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Not all items made from wood need to be stained whether it be an unfinished coat rack or a built in book case, painting is a viable alternative. A few basics about painting can turn an average paint job into a great paint job. As with any project the proper tools and supplies are a must.

Let's start with the paint or better yet let's start with the primer yes you need to use a good primer. It is a good idea to tint the primer, while most primers only come in the traditional white color you can ask your paint supplier to tint the primer to the color you are painting if this is not a viable option you can tint your own primer by simply adding a small amount of your paint directly into the primer, Why tint the primer? Well if you are using a dark color for your final color you may end up applied 3 or 4 coats to get good coverage over the white primer.

What is in a paint brush most people make a huge mistake when it comes to brushes we as a rule hate to clean up so we opt for the standard cheap brush why? Because we know when we are done we will just through it away rather tan clean it. Give yourself a treat this time spend or maybe a better word for it is invest in a good paint brush they are usually around 20.00 dollars. You will be amazed at the difference a quality brush will make it does a much better job of painting and you will have much more control. The two types of paint brushes out there are natural and synthetic this refers to the bristles as a good rule of thumb use the natural bristle brush for finishes and paints that are oil based the natural bristles are not good for water base paints and finishes as the tend to absorb to mush of the water moister. For water based products opt for the synthetic fiber brush. Other things to look for in a brush are softness check out how the bristles feel against your shin and look at the bristles they should have split ends and feel smooth these are signs of a good brush.

Never load or dip the brush so that more than one third of the length of the bristles is in the paint tap the brush against the side of the container a couple of times and you are good to go. Start by cutting in or in other words paint the sides and hard to reach areas first and finish with the large flat areas. Although professional painters do not often tape up it is a good idea for the novice, a handy rag is also a good choice for a quick cleanup. Painting a coat rack, night stand or any other piece of furniture is really quite easy if you have the proper tools and do a little practicing.