you probably want to apply more than one coat. Before the final coat of paint, work over the dried painted surface lightly with a very fine sandpaper. This will give your final coat a nice surface to grip onto.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Sealing or Protecting the Finish

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1
Determine if you need a sealer or clear topcoat to preserve the paint on top of the wood. Many paints nowadays contain protectants that safeguard the paint against water and wear, for example, meaning you don't have to spend extra time applying protectants to your dried wood surface. Some people, however, may want to add an additional layer of protection between the wood and the weather, especially if the wood will be outdoors.^{[9]
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Sam Adams
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Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.}
- Certain kinds of sealers or topcoats may not interact well with certain kinds of paints. Latex-paint, for example, is meant to breathe and dislikes some sealers. If you are unsure whether you need to seal your paint, or what sealers work with which paints, ask a representative at a local paint or hardware supply store.
Prepping the painted wood in this way should not visibly affect the sheen of the paint or the evenness of the tone.^{[10]
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Sam Adams
Professional Contractor

Expert Interview. 4 June 2019.}
Wait for the sealer or topcoat to dry, and sand if instructed. Repeat until the desired consistency is achieved.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Do you need to remove polyurethane before painting wood?

Sam Adams
Professional Contractor
Sam Adams is the owner of Cherry Design + Build, a residential design and construction firm, which has been operating in the Greater Seattle Area for over 13 years. A former architect, Sam is now a full-service contractor, specializing in residential remodels and additions.

Sam Adams

Professional Contractor

Expert Answer

Yes, if there's any kind of varnish, you should 100% strip it before you paint or apply any kind of clearcoat, paint, or finish.

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How long should non-kiln dried wood wait to be painted?

Mark Spelman
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Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

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Construction Professional

Expert Answer

I would suggest that you wait for forty-five days before painting the wood.

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Can I apply wood putty over primer? After priming, I found some uneven areas that needed more wood putty. I'm refinishing a 1950's wood desk and I've already applied my 2 new layer of primer!

Mark Spelman
Construction Professional
Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

Mark Spelman

Construction Professional

Expert Answer

Yes. Keep in mind that you'll want to use a putty and primer in one, if possible.

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Tips

Use a stiff putty knife for your scraping work and use a flexible one for your putty work.

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Warnings

Wear a respirator when sanding and scraping wood. Old wood especially, may contain lead and this is hazardous to your health.

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Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear when working with TSP. It is a strong cleaner that can causes irritation and burning of the skin. Rinse all areas in contact with TSP thoroughly.

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