Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours painting a piece of furniture only to have the paint scrape and peel off at just a touch. With proper preparation, you can easily paint over your polyurethane-coated surfaces and bring a fresh look to your furniture.
Paint won’t stick to surfaces treated with polyurethane except if they’re sanded and primed. However, acrylic Latex and water-based Latex are not recommended for painting polyurethane-treated surfaces. Instead, it would be best to use a premium oil-based primer —compatible with water-based paints.
What Is Polyurethane?
Polyurethane is a liquid plastic commonly used to coat furniture and wooden floors.
When applied to wood or other materials, it dries to a transparent, lustrous, and long-lasting clear finish. This protects the surfaces against collisions, scratches, scuffs, and other types of damage. The paints come in water-based and oil-based versions, each with a different amount of brilliance.
Can You Paint Over Polyurethane?
Yes, you can paint over polyurethane, provided the surface is adequately prepared. If you paint over polyurethane before preparing the surface, you may have many problems such as cracking, popping, and peeling. Since paint can’t attach to polyurethane directly, skipping this step may cause the paint to wear off fast.
While the combination method is an ideal approach to prep polyurethane for painting in most circumstances, it may not be sufficient. You’ll need to sand the surface first to attain a rougher finish. The rougher surfaces can significantly help the paint to stick.
After that, you’ll need to use a primer. The primer will stick better to the sanded polyurethane base.
Another advantage of priming surfaces is that they might yield in uniform color. Therefore, the color is generally more accurate in fewer layers when applying new paint. It can also conceal the brightest of other paint colors and cover variations in wood surfaces. It lowers the likelihood of heavier stains bleeding through and causes splotches or difficulties with the freshly applied paint coat.
Specialized products, such as Oil Bond, can reduce the need for sanding and priming. The latex paint ingredient helps the color stick to shiny surfaces. Applying a layer of Oil Bond before painting to work as a primer may allow skipping the sanding stage.
Type of Paint that will Stick to Polyurethane
Whether a paint will stick to a polyurethane surface usually has less to do with the paint itself and more to do with preparation. If you sand and prime the surface or use a specialty product that makes those steps less necessary, nearly any kind of paint will bind to the polyurethane coating.
Whether the paint sticks to polyurethane or not depends more on the surface preparation and less on the pain itself. Almost any type of paint will stick to the polyurethane coat if you sand and prepare the surface or use a specific product that skips those procedures.
Here is a list of the common paints and whether they bind with polyurethane:
Latex Paint
Latex paint will readily stick to polyurethane if the surface is prepared correctly. However, Latex is a water-based paint while polyurethane is not, making it necessary to use specialty products or a suitable primer.
You can use products such as Oil Bond to make latex paints bind to polyurethane, and it’s made explicitly for latex paint. Otherwise, you’ll require an oil-based primer compatible with latex paint.
Oil-Based Paint
Oil-based paint will easily bind if the polyurethane surface is sanded and primed. For one thing, oil-based paints don’t necessitate specialized primers. Instead, an oil-based primer will be perfect; oil-based paint is compatible with it.
However, the surface should be sanded before applying the primer. This gives you better chances of the paint sticking perfectly on the wood, leaving you with a smooth surface.
Water-Based Paint
As we previously mentioned about latex paint, you’ll need to prepare your wood first. You can use Water-based paint on polyurethane. Often, this implies sanding the surface and applying any oil-based primer that can be mixed with water-based paint.
And if you’re wondering how long does polyurethane take to dry on wood, properly applied, your wood surface will dry in 24 hours to 48 hours.
Enamel
Enamel will readily stick to a polyurethane surface that is adequately prepared. For enamel, you’ll need to sand the surface first before adding a layer of oil-based primer.
Enamel can be an ideal pick if you want a hard surface. It’s powerful, making the finish more durable than Latex or acrylic paint. Even so, keep in mind that enamel can be hard to repaint.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint can readily stick to the polyurethane surface, provided the surface is adequately prepared. Besides sanding, you’ll also need to put primer on the surface.
Although acrylic paint is not water-based, you’ll need a primer compatible with water. Therefore, to ensure the acrylic paint sticks on the surface, you’ll need to go for an oil-based primer that mixes well with water-based paint.
Chalk Paint
You can apply chalk paint over polyurethane surfaces. But like all other paints, you’ll need to prepare the surface properly.
This sometimes takes chalk paint lovers by surprise. Chalk paints are among the simplest alternatives to various finishes without much preparation.
For the paint to stick well to polyurethane surfaces, you’ll need to sand and prime it first. Since chalk paint is water-based, you’ll require an oil-based primer that can perfectly blend with water-based paint.
How to Paint Over Polyurethane
Painting over polyurethane surfaces doesn’t have to be stressful or challenging. By following these simple steps, the process will be breezy:
1. Clean the Surface
Cleaning polyurethane surfaces you want to paint is arguably the most crucial step. Use mineral spirits to wipe a wet cloth over the whole surface area of the wood. This will remove dust, grime, dirt, and other things that aren’t good for your wood.
The cleaning step should not be rushed, even if you’re eager to paint the surface; otherwise, the paint won’t stick well.
Clean the wooden surface with a separate dry cloth to remove the dry debris. Also, ensure you clean the cracks and crevices around the edges.
2. Sand the Surface
Sand away the glossy polyurethane surface with fine sandpaper or any sander fitted with fine-grade (200+ grit) sandpaper.
Then clean with spirits and another dry cloth. There will be a great deal of dust and dirt, so ensure to reach into all the crannies – corners, edges, and so on. But you may skip this step if you are using a liquid desanding product.
3. Prime and Paint the Surface
Apply the primer over the surface of the wood with long and equal strokes. Uneven strokes may wreak havoc on the lifespan of your efforts, resulting in harmful paint.
Once the first layer of paint has dried, carefully sand any splotchy or uneven areas, then repaint, letting it dry completely.
Wrap Up
Painting a new coat of paint over polyurethane may be a genuine hassle. But if you take your time to complete the work correctly, your work will last long without needing periodic touch-ups. There are several stages to do if you want a perfect result.
