How to Paint Unfinished Wood Shelves? The Best 10 Way to Unfinished Wood Shelves Painting

For anybody into DIY projects and home crafting, you will agree that painting any furniture you may own is relatively easy to do. It is also time-saving and cost-saving than having someone else doing it for you. If you are wondering how to paint unfinished wood shelves, read through this article to know how to do it yourself.

Gathering Your Supplies

First of all, it is relatively easy to paint any unfinished wood shelves by yourself. You need to know what kind of supplies that you will be getting for the job. If you use the wrong supplies for it, the wood shelves might not come out the way you intended for it to look, and you may have to start repainting it from the beginning again. It might please you to know that you do not need so many supplies to paint any unfinished wood shelves. The supplies needed are very few, and they are also easily accessible.

We can’t debt that painting your unfinished wood shelves pops and adds more color to the furniture and to any living space that the furniture might be in. Let’s go right ahead and explain all the things that you will need for your project.

Oil-based Primer

The first item on our list will be to use an oil timer. An oil primer is necessary for your wood shelves since it is a way for you to prep the wood shelves before you start to paint, and the primer also helps the paint to stay on the wood shelves.

Latex Paint

Latex Paint

The next item that you will need to purchase will be latex paint. Latex paint is the best type of paint that you will be able to use. The latex paint is what many people will even recommend to anyone who wants to paint their shelves.

Sandpaper

Another item that you will need in your supply will be sandpaper. The sandpaper is essential and necessary because it helps you smooth out the wood shelves before painting it. It is required to sand your wood shelves.

Paintbrushes

How to Paint Unfinished Wood Shelves

The last item on our list of supplies will be painting brushes of varying thicknesses and grits since you will be painting different areas of your wood shelves. If you use an overly thick brush for a particular area, it might mess the entire set up for you.

Extra Supplies

You may need a few extra supplies like painting tape, drop cloths, and sanding blocks. Some people find these additional items unnecessary, so this is entirely up to you to add them to your other supplies 

So, now that you have gathered l the supplies that you may need, the next thing for you to do will be to jump right in and start to paint your wood shelves.

How to Paint Unfinished Wood Shelves
1

The first thing you will need to do before you start painting your woof shelves will be to prepare your workspace by cleaning your area. Put some drop cloth on the ground so that any paint that might fall off will land on them.

2

When you have done this, you will then go-ahead to start sanding your shelves by using sandpaper. You can purchase sandpaper from Amazon. Sanding your wood shelves makes it easier for you to prove it.

3

When you have smoothed out your wood shelves by sanding, your next step is to prime the shelves. We recommend using an oil-based primer for this purpose. Oil-based primers are recommended for use because they help to keep any stains away from the wood shelves.

4

When you have primed your shelves, you have to give it some time to dry of else your paint might come out looking tacky. You can allow the primer to dry for about two to three hours. After this time frame, your wood shelves will be suitable to be painted.

5

When your primer has dried properly, you should go ahead again and sand your wood shelves again. It is not essential to sand a second time but sanding a second time helps remove any rough edges and bumps from your wood shelves. So go ahead and sand your wood shelves again.

6

After you have adequately sanded your wood shelves again, you can then go ahead and start painting your wood shelves. Many people might apply so many painting techniques, so you must pick whichever you think will work best for you.

7

To Paint your wood shelves, we will recommend that you use latex paint for that job. There are so many reasons latex paint is used to paint unfinished wood helves, and one if such reasons will be the fact that latex paint is none toxic, which is why many people are quick to recommend it.

8

Also, different areas of your wood shelves will require you to paint with precision, or that area will look very tacky. You will have to paint different areas with different sizes of paintbrushes. It will help the shelves to come out looking very neat.

9

After you have painted your unfinished wood shelves, you can then go ahead and allow it to dry for some time. You can leave it to fry for a day or even more. Ensure that the wood shelves are away from the reach of children that can ruin the drying paint during this time.

10

You can add other designs to your shelves. You can put stickers and even stencils. It is up to you. 

That is How to Paint Unfinished Wood Shelves.

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