I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but the paint aisle at your local hardware store is about to get a whole lot more exciting. You can now buy automotive paint for use on wood furniture! And while it’s technically designed for cars and motorcycles, it works great on pieces of furniture too! This blog post will cover how to use automotive paints on wood furniture as well as some tricks for getting good coverage with them. So let’s dive right into it.
I’ve used automotive paint on wood furniture quite a few times over the past several years and have had really great results! Car paint on furniture is a great option if you’re looking for an ultra-high gloss coating that dries lightning-fast and is as hard as nails.
Now, that’s not to say that automotive paint for furniture is the best option out there because it does have some drawbacks.
For one, it stinks to high heaven and is loaded with dangerous chemicals so the proper respiratory gear and ventilation is an absolute must.
Secondly, these paints require spraying, so brushing isn’t an option. Not only is it a spray-only material, but the type of sprayer matters too. My particular paint gun isn’t the most top-of-the-line by any means, but it’s also not a lower-end sprayer found at big box stores either. Know what I mean?
You’ll have to have a spray gun powerful enough to deliver the material onto the surface so it will “lay down” evenly. (By the way, you can click here to download my Glossy Furniture Guide that links to a lot of the tools and supplies I use daily.)
And thirdly, it’s pretty dang expensive. I don’t have my receipts on hand right now, but my guess is that it cost around $250 in primer, paint, and supplies.
So, if you can clear those top three hurdles with ease, then using auto paint on wood furniture might totally be your jam!
Where did you get this wood dresser?
This gorgeous dresser is made by White of Mebane. Seriously, it’s easily one of the prettiest pieces I’ve ever come across. It was in really great condition too.
I had it listed in my Etsy store for many months. I offered it for sale in its as-is/original finish for a lower price OR painted for a higher price. It was a first-come, first-serve deal. I would’ve very gladly sold it to anyone in the original finish. But, that didn’t happen!
A sweet lady bought it and wanted it painted in this gorgeous deep shade of navy.
I only added that bit of info because I know how the real world works. There are SO many people who will think it’s total blasphemy to paint such a pretty piece of furniture. So without trying to sound like I’m on defense, I just wanted to state the facts of the situation 🙂
What automotive paint color did you use?
If you’ve been around here for a while, then you likely already know that I typically use Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac Brilliant on furniture. You can read more about that paint in this post.
So why didn’t I use that paint for this dresser? The long and short answer is, I just didn’t have time to use FPE because I needed to get this piece painted and shipped in a shorter amount of time.
In order for this dresser to be wrapped and shipped in my timeframe, it had to be cured quickly. And, while I absolutely love Fine Paints of Europe, the oil-based enamel just wasn’t going to have enough time to cure for me to wrap the dresser in shrink wrap, load it into a box truck and ship it 2,000 miles west!
Automotive paint dries and cures lightyears faster than Fine Paints of Europe. Normally I like to give FPE about 4 weeks to cure before wrapping it up (the longer the better). With car paint, I felt comfortable wrapping it after a couple of weeks. Honestly, you could probably wrap it up even sooner than that, but I don’t like to gamble.
The color on this piece very closely matches a color called Navy 1798 from Fine Paints of Europe. I had a color sample of Navy 1798 leftover from the dresser I painted showcased in this post, and I took it to my local auto paint store and they color matched it for me.
The match was dead on!
What primer did you use?
For priming, I used PPG Omni MP282 high build 2k primer/surfacer. This stuff is amazing, it’s like sprayable Bondo. It says high build and it’s no joke!
With this automotive primer, you mix the primer with a catalyst/hardener and then with a reducer in a 4:1:1 ratio (I use lacquer thinner as a reducer): Four parts primer, one part catalyst, and one part reducer.
For the color coat, I used Omni MTK acrylic urethane single stage. Single-stage means that no clear coat is needed for the glossy sheen. The color coat is high gloss. This material is also mixed in a 4:1:1 ratio with a hardener and reducer.
The original hardware on this piece is so good! You can read this post about polishing brass hardware to see the best way to make it shine like new!
Last-Minute Touches To My Automotive Paint Furniture
And, last but certainly not least… the next couple photos show a little bit about me having to sand a couple of sags out of the sides. I’m freaking notorious for knowing when to stop but refusing to listen!!!!
