My son had the IKEA mammut bedroom furniture. Well shortly after his sister was born we bought him a queen bed set, and the IKEA stuff is in my baby's room. I am going to re-paint it girl colors. My question is since its already painted blue would priming over the blue be ok? Or should I try and strip the paint? Yes it's wood underneath, my son scratched part so I know there's wood.
The furniture is a baby blue, so no it won't be staying that color. Her room is decorated in hello kitty. The colors in painting it is hot pink and lime green. Her walls are already purple.
If its wood you probably don't have to strip it but you may have to sand it quite a bit. I have painted chests, though, where I did NOTHING but wipe it down clean and then paint a new coat and it looked great.
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I think some light sanding and a good primer would work just fine. It's hard to tell what kind of paint and sealer is used on something that has a factory finish. I would use something like Bull's Eye 123 as the primer. It's like priming with glue and sticks to everything - shiny surfaces like melamine-coated boards, metal, concrete, brick, wood, plastic etc.
There's a website called something like Ikea Hackers that might have some tips on how to get the best finish.
I would think priming and painting would be fine...and I'm sorry but I have to go there ;) blue can be a "girl" color too! In our house there are no "boy or girl" colors, toys, plates, or activities! Haha!
I would check with someone at the paint store when you buy your paint but I really think you shouldn't have too much issue.
I agree with a light sand, then prime & paint!
How fun! I love painting furniture!
I had a dresser that had the same kind of finish. I lightly sanded it and then used spray paint. It turned out great. Just have to make sure that the weather is warm enough. The bottom 2 drawers had to be redone because I did them when it was cooler than recommended and it bubbled.
I've learned the hard way that some painted surfaces have to be sanded first. If the finish is oil based or very shiny it will not hold the paint. I've not painted furniture and so I don't know about yours but I've had to strip and repaint an entire wall in one house and doors in another because the coat I put on pulled off the wall and door. Just a light scratch would reveal the paint underneath.
I was told by the person at the paint store that when the first coat is oil based and one tries to paint over it with water based paint (can't remember what it's called) the paint does not adhere to the first paint.
You can test this out by painting a small space, let it dry, and then scratch the surface to see what happens.
Or talk with the knowledgeable clerk at a paint store. BTW I've found staff at big box stores to be just as knowledgeable as those in specialty stores about general and basic things such as this.
If the wood is laminate, as most IKEA furniture seems to be, definitely do not try to strip it. The moisture will cause the laminate surface to buckle.
Definitely do not try to strip it. Most IKEA furniture is composite with veneer and it would not go well. Plus, it's not necessary. Just prime it and paint. A light sanding is fine. Primer these days adheres very well to almost anything, and IKEA furniture is not expensive enough to spend a ton of time on.
I've painted a lot, and I promise you a light sanding, prime and paint will work great. If you want it to look like wood, paint it by brush, but if you don't mind the look of a roller, go ahead and roll it. Your baby won't care. Just do it neatly and it will look great.
Marda is right on about having to match the paint type if you don't sand. Oil on oil, water-based on water-based. The thing about oil paint is the off-gassing, something that I'm sure you don't want going on in your daughter's bedroom. And most furniture would be painted in oil based, like your kitchen cabinets. At any rate, I would probably be inclined to go Tori's route and make the blue work. I'm guess it's navy ... navy and fuschia/raspberry look so cute together for a girl's room! Maybe a pale, milky pink (Martha Stewart has several colors that come to mind) for the walls with navy and raspberry accents??
use the paint+primer an that will work ok
If you use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint you do not have to sand or do any prep on the underlying furniture it is amazing.. that being said it isn't cheap per pot - but it does go a long way!
The "fit" of drawers & doors may also dictate whether you need to sand/strip before painting. Some furniture has a tight fit, and something like another layer of paint will cause the pieces to stick together & not open smoothly.
Because it will have the factory paint, your primer & then your 1st & possibly 2nd color coats, it may be best to fully strip it first, & then apply 2 coats of color (or 1 primer, 1 color depending on how the wood takes the paint).
A KNOWLEDGEABLE associate at an arts/crafts store, or a neighborhood hardware store (not big box store) can be a good resource to get help with this.
Have fun with your new project! T.
