Products

Ep58 I Broke the “Rules” on My Antique Dresser — Specialty Paints for the Win

Stop Making Furniture Redesign Harder Than It Needs to Be Somewhere along the way, furniture artists can get the idea that the harder way must be the better way. I don’t buy that. I like fast and easy—as long as fast and easy doesn’t mean skipping necessary prep or sacrificing the quality of the finished piece. If a product can give me the result I want in less time, I’m perfectly happy to let it do its job. That’s exactly what happened with the antique dresser I redesigned for our RV. Instead of opening a can of traditional furniture paint and brushing or spraying on a conventional base coat, I reached for spray paint. Actually, I reached for three cans of spray paint. Then came stencil paint, several different metallic paints and a glossy topcoat. Did I break a few of the unofficial “rules” of furniture redesign? Probably. But knowing … Read more

Ep56 Lime Paint — Tricky, Expensive & Absolutely Beautiful

Mineral Paint and Lime Paint: Two Names Worth a Closer Look This episode on the Flipping Furniture For Profit podcast is the second half of a two-episode look inside the paint can. In Episode 55, we talked about mineral paint—and why the word mineral doesn’t describe one universal formula. Here in Episode 56, we’re moving into lime paint: a beautiful specialty finish with plenty of movement, character, expense, and, yes, a learning curve. If you landed here from my Mineral Paint + Lime Paint poster or reel, you’re in the right place. You can explore lime paint below, then visit What Exactly Is Mineral Paint? — Episode 55 to hear the other half of the conversation.   Lime Paint: When Beautiful Wins Not every paint that creates a beautiful finish makes good business sense. I learned that while using Pure & Original Fresco lime paint on an inexpensive serving cart I’d … Read more

Ep55 What Exactly Is Mineral Paint?

Does the Paint Jar Label Tell You Exactly What’s Inside? When you’re new to furniture flipping, it’s easy to assume the name on a paint jar tells you exactly what’s inside. Mineral paint sounds pretty straightforward. It’s mineral paint, right? Well…not necessarily. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned after years of painting furniture is that product names and marketing terms don’t always tell us everything we need to know. Two paints associated with the word mineral can have very different formulations and behave very differently on furniture. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either product. It means we need to learn to look beyond the label. A good example is Fusion Mineral Paint. Fusion explains that its binder is 100% acrylic resin while its pigments are derived from minerals. If you only saw Mineral Paint on the front of the jar, you might have assumed something different. And … Read more

Ep54 A Furniture Flipper’s Guide to Antiques: Why Is That Doll Looking at Me?

Just Because It’s Old Doesn’t Mean It’s Valuable One of the easiest assumptions to make when you’re new to furniture flipping is that old furniture must be valuable. It’s old. It’s solid. It has dovetails. Grandma had one. Surely somebody is going to pay a fortune for it. Not necessarily. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from buying and selling furniture is that age alone doesn’t create value. A piece may be beautifully made and more than a hundred years old and still be difficult to sell. Another piece from a much later period may have buyers fighting over it. Why? Because value needs a beholder. A buyer may care about the maker, rarity, construction, original finish or history. But ultimately, somebody has to actually want that piece enough to pay for it. That matters to furniture flippers because we have another decision to make: What should we do … Read more

Ep53 Alkyd & Urethane Paint — Pretty Is Nice, but Will It Last?

Alkyd & Urethane Paint — Pretty Is Nice, But Will It Last? Pretty furniture is easy to photograph, but the real test is what happens after it leaves your workshop. One of the most important things I’ve learned through years of painting furniture is that there isn’t one “best” paint. There’s only the paint that’s best suited to what you’re trying to accomplish. That’s why I keep coming back to this advice: Learn your products and choose according to your need at the time. Alkyd and urethane paints are a good example. Products such as Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane are designed to create a hard, durable finish that can stand up to frequently used and cleaned surfaces. That matters when you’re selling furniture, because your responsibility doesn’t end when you take the pretty Marketplace pictures. Your work goes home with somebody. I’ve used different paints for different projects over the years, … Read more

