Clean Pieces Thoroughly

• All furniture should be cleaned before repainting to help the paint adhere properly. If not cleaned, grease spots, dust and other unwanted things may show through the primer. Wipe furniture down with a cloth or sponge and a mild soapy solution, and rub off any foreign substances that have accumulated over time. Then wipe with a clean damp cloth. The furniture needs to dry thoroughly before being primed or painted.
  
  

Sand When Necessary

• If there are irregularities within the furniture's old finish, such as bubbling varnish or peeling layers of paint, sand those areas gently with a fine- to medium-grit sandpaper. Wear a dust mask to avoid breathing in the particles during this phase, especially since you may not know the chemical makeup of the old finish. Remove dust from the piece after sanding by wiping it down with a tack cloth.
  
  

Primer to the Rescue

• If the furniture you wish to repaint is extremely old, it may have an unknown type of varnish, sealer or paint on it. Rather than stripping it down to bare wood and breathing in potentially harmful substances or at very least, strong odors, you can simply prime over it before repainting. A quality latex primer will do in most cases. If the furniture has an unusual finish to which most paint won't adhere, a specialty primer such as Kilz2 latex primer will work. These specialty primers block old stain or other finishes from leaking through to the fresh paint level.
  
  

Mistinted Paint Bargains

• Rather than pay a premium for quality latex paint, ask your paint store representatives if they sell mistints. Mistinted paint is paint that was mixed per a customer's request, but the color wasn't quite the expected shade. These paints are often sold for much less than regular shelf price, and you may find just the colors you'll need for your project. The paint has the same quality as the rest of the paint made by that company.
  
  

Sealer for Heavy Use Pieces

• If your furniture will see a lot of use, such as a dresser or nightstand, sealing it with polyurethane sealer will help protect the new paint finish. Polyurethane is a barrier that keeps the paint beneath it from chipping easily. Non-sealed furniture is prone to having the paint chipping or getting scraped away from day-to-day use.