I was spraying my last coat of paint and knew it was finished, BUT I had several ounces of paint left in my cup. So, what do I do? I made a couple of extra passes and immediately knew it was a mistake.
Sure enough…when I checked it half an hour later I could see a couple of sags on each side. Womp Womp.
No worries though, I wet sanded the sags out then polished the shine back. I outlined how to cut and polish in this post, so be sure to click over there to read it.
Since I only wanted to sand the flat side panel, I taped up the edges so I didn’t accidentally bump the sander into the edges and take the paint off. Plus, the tape kept water from dripping in between the panel and the trim and causing issues.
I started with 1,200 grit sandpaper and went up to 5,000 in the area shown above. After the sag was sanded flat, I moved on to polishing to bring the shine back. Again, more details on the process can be found here.
Here’s how the side looked after.
So there ya go, automotive paint on furniture for the win!
Don’t forget to download The Glossy Furniture Guide…it’s totally free and will save you massive amounts of time and frustration when trying to acquire all the materials you’ll need to tackle painting gloss furniture!
Thanks for hanging out with me for a minute:) Talk soon…
xo Kayla
Hello, I was admiring your cabinets that you painted with SW1109 Aria Ivory, when I pulled it up on the Sherwin Williams website, it comes up kind of pinkish color, is this correct?
Thank you and do admire your work, too bad you live far away as I would like to use your service.
Thanks, Lucy
[email protected]
Hey Lucy, Great question! Paint colors never read true from a computer screen. You always have to look at the color card in the room where you’ll be using the color. When I used Aria Ivory on these cabinets there was no pink undertone at all. But A lot of this will depend on the lighting situation in the particular space! Always be sure to look at your color options in your home to be 100% safe. Best of luck to you!! And thanks so much for your comment! xo
Oh my gosh, that is absolutely gorgeous!!!! Very classy and much better painted with gold accents! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Thank you!! xo
Gorgeous! Once again, you have knocked the ball right out of the park. Did you sand and polish the top, sides and drawer fronts, or just the sides?
Thanks Marybeth! No, I didn’t polish the top at all…only the two sides:) xo
Hello everyone! I’m the “sweet lady” that bought the dresser and wanted Kayla to paint it in a high gloss navy blue. Listen, if it had been 30 years older and made of mahogany, I would have opted to leave it but it needed “dressing up” in my opinion! The traditional style of the dresser appealed to me greatly and I told Kayla that it instantly fit into my home and blended seamlessly with my other pieces – like it was always meant to be. The dresser is astonishingly beautiful. The navy blue with the gold hardware is such a classic and elegant combination! If any of you are trying to decide whether to take the plunge and have Kayla paint a piece of furniture for you, wait no longer! You won’t be disappointed! Kayla is a true artist! XXOO
It is absolutely exquisite! This article has set my mind into motion on our original master bedroom triple dresser (that is in our Master Bathroom under the triple window) and my kitchen cabinets that my husband wants to save. How cost effective is it? We were at a well known cabinet mfg. outlet store and a customer mentioned that a local automotive paint garage/gentleman does this type of process. If I can it done and turn out like your dresser I feel can sell this home when that time comes. Congratulations to all.
I love this! I’ve been searching for a small vanity (26-28 wide x 32-34 tall) for my powder room. I may have to find a piece and remove the legs and mount to the wall. This is the perfect color for the room. Add some funky blue and white wallpaper and my house would be finished (for a while). This is such a classy and timeless but fun color.
You are very talented!!
Sounds beautiful!! Thank you! xo
LOVE your glossy painted furniture! Beautiful! About how much would it cost to have you paint a similar size piece? Minus shipping costs.
Around $2500
omg this is the best thing ever! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before.
I looks so wonderful.
great job!
Absolutely stunning! The color and the smooth high gloss finish is perfection. It takes a true artist to achieve that type of result.
Love, love! I have a piece I was dead set on painting, but after seeing this I’ve changed my mind. Buuuut, I’m chicken. It took me forever to strip it and I REFUSE to screw it up. I’m going to find a automotive painter to do it. Question:
Have you ever seen furniture painted by collision shop? Same high polish finish?
Sharon
I’ve never personally known of a car paint shop that would accept furniture, no. I’m leaning toward saying you’ll be hard pressed to find a shop that will do it unfortunately.
