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Painting

Step 6
Normally when painting furniture we would put a coat of white latex primer over the prepared wood before any coloured top coats of paint are applied. Primer seals the wood and prepares the surface for the top coats.

For this project, our desk is a little bit different. We are sanding down through the top layers of paint to show another colour underneath so we don't want white primer showing through. We have chosen to use a butterscotch colour to act as our primer.

Paint all the exterior surfaces except for the top of the desk. Our project desk will have a stained top so it should not be painted.

If you are working over an already existing paint finish, you will not be able to stain the desk top, it needs to be raw wood. If this is the case, paint the entire piece. Also paint the fronts of the drawers and inside and outside of any doors.

Please Note:
Choose colours that go well together. Our butterscotch base will show through a persimmon red when the edges of the desk are sanded. A colour wheel is a great help in choosing colours that work together. A wheel can be purchased at any artist supply and paint store.

Step 7
After raw wood furniture is primed you will notice it feels a little rough to the touch. The paint has brought up a burr on the wood. You will need to lightly sand the entire piece using a 220 grit sandpaper until the surface feels smooth to the touch all over.

If you are priming over another finish, run your hand lightly over the surface to check for rough spots. Gently sand if necessary.

Remove any sanding residue with a tack cloth. Use the tack cloth lightly since it contains a sticky wax to collect any particles. It can deposit a waxy film if pressed too firmly.

Step 8
For our desk project, we need to paint another coat of butterscotch on the edges of the furniture. This is where we will be sanding down through the top coat of red paint to reveal the butterscotch colour underneath. We want the desk edges to have thicker coverage to so the butterscotch is not sanded away to reveal the raw wood beneath. Of course sanding to the wood is an option you can take. It works well with just one colour painted over the raw wood and then sanded.

Step 9
Finally, we can apply our top coat. We have chosen a persimmon red for our desk. We still want to be careful not to get any paint on the raw wood desk top. Apply a second coat when dry. When working with red colours, they tend to be a bit transparent, a third coat will have to be applied. Let cure over night.