I never thought I'd own china (a wedding gift), let alone a hutch to put it in. Every day I realize something else in life that keeps adding to my oldness factor....
I used Valspar's Lincoln Cottage Black on the outside and Glidden's Granite Grey on the inside. I used the grey on the inside for contrast. I didn't want the hutch to turn into a giant black hole.
I didn't take any step-by-step photos (I'm working on it)....but here are the basic steps that I use to paint furniture...there are about 100 different ways but this is what I find works best for me.
Step 1:
Clean the piece and remove any hardware. I buy junk furniture which is usually full of cob webs and dust and grossness. I take some damp papertowels or an old rag and clean it REALLY well.
Step 2:
I usually go from stained wood to paint so I usually do a light sanding with whatever sand paper I can find laying around. Don't sand too hard or you can possibly scratch the wood. For this hutch, I borrowed a hand sander.
Step 3:
Clean off all of the sanding grit. Again, I just use papertowels for this. Some people use tacky cloths but papertowels have worked well for me.
Step 4:
Prime. I use Zinnser Fast Prime 2 and I apply it with small roller brushes. The primer usually dries within in an hour. This step doesn't have to look pretty....just get a nice thin, even coat.
Step 5:
After the primer has dried, you are ready to paint. I have used a variety of paints and finishes. I also usually do 2 coats just to make sure the piece is covered well. I use a smaller roller brush for this step as well.
Step 6:
Replace the hardware. You can also give it a coat of poly but I find this takes the piece FOREVER to dry and I'm too anxious to put it to use. :P I do generally wait about a week before I set anything on a newly painted piece.
There you have it! Piece of Cake!
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