How to Dry Brush Paint

Sanding and Priming Your Furniture

Clean and dust your furniture before painting. You’ll want to make sure there’s no dust or debris on your furniture that might prevent your paint from adhering to it. Use a feather or lamb’s wool duster to remove any dust and debris from the surface of your furniture. You can also dampen a clean, soft cloth with water and use that to clean your piece. If you opt to use a wet cloth, make sure you dry the piece of furniture with a separate clean, dry cloth before proceeding to paint it. Be sure to only use a clean duster to remove dust and debris from your furniture. Take your duster outside and shake it well to make sure it’s completely clean before using it.

Sand your piece if it’s unvarnished and hasn’t been painted. The dry brush paint technique works best on surfaces that have been sanded down, although you probably shouldn’t sand your furniture if it’s already been painted. If your furniture is unvarnished, lightly sand the surface of it with 150-grit sandpaper, then use a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust. Sanding the furniture creates a rough surface that allows the paint to adhere to the furniture more easily. You can also use sandpaper that is finer than 150-grit, although using anything rougher than this may cause some damage to your piece.

Detach any hinges, knobs, or pieces of hardware you don’t want to paint. Use a screwdriver to remove anything attached to your furniture that you wouldn’t want to accidentally get paint on. Put the screws in a small container (e.g., a plastic bag) and place them somewhere you won’t lose them. Keep the screws and pieces of hardware that you remove together to make it easier for you to reattach them later on.

Cover any areas that you don’t want to paint with painter’s tape. There may be some parts of your furniture that you don’t want to paint for aesthetic reasons or that you don’t want to paint but also can’t easily remove (e.g., glass panes on a door). Use painter’s tape to cover these areas and avoid accidentally painting on them. You can buy painter’s tape at any paint or hardware store.

Apply a base coat of paint to your furniture if it hasn’t been painted. The dry brush technique works best on furniture that has already been painted, so give your piece a base coat of paint in a solid color if it’s unvarnished. Be sure to allow the piece to dry overnight after painting it. You can use any hue of flat latex paint for your base coat. However, consider using a darker color that will contrast with the shade of paint you’ll use when you dry brush the piece.

Painting With the Dry Brush Technique

Pour 2 to 3 fluid ounces (59 to 89 mL) of mixed paint onto a paper plate. Mix the paint in the can, then slowly pour 2 to 3 fluid ounces (59 to 89 mL) onto a separate paper plate for you to use to dip your brush in. You can pour slightly more or slightly less paint onto the plate, although you probably won’t need more than this amount to dry brush your furniture. Alternatively, you may also be able to use the lid to the paint can itself to hold your paint as your painting. There’s no one kind of paint that is most effective for dry brush painting; any kind of paint will do!

Dip your paint brush into the paint so that just the tips are covered. The success of the dry brush technique partially depends on you using only a small amount of paint. Dip your brush very lightly into the paint you’ve poured out and aim to cover only the tips of the brush in paint. You’ll want to dip your brush into the paint in such a way that you’re just able to see that there is a small amount of paint on the bristles. Make sure the bristles still appear separate after you dip them in the paint and don’t stick together. If the bristles are sticking, there’s too much paint on the brush.

Blot your brush on a cloth or paper towel to remove excess paint. Remember, the success of the dry brush technique also depends on making your brush as dry as possible. Use a cloth, paper towel, or some other throwaway item to remove any excess paint while still retaining some color on the brush. Examples of other throwaway items you might use include another paper plate or a piece of cardboard. Don’t be afraid to remove too much paint from the brush. When dry brushing, it’s better to have too little paint on the brush rather than too much.

Use light pressure to quickly apply the paint with small strokes. Your strokes should be light-handed and should be in a back-and-forth motion. Make sure your strokes are quick, as moving too slowly will result in heavy spots of paint on the piece. Aim to perform 2 to 4 small strokes with your brush before repeating the process of dipping it in the paint and blotting it on a separate cloth or paper towel.

Continue brushing with small, light strokes until the piece is covered. Work from the top of your piece downward until you’ve painted all the areas you wanted to paint. Aim to keep your brush moving as much as possible while you’re painting to minimize the risk of leaving heavy paint spots. You’ll probably only need to go over each spot with 1 or 2 strokes to achieve a good dry brush effect. However, if you feel a spot can use slightly more color on it, feel free to perform one more pass over it.

Remove or blend heavy spots with a rag or sponge. Once the piece is completely covered, look over it to see if there are any paint clumps that need to be removed or blended into the rest of the paint. You can use a wet cloth to remove the paint or use a sanding sponge to blend it into the surrounding area.

Allow the furniture to dry overnight. Once you’re satisfied with the amount of paint on your piece of furniture, let it dry overnight before moving it or applying any finish to it. You won’t need to apply a second coat, so once it dries it’s ready to be used as normal!