One of the most common questions that we get around here is simple, “Do I need to seal my furniture with a protective clear coat after painting it?”
When you demand an official answer, I deliver, people. That’s how I roll.
YES!! You need to seal furniture most of the time. I don’t seal everything, but I absolutely seal furniture when they are high traffic pieces. For example a kitchen table is an absolute no brainer, you will be sitting at it daily. Your kids will be poking it with a fork for heaven’s sake. You need to protect it from harm. Don’t worry. I will tell you what products to buy and how to apply it in a minute.
I don’t seal a project when it doesn’t get decorated, prodded, or poked. For example a lamp isn’t going to need a protective cover because it won’t be touched by anything else. A picture frame is going to be hung on the wall so it also doesn’t need much protection. BUT, the top of a piano is going to be decorated with accessories, so you will need to protect the beautiful paint job that you so lovingly just gave it by applying a clear coat.
Make sense?
What type of clear coat do I suggest?
#1 rule: Do not buy a spray clear-coat product.
I know, this may seem confusing coming from a spray paint addict like myself, but I promise it isn’t worth it. Every time I have sprayed on a clear coat it has resulted in STRIPES. No bueno. Trust me, don’t do it. Just follow my very carefully written instructions.
Buy Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic.
I love this water-based polycrylic product. I buy it in SATIN. It is plenty glossy for my taste. You can buy it at Wal-Mart for about $17.00 for a quart. You will be able to do a dozen projects with one can. I like how crystal clear the product dries. I have used other products that dry a yellow color, and this is not one of them. Don’t worry, it looks milky when you use it, but it dries perfectly clear. Plus since it is water based you can wash your brush out in the sink {a definite plus as opposed to washing it out with paint thinner}.
FOLLOW the directions on the can!
You MUST use an expensive, high-quality brush (or you will get brush strokes…I HATE brush strokes). I personally suggest a Purdy brush.
Make sure to do at least two (preferably three coats).
Apply one coat by brushing only in one direction to eliminate brush strokes.
Allow the coat to dry completely and then sand with 220 or 320 grit sand paper before applying the next coat.
Before you add a second and third coat, make sure you wipe off your dust from sanding.
You may wonder why I chose polycrylic instead of polyurethane. Polycrylic is water based NOT oil based. So, I prefer polycrylic. Plus polyurethane will yellow over time and polycrylic won’t.
I hope this will answer some of the many questions that have come up lately!
Good to know… Thanks for sharing!
When do you use a clear coat vs wax?
@BedHead Boutique: Wax and clear coats both protect your furniture. Wax will need to be reapplied in the long run {every 3-5 years as far as I understand}, and is preferred by some in this field. Most say they use wax because it won't yellow over time like a polyurethane will. BUT, polycrylic {the product I use} will not yellow either. So, I prefer the lasting protection of clear coat that won't need to be reapplied after a few years.
I also tend to like to refinish my furniture in the long run by painting it another color if I get bored. If I were to use wax, I would need to strip it off before I was able to do this. If I use a clear coat instead of wax, all I need to do is sand lightly before I change the color.
So, in short I prefer clear coat over wax.
Can you use polycrylic on pieces that are going to be outside exposed to the weather? Or what would you recommend instead? Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for posting this. I just bought a table and chairs for my kitchen off craigslist with plans to refinish it and I wasn't sure what I need to do to seal it. How timely your post was. =)
This is exactly what I used to seal my newly painted kitchen cabinets, but guess what? Yellow streaks. I am so sad and haven't had the time to sand and re-do. I haven't figured out yet what would have caused the yellowing. Do you have any ideas? I sprayed on white Sherwin Williams wood paint then brushed on the Polycrylic finish. They were so beautiful until the Polycrylic dried. I wanted to jump up and down and scream and cry. (haha)Since I get to RE-DO, I would love any hints you can give.
If you used acrylic paint it should cure not just dry before applying a top coat. They say 3 to 4 weeks. Oil is a lot longer of course. It is thought that if the white paint is fully dried and cured it can react with the polyacrylic to produce yellow streaks. I’m going to use Benjamin Moore crystal clear polyacrylic, minwax doesn’t get very good reviews.
Linda,
I am so sorry!! I don't have any idea why it would have left yellow streaks. I know that it can react weird with some types of wood. That has never happened to me, but I wouldn't use anything but lacquer on kitchen cabinets. I did a post about how to paint kitchen cabinets if you want to find it, that is the way I would do them if it were me. Again, so sorry.