Ep52 Acrylic Paint — What Works, What Changes & What Lasts

Acrylic Paint: Why Knowing Your Product Matters Acrylic paint sounds simple enough, right? You see acrylic on the label and assume you know what you’re getting. Not necessarily. One of the most important things I want you to learn as a furniture artist is this: the paint family tells you where to start, but it doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the product. Think about those little bottles of acrylic craft paint you’ve probably seen at the store. I’ve used them for stenciling and decorative details for years. They’re acrylic. But so are some coatings specifically formulated to stand up to the everyday wear and tear we expect from furniture. In fact, professional wood coatings can use acrylics, polyurethane dispersions and blends of resin technologies to achieve different performance characteristics. Those products aren’t interchangeable just because they share the word acrylic. That’s why I’m always telling you … Read more

Ep51 Chalk-Type Paint — Loved by Some, Hated by Others, but Still On My Shelf

There was a time when chalk-type paint seemed to be everywhere. If you painted furniture, chances are you had a can or two sitting on your shelf. Today? Well…people have opinions. Some furniture painters still love it. Others wouldn’t touch it. Me? I still have it on my shelf, and there’s a pretty simple reason why. I know what it’s going to do. After you’ve painted enough furniture, you begin to get acquainted with your products. You learn which paints level beautifully, which ones need a little extra help, which ones work well for certain projects, and which ones you’d just as soon leave sitting on the shelf. I call that getting to “no-brainer land.” It doesn’t mean you’ve found the perfect paint. I don’t think there is one. It means you’ve gained enough experience that you don’t have to hold a committee meeting with yourself every time you open … Read more

Ep48 Come Into the Workshop and We’ll Open Up My Paint Cabinet

Come Into the Workshop and We’ll Open Up My Workshop. One of the most common questions I hear is, “What’s the best paint?” It’s a good question—but it isn’t always the best place to start. After many years of painting furniture, I’ve realized something. I rarely think in terms of individual products anymore. Instead, I think more about what my end game is – and that usually revolves around paint families. That simple shift has made choosing products much easier. Instead of trying to memorize dozens of brand names, I first ask what kind of finish I’m trying to achieve. Once I understand the characteristics of a particular paint family, choosing a specific product or brand becomes much more straightforward. It’s a little like walking through a garden center. If you’re looking for tomatoes, you don’t begin by comparing every plant in the greenhouse. You first head to the vegetable … Read more

Ep39 The Topcoat Tango: Wax, Poly, or Nothing at All?

New to flipping? Start here: ValFrania.com/LearnToFlip There’s one stage of furniture flipping that seems to make beginners hold their breath… THE SEALER. I understand why too. You can spend hours painting a piece beautifully and suddenly feel nervous about ruining everything in the final step. And honestly? Even experienced flippers sometimes feel that way. For years, I kept hearing blanket advice online: “Use a different brand.”                “Wait 72 hours.”                               “Use a roller.”                                           “Spray it on.” But over time, I realized furniture finishing isn’t nearly that black and white.   Understanding Removes Fear One of the biggest mindset shifts for me happened when I stopped trying to memorize … Read more

Ep38 The Great Paint Debate: It’s Just Wood…Until It’s Not

 The Great Paint Debate: It’s Just Wood…Until It’s Not Just starting out? ValFrania.com/LearnToFlip   There’s a lot of noise in the furniture world when it comes to painting. Some people will tell you to never paint antiques. Others will paint anything without a second thought. If you’re new, it can feel like you’re stuck in the middle trying to figure out what’s actually right. This post is for you if you’ve ever stood in front of a piece wondering, “Am I about to make the wrong decision?” You’re not alone—and the answer isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Hit play ➡️ to listen to episode #38.  See the furniture mentioned in the podcast below. It’s Not About Rules Furniture flipping isn’t about following strict rules like “always paint” or “never paint.” It’s about learning how to recognize what you’re working with. Because the truth is… Furniture really is just wood—until … Read more