When I first started painting furniture in 2014 I was mesmerized by the fact that you could paint furniture without sanding. Like, this seemed revolutionary! Where had this technique/ paint been? Why was I just learning of this concept in 2014?!
Did you know that the words “chalk Paint” are a registered trade mark by Annie Sloan? She in fact, is the pioneer woman of chalk paint. She got with a manufacturer to develop the best paint that would adhere to almost any surface without any sanding or priming. She developed Chalk Paint in 1990! Chalk paint is over 25 years old!?!?
You can see Annie Sloan’s full story here on developing chalk paint.
It wasn’t until Larger companies like Valspar came out with “chalky Finish paint” or “Mineral Paint” that mainstream America really started to get curious on this ” you can really paint furniture without sanding?!” concept.
I like giving credit where credit is due. So, Annie Sloan has the only Chalk Paint. It’s sold In mom and pop shops in America. You can look up your local stockiest here.
That being said….Yes, I do use other brands of paint lines that require NO sanding before you paint furniture.
Affiliate disclosure: “This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.”
Top 5 Brands of Furniture Paint that require NO sanding
- Annie Sloan ( You could probably guess I was going to say that;) Annie Sloan’s paint is made of the finest minerals. As long as you are painting a large piece of furniture or more than once piece of furniture it is MORE than worth the money. You can purchase Annie Sloan here.
- Dixe Belle – Mineral paint that adheres great to most surfaces. Very popular and affordable brand based out of California.
- Jolie – New line manufactured out of New Orleans. A high end high quality paint.
- Amy Howard – Amy Howards one step paint is just that. One step = brushing the paint on your furniture. It also sticks to most surfaces well without sanding.
- Valspars Chalky Finish paint – Easily purchased at Lowes. Sticks well to most surfaces with no sanding and has a good color selection.
These are my go to paint brands when I am painting for clients. I do want to throw in a #6. (I forgot one!) General Finishes. General finishes is an awesome paint company. Very user friendly. They were founded in 1928 with just 2 employees. Their company is growing and exciting. There customer service is super helpful. They know their paint! You can see their full story here.
General finishes not only carries “chalky style paint” (notice the terminology there) But, they also carry milk paint, gel stain, enamels…and so much more!
Steps to painting furniture without sanding
Make sure your furniture is clean. No gunk or grease. Annie Sloan stockiest recommend turning your can of paint upside down about 30 minutes before you start painting. This allows all of the good stuff on the bottom to work its way to the top of the can. You can do this while you lightly clean your piece. PRO TIP: Your furniture might be clean and you can skip the cleaning step! Yae for you!
Open your can of paint and lightly dip your paint brush into the can of paint (remember the rule: less is more? Totally true with painting furniture.) It’s always easy to add more paint if needed but, if you apply too much it’s more difficult to remove. Then you’ll have to do some sanding, which is the entire THING we are trying to avoid! Ha.
Apply a thin coat of paint to your project. Let dry for about 30 minutes. (typically dry time is 30 minutes. But, on a rainy day this could take an hour.) After first coat of paint is dry you can apply your second coat of paint. Most painted furniture projects take 2-3 coats of painting depending on the underneath finish.
It is that simple! You open your can of paint and go for it!
Make sure your paint is nice and dry before you seal your project. You’ll want to seal your painted furniture project with clear finishing wax OR a water based poly like this one.
Seriously, painting furniture has never been so simple. You can do this! If you get stuck or have questions, message me here. This is my FB biz page. I’ll try and help! 🙂 (oh, and if you’re up for it give me a “like” 🙂
Click here for my top 5 best paint brushes for painting furniture.
