Best Paint for Miniature Furniture

[mamabre]

I made a bunch of kitchen furniture (cupboards,stove,fridge etc) But I made the mistake of being lazy and using some white acrylic paint I had from the dollar store. Everything looked terrible painted with that paint so I sanded it all off and now I'm wondering what paint I should be using to paint the stuff I make?

[havanaholly]

When I made a fridge for the farmhouse I used wood and after I got the edges all sanded round I primed it with gesso and when that dried I skim-coated it with spackling compound.  When that was all dry I sanded it smooth and painted it with white gloss finish interior latex paint.  It's similar to the way I finished the Greenleaf kitchen set when I made it:

[Sable]

Many light coats of spray paint, is my preferred method.

[wormwoodz]

I like latex with a satin finish, I think a bit of shine looks nice on furniture pieces. I've also used glossy paint on ocasions, if I'm sure I didn't make too many mistakes on my build as this kind of finish tends to bring out the flaws on the surface a lot more. I buy the cheaper brand from my local hardware store in small tins, I only make sure it's paint specific for woodwork so it doesn't ruin the wood texture. You can also find 'stain pens' in these stores, they are quite handy for miniature work and usually cheap, so you can get several colors to work with. When I use stain I finish the furniture with a clear satin varnish.

[tlbradwisch]

for outside of the dollhouse I like to use tinted paint from the hardware store in a satin finish and the samples are only a few dollars. for craft paint i use delta cream coat and depending on the look i want waverly chalk paint. with any paint though i do lots of sanding :)

[shannonc60]

I like the Folk Art brand paint. I like a really flat finish. If I want shine, I'll add it later. I like to use a pre-mixed colour as if I need to touch up later, I don't need to try mixing the colour again. Use a gesso or other good quality undercoat and sand with a fairly fine sandpaper. A couple of coats of topcoat will usually be required. Sand between coats.

[tlbradwisch]

On 2/10/2017, 8:24:02, havanaholly said:

When I made a fridge for the farmhouse I used wood and after I got the edges all sanded round I primed it with gesso and when that dried I skim-coated it with spackling compound.  When that was all dry I sanded it smooth and painted it with white gloss finish interior latex paint.  It's similar to the way I finished the Greenleaf kitchen set when I made it:

holly what is gesso ? i see it mentioned so often 

[KathieB]

21 minutes ago, tlbradwisch said:

holly what is gesso ? i see it mentioned so often 

Gesso is a liquid compound of plaster of Paris or whiting in glue, used in sculpture or as a base for gilding or painting on wood. It seals and dries hard. It is water soluble and can be thinned (for sealing) or left to thicken due to evaporation to cover irregularities in a surface. It's a good base for many finishes and is nearly waterproof when it dries. Artists use it to prime canvas before painting with oils. Find it in the art supply sections of craft stores or on line at art supply companies.

[tlbradwisch]

1 minute ago, KathieB said:

Gesso is a liquid compound of plaster of Paris or whiting in glue, used in sculpture or as a base for gilding or painting on wood. It seals and dries hard. It is water soluble and can be thinned (for sealing) or left to thicken due to evaporation to cover irregularities in a surface. It's a good base for many finishes and is nearly waterproof when it dries.

thank you ive seen it talked about to often i just had no clue what it was really used for 

[havanaholly]

If you have a Hobby Lobby, watch their sales; I got a big jar of gesso a couple of years ago (getting down towards the bottom, guess it's time to watch for another sale...).

[mks]

So is gesso considered an all purpose primer?  Something to be used on surfaces to either be painted or wall papered?  What about Spackle?  Is that considered a primer also or is this mainly used as a filler or to repair inperfections in wood, for example.

 

[havanaholly]

I use gesso to prime with when I feel lazy about using spackle.  I use spackle to fill imperfections because then I can sand it super smooth.  I also like spackle to texture for stucco or to carve "stones" into with a toothpick, or for grout, or for pavements, or in conjunction with wee brass stencils for pargets...

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, mks said:

So is gesso considered an all purpose primer?  Something to be used on surfaces to either be painted or wall papered?  YES What about Spackle?  Is that considered a primer also or is this mainly used as a filler or to repair imperfections in wood, for example. Mostly as a filler or to create a plastered appearance. I wouldn't use Spackle as a primer, mainly because it's easier to paint on the gesso. Gesso and Spackle appear nearly identical when applied, so in many cases it's a toss-up. Whatever floats your boat.  

 

 

[My Miniature Madness]

Just a note here about latex paints... you can't sand it so be careful with your paint job and remember if you want to change the color you'll be adding another layer. Over the top. 

[havanaholly]

9 hours ago, Its_a_sm_world_after_all said:

Just a note here about latex paints... you can't sand it so be careful with your paint job and remember if you want to change the color you'll be adding another layer. Over the top. 

You can sand it, but if you primed first it's just as easy to remove with a heat gun & scraper.