Let’s Paint with High Gloss Paint!

Have you painted with high gloss paint? It’s been years, decades really since I’ve used any type of super shiny paint. My go-to paint is satin, sometimes eggshell. Well, recently, I did use high gloss paint and boy was it an experience! If you are looking to paint a piece of furniture with high gloss, I have some tips for you below. The piece of furniture to be painted is an oak shelving unit. My son found it at Goodwill and plans to use it for a stereo cabinet. He asked if I could paint it. Since painting is one of my favorite activities, I said YES! Little did I know that his vision for the piece was glossy orange that looked like acrylic. Hmmm, how do I achieve that with deep oak wood grain?

Supplies Used

• 1 and 1/3 quart Behr High Gloss paint
  • Interior/Exterior in Inferno
• Paintbrush
• Paint tray
• 4″ foam paint roller
• Brad gun & air compressor
• Oscillating tool
• 2′ x 4′ sheet of wood veneer
• Putty knife
• Wood putty
• Sanding blocks
• Orbital sander & sandpaper

Step 1 – Attach wood

The oak shelf unit that was going to be used for a stereo unit was too tall so we laid it on its side to be the height my son wanted. When we laid it down, we noticed that the bottom of the shelf was unfinished. To change it from a ‘bottom’ to a ‘side’, he bought a piece of wood veneer and attached it using a nail/brad gun. Once the wood was attached, he used an oscillating tool to cut it to the correct size.

Step 2 – Putty & sanding

To obtain a smoother finish, I puttied all the areas that weren’t smooth like where the shelves were attached, along the edges of the new piece of veneer, etc. When all of the places were puttied, using an orbital sander, we sanded all surfaces – there were a LOT. My son sanded the new side & I sanded the rest of the unit. I started with 120 grit and then used 180 grit.

Step 3 – Primer & more putty

When the sanding was done, we moved the unit to the garage for the painting. I applied a coat of primer to the entire unit. To apply the primer, I used a 4″ foam roller & 2″ angled paintbrush. I rolled the primer in sections the width of the roller and then used the paintbrush to smooth it before moving to the next section. When the primer was dry, I could see that the wood grain was still really visible so I researched how to fill the grain. In my research, I found that you can water down your wood putty and apply it to the surface. I decided to try that technique on the top, sides, and shelves but not the interior upright sections.

Step 4 – More sanding & priming

I didn’t take pics of the putty that I had applied. It was a messy job and took a lot of time. When the putty was dry, I sanded the puttied areas with a sanding block. I didn’t want to remove too much putty. As you can see in the pictures, not all of the grain was covered. We discussed the results and agreed that we would leave it as is and continue with the primer & paint. I applied two coats of primer on the top & shelves and an additional coat to the inside uprights.

Step 5 – Painting 1st coat

Now that the prep work was done, it was time to paint. To be honest, I was fretting about this part. When I researched how to apply high-gloss paint, many of the websites suggested using semi-gloss instead due to the difficulty of getting a smooth finish with gloss paint. If you chose to go ahead and use gloss, they suggested using oil-based gloss because it allows you more time to work it before it dries and when it does dry, the brush strokes tend to smooth out. If you are using water-based gloss, they suggest you use a paint sprayer.

My son had already bought water-based paint and as a rule, I prefer to use water-based. I also don’t own a paint sprayer so I researched how to make it work for me using other tools. I found a site that suggested adding water to the painting process. The technique is to wet the area to be painted with a spray bottle or mister prior to applying the paint. I didn’t have a spray bottle that gave a light misting so I used a lightly damp sponge to add water to the primed wood in a 4″ strip before rolling the paint on the surface. That technique seemed to help the paint not dry too fast so I could then brush over the section to smooth it out. Even with the water, I still had to work fast to prevent too many brush strokes from forming. The first coat of paint is almost always streaky and this project was no exception.

Step 6 – Painting 2nd & 3rd coats

I left the 1st coat to dry for a couple of days before starting on the 2nd coat. Painting the 2nd coat was easier as the paint went on smoother than the 1st coat but it was still tricky trying to paint with no brush strokes. I was hoping two coats of paint would be sufficient but it was not. If I had used a darker primer, I think I might have gotten away with just two coats. I also allowed the 2nd coat to dry for a couple of days before applying the last coat.

Finished stereo unit

I have never tried to make oak wood look like acrylic so the prep work took way more time than either of us expected. Did we achieve the acrylic look….eh, sorta. In the daylight, you can still see some of the wood grain and brush strokes in the paint. However, it is very shiny and is going to look amazing once it is in the house! I’ll add pics once it is being used as a stereo unit.

Tips for painting with high gloss

Working with high-gloss paint is known to be tricky. Some of the websites I read suggested using semi-gloss instead.

• Buy oil-based paint, it dries slower, allowing more time to be worked
• If using water-based paint:
• Use a paint sprayer if you can
  • If not, use a good paintbrush & foam roller
• Wipe down the surface with a wet sponge or spritz with water before applying the paint
• Allow extra drying time between coats
• After the last coat, allow paint to cure for a few days. The longer, the better.

Before, During, After

Instructions

• Use wood putty to fill any wood grain, holes, or spaces in the piece
• Use an orbital or palm sander to smooth the wood
• Apply 2 coats of primer
  • Allow drying time between coats
• Apply 2-3 coats of paint
  • Wet the area where you will be painting using a wet sponge or spray mister
  • Use a foam roller then smooth with a paintbrush
  • Allow drying time between coats

For your convenience

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