If you read my last post “The Tuxedo Hutch” , you know that I found out about a new Furniture Paint by Valspar and immediately fell in love with it. It solved my problem and I got a beautiful and durable finish with a super easy to use paint.
I was super excited to try it for the second time so I bought a quart of Valspar Foxtrot (a shade of ivory) to paint this large dresser and two nightstands that were originally painted in dark green.
This time I decided to take the plunge and do exactly as the instructions on the can said. No priming, no thinning, just paint your piece with a roller or paintbrush.
Well, unfortunately my honeymoon was over. Things didn’t go so well.
The first coat had a very poor coverage and there were roller marks all over the piece. I also noticed that the paint took a lot longer to dry compared to the black paint I had used on my previous project. I waited about an hour to apply the second coat but since the paint was not completely dry, I got some messy spots and had to sand and do two more coats to try to fix it.
After the forth coat with the sponge roller I was not happy at all with the result, so I decided to replicate exactly what I had done on the Tuxedo Hutch project. I thinned the paint with water until it got the right viscosity for my paint sprayer and sprayed away!
For the dresser I didn’t take any chances, so I primed it first and spray painted the whole piece. I was happy again. The three pieces ended up really nice, with the same result I had seen on my first experience. The finish looked nice and smooth and the paint dried super quickly (probably because of the added water?!). What a relief!
In conclusion, I thought I had found my other half, the paint that would make my life easier, my work faster, my pieces prettier and more durable, but I guess my expectations were a little too high.
I can’t say I am completely disappointed. I still love the fact that it works so well with a sprayer and it needs no sealer, so I will definitely be using it especially for larger pieces or sets with several pieces.
I’m glad this had a happy ending.
Have you tried this paint? I am very curious to read about your experience, so please share!
Love,
Patricia.
The Wood Spa by Pat Rios 
Hi I saw you on Hometalk and came to visit. As a furniture painter myself, allow me my 2 cents! Don’t ever use Valspar paint! lol. They have great colors but the paint is horrible on furniture! I have painted with every paint (decent paint) on the market. Hands down the best is BM Advance. Sherwin Willimas Pro Classic comes in 2nd. For white paint, they have a good paint. If you like glossy or semi gloss, Advance is the best. Satin too. It’s a hybrid alkaloid paint, not a straight latex like Valspar or Behr. Ever notice your paint stays tacky? That’s why.
You can see all of my creations under my blog under the “Before and After” heading.
Thanks and GL!
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Thanks for the tip Beth! Your work is beautiful. I never tried BM Advance but will do it for sure. I like SW paint but I hate the smell! I usually don’t have any problems with Valspar, I really like it and use it a lot. Now I’m curious to compare it to BM Advance! Thanks once again!
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Beth I tried to check out your blog and it says your blog is no longer available…is that correct?
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Paula, I think this is the link for her blog. http://makemeprettyagain.blogspot.com/
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I have to respectfully disagree regarding BM Advance. That paint has been difficult, at best, on a beautiful mid century console. To prep I sanded, washed with TSP, primed, sanded, primed again and sanded. Ready for paint. No matter what I did I had either brush or roller marks. Tried a light Annie Sloan brush after failures with a mohair roller and a foam roller. After too many hours spent sanding I added some Floetrol in desperation. That finally did the trick. But, why spend $$$ on Advance when I could have added a conditioner to any old paint?
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When you use the Valspar furniture paint are you putting any kind of finish on it? Like wax or polyurethane?
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Donny, I don’t use any finish on top of Valspar Furniture paint, and so far have had no problems.
I guess you could apply some top coat if you choose to, but I wouldn’t use oil-based finishes over light colors as they may yellow over time. Good luck!
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Hi! Can you give recommendations for using Valspar furniture paint? I throughly sanded my piece then used a liquid sandpaper product. After the first coat I waited over 24 hours before trying s second coat. I can scratch some of the 1st coat with my fingernail.
I am super afraid to continue with a 2nd coat. I did not use a primer because the piece had already been painted and primed (all latex paint).
I would truly appreciate any help from you. Do I stop and re sand the entire piece and start over and then use a primer?? I have 3 other pieces to paint and I am at a standstill.
Thank you in advance for your help and hope to hear from you soon.
Regards, Donna Goodeaux
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I’m sorry to hear you’re having that problem. If the first coat is not adhering to the surface, a second coat will not solve the problem. I’d sand it down to remove as much as possible of the precious paint. No need to get to raw wood, but get to a smooth surface. Clean it well, prime and apply the paint. Primer definitely helps with adherence but make sure the surface is super clean before you prime it. Good luck!
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Hi ! Thank you for all your information on this paint. I am using the furniture and cabinet paint by Valspar. Since it is a hybrid paint would you use a latex or oil base primer? Also if I want to thin this to use a color as undertones, what would you thin with? Thanks !1
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Hi Debra, for me, oil based primer is more reliable, especially for high traffic surfaces like cabinets, but you could use a water based primer too. The manufacturer doesn’t recommend thinning the paint, but I sometimes added a few drops of water and it worked fine. Always testing a piece of scrap wood first to be safe. Good luck!
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