I mean, you could ask around, but be prepared in case you get lots of really weird looks and some laughs too! The guys who paint cars just don’t do furniture.
Best of luck to you!!
xo Kayla
I’ve used auto paint shop a couple time . Always a great outcome. They usually will do your peices after work hours.
Stunning, absolutely breathtaking! Please tell me how to find someone who will do this? Do I take my piece to an auto body so. I have a console to do over in the deepest black available. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hey Kayla,
I recently found your work…like this week and love it. I want to try this eventually! A couple questions: Im pictures of your work it looks like you tape and spray the sides of the front plates of the drawers. Do you ever have issues with them not fitting or rubbing together after? If so how to you remidy?
Also do you ever do anything with the insides or sides of the drawers or cabinets?
Hi Jessica! Before we begin our refinishing process, we check all drawers and doors to see if they fit too tightly and rub when opened and closed. If there are places that do rub/fit too tightly, we sand down those areas quite a bit and get the pieces to fit better and to slide easily. THEN we will go onto the priming and painting phases. Once finished, everything should fit back together nicely without issues. But in the event that it’s still ill fitting after paint, we will sand those spots aggresively until a better fit is achieved, then touch up the paint that was sanded off. Hope this explanation helps! Let me know if I can help further. xo
I love this idea! I have been contemplating using a wood table outside in a covered lanai. Would this auto paint be enough protection for a wood dining table in a covered outdoor space? I’m sure there will be rain blowing in at some point. By the way, I’m in Englewood FL. So no freezing temps. Humidity and rain are definitely a consideration. I’m so happy I came upon this article at the perfect time. I have several pieces of furniture in need of refinishing. I’m in love with the reverse painted glass furniture. This paint should come pretty close to that look.
Hi Kayla, I have a lovely large cabinet 90Hx64W that I would like to have painted norwegian ‘Aqua” blue rich and dark like your navy dresser with gliver on the inside. It is mahogany stained dark. Does it need to have all the stained surfaces removed before I take it to the auto paint shop or can they spray over it? It has a lot of glass and fine mullions…. I wish I could have you do it but I am in Calgary Alberta Canada…. I tried to copy a pic to this note but no luck.
Your results were exquisite! I was wondering if the finish shows hand prints or other marks on that mirror shine?
Thanks! It shows greasy/oily smudges just like it would on a car. Good news is they wipe right off easily:) xo Kayla
Hi Kayla,
Is there any benefit to having an auto body shop spray a piece?
Kayla this piece of furniture is just stunning!
Thanks Terri!!xo
Right to the point…can Automotive Paint be used on kitchen cabinets? White. I’m a long time DIYer, probably before you were born, lol. I’ll try anything…safe.
Can it…yes. Would I recommend it? Probably not. And it would be hella expensive!
What size fluid tip did you use in the video spraying FPoE Hollandlac Brilliant?
Also:PSI, thinning material and percentage if any.
My wife has a small dresser her father made. She wants me to revive it. Its pine, and she wants it painted in Hollandlac Brilliant Rembrandt Red.
Love your work!!
Malcolm
Boxford, MA
Wow! Exquisite! I painted furniture and cabinetry in a former life but this is a whole new level. Fantastic job!
Absolutely stunning! Love it!
Beautiful! Love the piece!
OH MYYYYYYYY I AM IN LOVVVVVVVE
I Love paint in all it’s forms but woman this takes the cake!
Awesome job!
Vanessa
Thanks vanessa! xo
Hi Kayla! This piece looks stunning. The color, finish everything. I was wondering if the end product is resistant to scratches or dings. I would treat such a masterpiece like jewelry but you never know!
Thanks for sharing all the info. Will be coming back again and again for inspiration 🙂
it’s as resistant as your car. so, just think, if it would damage or scratch your car, then it would do the same to the furniture. xo
Hi,
This is so beautiful! I came across your website while researching the best paint jobs you can get on furniture.