@Lauras Crafty Life
This is what I used when I did my front door! Hope this helps…
The Front Door
Good timing for me as well! I just refinished a dining table and stained it yesterday. I had some spots of the stain that looked greyish… It is a pine table. Should I try to redo or just try to seal and see if it "looks fine." Of course I don't want it to look just fine!
I just used some spray poly and wanted to cry. So glad for the tip. Thanks!
do you sand after the last coat?
NoNo: Nope you don't sand after the last coat.
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Okay, I am lazy. Do I have to sand in between coats? What is the benefit of doing so?
Thanks for this post by the way. It is especially timely for me also because I am going to repaint an old weather beaten piano turquoise. (And I am already tired of sanding it
) So excited!
Ditto what Meridy said: do we HAVE to sand?
hi brooke, would you use this poly after painting a rug as well? and doesnt sanding chip off the paint? *unfortunate newbie* :/
What do you do about air bubbles????
@SCSI: I wouldn't use anything on a rug that wasn't specifically for fabric. Good luck with your project!
@NotPatient: If you use a nice purdy brush, you shouldn't have air bubbles. If you roll it on you will and most of them should settle before it dries, but I don't use a roller specifically for this reason. Hope this helps!
I did use a purdy brush…googled around and this is the same feedback everyone online gives, but I still have bubbles even when I use it in very thin coats. They persist even when I paint it on over the same area (the bubbles lessen but do not disappear. Oh well.
If I used "chalk paint" on my dresser with some distressing for an antiq-ish look & don't want any shine, I love the flat look, so what do I seal with?
Thank you. This is really helpful. One question though, do I seal just the top of my drawer or do I seal all of the drawer's body? (front, sides, etc)?
Thank you for this article. Its really helpful. One question though, do I just seal the top of my drawer or do I seal the whole drawer's body (sides, fronts, etc)?
Thanks!
Your site is amazing! Thank you!
I have a wax & poly question:
I used ASCP pure white to paint six kitchen chairs. I started to wax but they are tacky & the kids leave smudges, scuffs etc all over them and it is hard to get off (I know! WHY did I paint chairs white with THREE children under 5??)
Anyway, now I’m wondering if I can seal with the polycrilic instead? Do I need to sand off the wax first?
THANK YOU!!
Also, if not, could I spray paint a satin latex right over them instead?
Cheers!
Liz
Liz,
I have never tried to polycrylic something that has been waxed before. I would guess that the polycrylic would not stick to the wax. So, the only advice I have to give you is to try it. Will you please report back and tell us what happened? I’m curious now. Good luck!
Do you have to sand in between coats? I used a 220 grit sand paper on my first coat of sealer and it sanded my paint in a couple of areas. I was able to touch them up because they were really small but wondered if I could just put 3 coats and wait for them to dry well between coats?
You definitely need to follow the instructions and let it dry between coats and sand between coats too. You want each coat to adhere to the last, and it will adhere better if you sand lightly.
I went to Lowes and they recommended Minwax Clear Wood Stain not tinted to seal my old painted dresser. I read the instructions and it tells me to sand the piece completely- which I don’t want to do- and tells me to wipe off the stain after 3 minutes. What’s the benefit of using your product instead of the one Lowes recommended?
I don’t listen to Lowes. Check out what they recommended to me: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2012/10/how-to-paint-floor-and-what-not-to-do.html It took me 5 hours to fix their mistake.
Will this also work if you have used enamel paint? I just did a kitchen table, but need to coat it with something to protect it. Also, how long would you let the paint “cure” before doing the clear coat?
I would use an enamel clear coat if you painted it with an enamel paint. Check out my post about painting kitchen cabinets and that may answer your question: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2012/08/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets.html
Ms.Brooke LOVE all your advice & suggestions
I Just bought bedroom furniture for the lil ones & IT hasn’t even been a month & already paint chipping on the dresser ,”Help”!! Also it Looks like there’s no protective coating over it ,(small dresser,2 nightstands& 2headbords.I will use the the clear polycrylic & already bought purdy brush $$$$. And if u have any more advice or tips for this project “I have never done this before Mom ” Lol thank u very much hope to hear from u soon will stall my hubby while waiting on your response …
I would definitely polycrylic it!! Good luck. I would probably do 3 coats with sanding with 220 grit sand paper in between. It will really help! Good luck!