Painting over Stained Wood and Gumwood

With the right preparation and a little bit of know how you will never be scared of painting over those oil stained wood surfaces and gumwood ever again. To be honest there really isn’t that much to be afraid of in the first place. All you need is the right painting tools, paired with the list of Do-It-Yourself steps below and you will be painting over those wood stained or gumwood surfaces in no time.

 Step 1: Get familiar with stained wood.

Wood stains don’t just cling to the surface of the wood like paint or varnish, it sinks into the grain making the wood itself a different color, not just  covering the surface. Therefore, you will need to prepare the wood stained surface for painting by applying a material (such as a primer) which will allow  the paint to bond to the surface.

Step 2:  Get the wood ready for painting

Feather sand down the areas you will be painting and scuff them up to prepare the wood for painting/primer. You don’t have to completely remove the stain, just take the gloss off of the finish making the surface coarse enough for the paint to bond to it.

 Step 3: Select the primer and apply it

You have to apply the right primer before painting over stained wood. Applying a primer will stop the paint from seeping through and helps it to stick to the applied surface.  Low Odour Oil-based primers work best for painting stained wood.   Kilz at Home Depot has a good low odor primer as well as Para and Benjamin Moore

Step 4 : Select the paint and apply it

Oil-based or waterborne paints are generally best for painting over stained wood.  You can choose a latex based if you so desire, but oil or waterborne paints work the best.

Home Painters Toronto TIP:

• Use painter’s tape to protect any areas that you don’t want to get paint on.
• Make sure you have the correct painting brushes or rollers, paint trays and paint thinner for rinsing new brushes. ( read more)
• Apply an even coat over the existing primer coat. Keep the brush evenly coated in paint to eliminate visible brush strokes.

Very often, if it looks like the surface still needs another coat, wait until the paint is completely dry.  Oil-based paints can take 1-2 days to dry, latex much faster.  When you are ready to apply the second coat of paint, very lightly sand the painted surface again, wipe it down with a liquid sander or deglosser, then apply the second coat of paint.

With more than 25 years’ experience as professional painters in Toronto and the GTA, let our experience go to work for you.

Please call us NOW at 416.494.9095, or email us at Brian@HomePaintersToronto.com to get a free quote for your painting or staining project.