Holy moly. Today's post marks my 100th post, guys! That's pretty exciting. You know what else is exciting? The fact that I discovered how absolutely awesome oil based paint is.
So I may be a little tardy to the party here, but Ive always been really intimidated and scared to work with oil based paints. For some reason I felt as though they weren't nearly as forgiving or manageable as latex, especially since I'm still fairly new to the furniture painting thing. I grew up staining pieces because it was my mom's weapon of choice. I can honestly say with certainty that I'll probably never paint furniture with latex paint again. I would absolutely have to agree with Jenny on this one: latex is for walls, oil is for furniture.
For my intro into the world of oil I wanted to try a few smaller pieces before I attempted to tackle a major one. I also really, really, REALLY wanted to get some emerald in this house somehow, so I decided to give it a whirl and killed two birds with one stone. My poison:
Rustoleum Oil Based Enamel in Hunter Green (gloss formula).
Victim #1: The Kitchen Stool-(I got it from Ikea)
I opted for gloss for two reasons. First because I just like glossy finishes , but most importantly because this piece gets used heavily. Its constantly getting knocked around and plays host to little feet all day.
The gloss formula is just super wipeable. The oil based formulation makes it extra durable, too.
Victim #2-The Campaign Nightstand
I'm crazy in love with this piece now. I just love it in the room.
Aside from the fact that cleanup is a BIATCH, I really like working with oil based paints. I used a brush for both applications. I searched high and low for Penetrol to help with the brush marks and leveling, but I think our county doesn't allow stores to sell it. I can find Floetrol anywhere, but not Penetrol. Guess Ill have to purchase some online. Either way, becuase oil based paints in general dry slower than latex paints, that really helped give me some extra time to kinda establish my technique. Plus this stuff pretty much self levels anyway, so even though you see some brush marks I think they are minimal compared to what they'd be with latex paint. Here's a closeup of the top of the dresser and stool so you can see:
They each got two coats, waiting 24 hours between each coat. I primed the nightstand, but not the stool. I also painted them in my front room where I had the advantage of having 3 huge windows open for good ventilation. You'll need it with oil based paints much more than you will with latex. Its going to take me a while yet to become even more comfortable with it, but I plan on becoming a pro soon enough.
So have you used oil based paint before? Do you like it or hate it? Do tell. Have an awesome day guys.
Smooches.
XoXo-Shavonda
Wow, they both look great! Love the emerald against the yellow walls.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I have painted with oil on lots of pieces but I can't say I'm in love with it ;) My love still belongs to spray paint!
I'm with you on that one Julia! Spray paint is so easy to work with. In gonna try out the Rustoleum Enamel spray next time. I'd like to see how it compares to the brush on version.
DeleteI agree, love the green and yellow! Love the color and need to try oil based!!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura! Thank you. I think the colors go well together.
DeleteLove that color! The campaign chest looks fab! xo Kristin
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristin:)
DeleteThe colors look amazing!! I really like how both turned out!
ReplyDeleteI've only used oil based paints on canvas! lol not furniture yet! My only hold back is cleanup....oil is so messy.
Hi Katrina. Thanks chica. Yeah, cleanup is no joke. I'm still searching for the perfect cleanup product. I've tried a couple different products, but haven't found the one I love just yet.
ReplyDeleteI use Murphy's oil soap. It doesn't have a bad odor and is environmentally friendly. Be sure to brush as much of the paint out of the brush first and soak it for an hour or so while swishing it around.
DeleteI was curious, would you consider doing oil based on kitchen cabinets instead of water based? Considering the clean-up and odor, do you think it would make the project harder overall?
ReplyDelete-Jess
Hi Jess! Thanks so much for stopping by. Good question. My answer is absolutely. Had I experimented with oil based paint prior to painting my kitchen cabinets. I absolutely would have used it on them. I used the Benjamin Moore Advance paint on our lower cabinets and Aura on our uppers. The Aura is latex, and the Advance is a water based alkallyd which basically combines the best of both water and oil based paints in one product. It gives you the hardness, finish, durability, and brushes on like an oil based paint but cleans up with soap and water like a latex. I liked it, but I wasn't wowed by it. I prefer oil, personally. But if you don't like the hassle of oil, I would highly recommend a product like the Advance. I just really recommend a nice durable finish on cabinets since they take a lot of daily abuse! If you use latex paint I would definitely coat it with poly for extra durability. I hope this helps. :)
ReplyDeleteOh and in terms of making things harder overall, oil will def make things more difficult come cleanup time but not during the actual painting process;)
DeleteLove the color on both pieces! The picture of your son on the stool is so cute. I used oil based paint on my bathroom cabinets and after a while the white paint has started to turn yellow in some areas. Not sure what I did wrong, but I've read online that, that's happened to some folks. I'm sure you are safe using a darker color. Enjoy your new pieces!!
ReplyDeleteThank you lady. Yeah, he's a little keeper! I've heard of that happening with the oil based paint at well. Did you happen to also use an oil based poly clear coat over them? If so, that could be the culprit. From what I've researched the oil based poly coats do start to amber a bit over time. I'm hoping that's not the case with just white oil based paint without a clear coat. If so that would be the pits since I just finished the new dining table using white paint!
DeleteHey chica, thanks for your response! I didn't cover it with anything extra, just used paint. No paint chips, so I guess that's a plus.
ReplyDeleteHmmm that makes me just a little nervous now. Oh well. Yes, no chips are a great thing! I'm way more worried about the chips anyway since it'll get beat up pretty bad on a daily.:)
DeleteLoving this color, they look great the stool and the nightstand! :-) Yes, have painted with oil based before :-)
ReplyDeleteLoving the color! Everything looks great! I have painted with oil based before but only once.
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Ok so I came over searching your blog for oil based furniture projects bc I know you love using it so much! I really want to paint my daughters night stands in a black laquer finish and was looking at using this same paint. However with being pregnant I'm kinda concerned with fumes and really want to avoid using a respirator. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much friend!
Kayla