What type of paint?

MommyLiberty5013

To paint wooden furniture a color...do I get a high gloss? Semi-gloss?

It's for two living room accent tables to flank a sofa.

TarHeels&Rebels

I use semi-gloss oil paint for furniture. With the oil paint, you don't have to strip and sand unless there's a really glossy finish already on the piece. I first did this years ago and the paint's held up completely. (Note that oil paint is banned in some states.)

Sue-n-Kevin

I've used acrylic paint on wood surfaces. A high gloss paint takes real skill so the brush strokes don't show. I'd recommend a semi-gloss. If you want a shinier look you can spray paint a clear gloss covering on it. Always allow table tops to "cure" for at least a month before putting anything on them because things can stick.

Also, depending on the wood, you may want to use a primer like Kilz, which will keep the knots or imperfections from bleeding through your paint layers.  

 

TheWop

TarHeels&Rebels:

I use semi-gloss oil paint for furniture. With the oil paint, you don't have to strip and sand unless there's a really glossy finish already on the piece. I first did this years ago and the paint's held up completely. (Note that oil paint is banned in some states.)

Ditto oil paint.  I painted a buffet table 5 years ago and it looks awesome.  It smells to high heaven, but we did it outside in the garage so it wasn't a huge deal. 

mrsB68

If you're going to paint more items over time then you may want to consider a spray painter. These are supposed to be really helpful for painting furniture. Also, if you do pick a glossier finish, as another posted had mentioned, it can be difficult to get it to look good with paint strokes. The spray painters will take some getting used to and you will need to do it outdoors but it will eliminate the trouble of the brushstroke!

milesfromthesun

The shinier the paint, the more resins it has in it (plastics).  So your semi-gloss and up are going to be a lot more durable for furniture.  You can use a product called FloeTrol to add into latex (water) based paints and it acts as a thinner but doesn't degrade the quality of the paint itself.  It extends the drying time so any brush strokes can level themselves out (like an oil based paint).  Other suggestion would be to use foam roller on flat surfaces so you don't get a nap transfer from a nap roller.

 

GL

Designer+

The painted finish from a furniture manufacturer matches most closely with a satin finish, not semi-gloss. Unless you are going for a super glossy look, satin is the way to go.