I’m planning to paint some furniture. I’d like to get the best finish possible but I don’t have much experience painting furniture. Given that I have a access to a very high quality paint gun and time isn’t important, would you recommend hollandlac brilliant or automotive paint? Which finish do you prefer? I’m afraid that my lack of experience will cause issues when using fpe.
woof…this is a loaded and heavy question lol! auto paint is a bit easier to use than hollandlac….i’ll leave it there. please follow up when you try!! xo
Kayla this piece is absolutely stunning!! Incredible to think you used automotive paint to achieve the look. You’ve truly out done yourself…amazing!
Hi!
Gorgeous navy dresser! What type of paint sprayer did you use? I have a Wagner but have never used it yet. Did you do this in a garage with plastic sheeting hung around for dust repellant? Any answers would be of help. Also where would I buy automotive paint?
Thanks…and beautiful work!
Kyle
Great job! I’ve always loved automotive paint. I also love the gold touches. Is that automotive paint also?
My husband is a metal artist and uses a compressor to paint his finished pieces, so has the set up to use automotive paint. I can’t wait to try this on an old secretary desk of my mother’s from the 40s that has the original federal style hardware(I read your piece on polishing!)
I had recently heard about using automotive primer for kitchen cabinets underneath a typical acrylic/latex paint. This was a manly man YouTube channel. I had never heard of that before but it seemed to make sense. Your post here kind of corroborates the idea. Do you have any thoughts or experience with that?
Hi Lara, I wouldn’t use auto primer on cabinets for a couple of reasons.
1) It’s a very hard primer and it does not do well with movement…and wood cabinets move too much (like swelling etc). auto primer will crack easily when cabinet panels move.
2) It would cost a small fortune to use it! You’d likely have $500 at least in primer/hardener/reducer for an average size kitchen!
Hope this helps!
Hello! I just love this look and I’ve tried to order that paint but they won’t ship it to California do u have any advice on where to find it!
Go to their website and look up a product called “Eco Brilliant”
I believe that will be available to you in CA
Thanks for sharing info on your brilliant furniture transformations. Reassuring to see that I can make a mirror finish on questionable wood furniture. Great website
Awesome information!! Left Sherwin William’s automotive divisionas a master council rep and did many overall and spot repair demos. Have always been interested in painting furniture with automotive paint, makesbeautiful pieces. Ur information has open my eyes and renewed my interest. Thanks for this great informative article. Be safe!
How timely!
I’m a residential interior designer in Northern Virginia. Had a custom woodwork studio make my to the specs studio cabinets and drawers. I asked all over the place if anyone new of an automotive paint shop would do these up for me. Ended up getting a guy to do it with ‘high gloss” BM Hale Navy. Not as dark as it should be, since the cabinets are Maple.
Never been overjoyed with the outcome. Two years later and paper or a flyer sitting on it can get partially stuck.
I’m no DIYer. Now? I plan to call around to small auto paint shops to see if they can blast the paint off and redo them.
The struggle is real!
Automotive paint is highly dangerous for indoor use! Contains various harmful ingredients! Never ever do that!
….ok
Actually that is incorrect. Automotive paint uses a solvent. The solvent will evaporate. That will leave the paint dry and chemical free. The process involves using chemicals that should not be inhaled. The respirator is about 30 bucks. You can get a full suit to cover your body for 10 bucks. Painting small things once in awhile is legal. Painting cars daily requires a license and special equipment.
How do you clean furniture that has been painted this way?
you can clean it just like you would wash a car. mild soap and water and use a soft microfiber rag if something needs to be cleaned off. otherwise, regular dry dusting with a swifter is sufficient. no furniture polish like pledge. xo
Amazing! Love it!
Absolutely love this. My son in law paints airplanes for a living, and has a set up at home to paint cars. I asked him doing this, and he said he has painted furniture for others, and that it does look very sharp. He is as excited as I am and I will be spending a small fortune to do a whole bedroom suit. But I think it will be easier (at least on me) thank Chalk painting. As I am definitely doing navy. Can you tell me the color # of this navy.
Absolutely exquisite
What an incredible way to update traditional furniture.
Thank you Angela.
xo Kayla
What’s the cost compared to traditional paint? I wanna paint my tv stand this color… you did an awesome job!
Even the cheapest automotive paint is much, much more expensive than residential interior coatings unfortunately!
Hello Kayla,
I am interested in refinishing some doors with high gloss automotive paint . The doors currently are primed with oil base primer. Can I apply the automotive high fill primer over the oil primer?
I can’t say that I would recommend it