Many homes feature beautiful natural wood. This material is often seen in staircase railing, trim, baseboards, and kitchen cabinets. They may be present in other areas throughout your property, as well. If you’d like to brighten up your house with a new coat of paint, consider the following tips, or reach out to our seasoned crew of professional painters.

Start By Sanding

To get a gorgeous finish, start by sanding the natural wood with #180 sandpaper. A grittier grade of sandpaper usually isn’t the best choice for wood, as it can damage the material. Be sure to take your time when sanding, as it’s crucial to create a surface that will bond with the primer and paint. Skipping this part of the process isn’t advised, and can lead to a poor paint job that won’t hold up well over time. For best results, give the area a few passes with the sandpaper to ensure a smooth, even canvas. Keep in mind that this is a messy process, and if you’re sanding unfinished wood indoors, lay out a protective drop cloth before beginning the process.

Prime the Material

After the natural wooden surface has been thoroughly sanded, follow up with a coat of bonding primer. We recommend STIX waterborne primer, as it’s user-friendly and ideal for a variety of projects. While this type of primer works great on natural wood, it’s also appropriate for plaster, drywall, and non-ferrous metals. Once you’ve applied the coat of primer, you’ll notice that the dried product leaves behind a durable, hard film. After the primer has dried for about an hour, lightly sand the wood a second time to create a smooth surface that’s ideal for painting.

Finish Up With Your Favorite Paint 

Once you’ve completed the previous steps, it’s time to move on to painting. Our crew has extensive experience in painting natural wood, and we’ve tested many different products. For best results, we recommend using the ADVANCE line by Benjamin Moore for painting wood and trim. There’s a plethora of colors available, so you’ll have the opportunity to choose your favorite hue to bring out the beauty in your project.

Painting natural wood can be a tedious process, and it requires a lot of time and patience. If you’d like to avoid the mess of sanding, priming, and painting, please reach out to our team. We have 40 years of experience in serving the Boulder community, and we have the capability and knowledge to handle any project you have in mind. To schedule a free color consultation, give us a call.

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