How to Unify Flea Market Furniture with Paint

It's often said that one person's trash is another person's treasure. A flea market, garage sale or estate sale is a good place to get started on a treasure hunt. Bargains on great used furniture can frequently be found, just waiting to be given a new lease on life. Quality used wooden pieces can be one the best values for your money. After all, wooden furniture isn't meant to be disposable.

By choosing to paint an inexpensive flea market find, you can easily turn it into an attractive keepsake. Expect to pay a hefty price if you purchase new painted wood furniture that is designed to look old. The same look can be achieved if you do it yourself and for only a fraction of the cost.

It just takes a little creativity and a few basic steps with paint to transform sturdy wooden pieces into useful home additions. Painting mismatched pieces of furniture the same color is a great way to unify them. It's not even necessary for the furniture to be the same style or from the same era.

Painted furniture works just as well in a contemporary setting as it does in a vintage setting. Unifying the disparate pieces of furniture with black paint is a classic look. Just as black clothes always seem more elegant no matter how casual, the same is true with furniture. White furniture is equally classic but can easily take on a cottage feel unless the furniture is a very contemporary style.

Black paint also has the added benefit of camouflaging flaws better than light-colored paint. Black furniture blends beautifully with any other color of furniture as well. Everything doesn't need to match, but several black pieces will help make the room feel more anchored and cohesive.

An old armoire instantly looks rich when it's painted black with a lightly distressed finish. Wooden side tables, dining chairs, bookcases and even the legs of upholstered pieces would also become unified when painted black.

Giving the painted pieces a slightly antiqued look will keep them from looking too new or modern. Using a wood stain over the paint will help age the piece. Another way to age painted furniture is by sanding it slightly after the paint dries. This is usually done to the areas where the paint would naturally wear on a piece of furniture, such as raised areas, corners and knobs.

Of course, modern might be the look you want to achieve. In that case, using glossy black paint on the furniture will give it a more contemporary look. Just skip the aging process. A wooden piece that is more modern and has straight lines would be a better choice as well. It's hard to create a contemporary look with a curvy Queen Anne style chair painted glossy black.

This is a simple project with just a few supplies. Of course the main ingredient is the furniture of choice. Start a small wooden accessory if you've never painted furniture before. A wooden plant stand, foot stool, magazine holder or shelves would be easy first projects to try.

Supplies: Purchase good quality black latex paint, oak gel stain (to age the piece), a 1 inch and 2 inch paintbrushes, 150-grit sandpaper, tack cloth and satin-finish varnish.

1: The first step is to sand all surfaces to remove dirt and grime from the piece. This will also assure the paint adheres to the wood. If the piece of furniture has been previously painted then sand off any loose or peeling paint. Thoroughly remove all of the sanding dust with a tack cloth.

2: Apply one to two coats of the satin black paint (depending on the look you want to achieve), allowing it to dry thoroughly between coats.

3: To give the painted furniture a slightly aged appearance, lightly sand the painted surface. Pay more attention to sanding areas that would receive more wear naturally. Again thoroughly remove the sanding dust with the tack cloth.

4: To enhance the aged appearance of the painted furniture, apply the oak gel stain over all of the painted surfaces with a rag. Let the stain dry completely.

5: Next apply two coats of varnish, allow the varnish to dry thoroughly between coats.