Sanding is a necessary step in furniture refurbishment. It removes imperfections and makes the piece look like brand new. But, too much sanding can be bad for furniture, especially wood. There are ways around it to create a good-looking shabby chic look while keeping your furniture from looking old and dirty.
First, decide if you are going to sand with a machine or just manually sandpaper. You may also need to use power sandpaper or sanding brushes. The best way to determine which option is best for you is to use the same product, but on different days. For instance, if you plan to paint, use the same product but paint on the same day. On the other hand, if you plan to stain, use a different stain remover and sand paper until it looks great.
After you have decided on your method, the next question is how do you whitewash furniture without sanding it? One option is to use a primer before you paint. Primer needs to be thick enough to cover all edges of the piece. Be sure that you use a primer that is meant for touch ups. If you want to be able to sand later, just use the same primer but let it dry before applying the paint.
Another option for how do you whitewash furniture without sanding is to use acrylic paint. This is the most commonly used paint in shabby chic home decorating. Acrylics are very thin, so they don’t run into each other as water does with oil paints. Acrylics are also very sturdy, so they won’t crack or chip when you paint. Acrylic paint has some drawbacks as well.
The biggest drawback of using acrylics for touch ups is that it is difficult to get the depth of color you want. There are a variety of acrylics, and some brands may look similar to each other but will have very different pigments. There is also a risk that the paint will not hold up as long as you want. In many cases, you will need to paint over your acrylic shabby chic home decor touch up after a few years because the paint started to flake and chip.
However, if you are looking for a durable paint that will last for a long time and will not fade or chip, then acrylic paint is your best option. If you want to learn how do you whitewash furniture without sanding, then a mixture of both sanding and painting will be necessary. You can purchase acrylic paint that has been specially formulated to withstand the harsh elements of a bathroom without fading the furniture.
Before you start learning how do you whitewash furniture without sanding, you will need to determine which parts of the furniture need to be painted. Most shabby chic homes have some type of furniture in every room. It could be the bed, the vanity or the armoire. Once you figure out the pieces that will need to be painted, all you have left is to figure out how much paint to buy. If you are painting the entire piece, then you need to go ahead and buy the amount of paint needed to cover the furniture. For smaller furniture pieces, such as mirrors, ensembles or picture frames, you can simply use a bit more paint.
Some people feel that using enamel paint on their furniture is a good way to ensure that it will stay looking new for a long time. However, the process of applying enamel paint requires an artist, which can get expensive. If you do not have the money to hire a professional, then you can go ahead and use standard paint. If you do this, however, make sure that you do not overdo it because the shabby chic home decor look is best achieved with subtle and natural paint colors.