Painting on Wood Furniture for No Brush Marks

Sand at least twice

The cleaner the surface, the smoother the final finish will be.restauration de parquet image by lefebvre_jonathan from Fotolia.com

To get the most professional look and finish you must sand down any surface you are painting. Sanding provides a rough surface for the paint to adhere to, creating a smoother finish. If the project is big enough, you may choose to use a power sander rather than sanding by hand. It's always a good idea to sand once with a rough paper like #280 and a second time with a smoother paper like #400. Once all the old finish is removed, wipe down the wood with a tack cloth (a dry cotton cloth) or vacuum to remove all of the dust.

There are several paint thinners, such as mineral spirits, available to add to paints. This allows the paint to go on more smoothly and quickly. Many of the thinners available at your local hardware store are made to go with oil and alkyd paints. Make sure you are mixing the right thinner with the right paint.

If you choose to use a thinned paint, you will have a variety of choices in brushes. The size of your project will determine the type of brush you use. Rollers and foam brushes have a reputation for leaving less brush strokes, but you will need to watch out for bubbles. A fine bristle brush may also work well. Be sure to avoid rough or thick brushes.

Another easy way to avoid brush strokes is to avoid a brush altogether. If you are painting furniture, a few cans of spray paint from your local hardware store should work beautifully. However for a bigger job, you may want to rent a sprayer from your local paint store. Make sure you get complete instructions on how it works, as settings will vary and change the final look of the paint.

Finally you may choose to wipe paint onto your wooden project. This method is messier but does leave the smoothest finish. Carefully dip a clean, dry rag into the paint, then slowly rub the paint onto the surface. You will need to wipe the paint as evenly and as smoothly as possible. This process works best for tinted varnishes, rather than paint, but may be used with both products.

A good way to smooth out the paint is to sand down the first coat with a fine sand paper like #400. You will need to sand carefully to avoid removing the hardened paint. However you do want to remove any brush strokes or bubbles that occurred during painting. Once you have sanded down your project, vacuum it clean and paint again. When the second coat is dried, you can sand it a final time with a brown paper bag to remove any small blemishes.