Bespoke Furniture

The beauty of paint is its potential to radically transform rooms.

Lime can also do the same to your existing (often more interesting) furniture. Hand painting items in a range of colours and finishes will give your furniture a new lease of life allowing it to complement your newly decorated surroundings.

Lime offers a bespoke service for private clients and interior designers.

Our most popular requests include:

- Hand painted larder units
- Cupboards
- Dressers
- Bookcases
- Children's furniture
- Beds, wardrobes and dressing tables
- Tables and chairs
- Mirrors

How To Hand Paint Furniture

If you want a professional looking finish to your hand painted furniture, Lime suggests following these simple guidelines.

The first step is to remove any hardware before cleaning the furniture you wish to paint. Lime recommends Krud Kutter, which is an environmentally friendly cleaning and de-greasing product. It will also remove wax.

If the item is bare oak, pine or another wood, then a light sanding with a fine grade sandpaper (180-320 grade) will be required to provide a key for your paint to adhere to. If the item is painted or varnished, then we recommend that it be sanded with a medium grade sandpaper (80-120 grade) or mechanically sanded until there are no shiny surfaces left.

At this stage any holes or splits should be filled with a wood filler and sanded down. Dampen a clean rag and wipe down all your sanded surfaces to remove all dust and allow to dry.

Next, one or two coats of primer should be applied followed by a very light sanding.

Finally, depending on the type of finish you require, one or two coats of your colour product should be applied (a very light sanding should be done in between all coats). Your final coat should be left as long as possible to dry and harden.

Types Of Finish On Hand Painted Furniture

Furniture painted with an oil eggshell gives a durable subtle finish.

Furniture painted with an emulsion will leave a softer, flatter finish but would not be as hard wearing.

With Annie Sloan paint you will achieve a chalky, matt, velvety finish that works well distressed and then waxed. If you are using this product then it rarely requires any preparation such as sanding or priming.

Take a look at the Annie Sloan You Tube channel for techniques and other possible finishes.

Whatever the finish, you will be left with a bespoke piece of furniture painted to match or compliment your existing colour scheme. The choices are infinite and the result will be uniquely yours.

Popular Choices

A popular request is for Lime Decorators to hand paint existing fitted wardrobes that have become discoloured or chipped. This gives an instant refreshed look to a bedroom. A quick change of handles will often complete the new look.

Another popular choice is painting oak or pine dressers, tables or cupboards. Many clients are requesting that an element be left unpainted and then waxed or oiled. This will create a timeless look to the furniture.

Please contact us if you are considering painted furniture, we will be happy to give you advice or a quote for this increasingly popular service.

Furniture Repairs

Furniture in a vintage period property is often irreplacable. Lime can help repair, restore and maintain your furniture to keep it in perfect condition for many years to come.

A recent Lime project involved restoring a unique window seat in a Grade II listed former coach house and inn (dated 1475) in Leicestershire. The seat was previously painted with various coats of different colours over many years and was rotten in places.

The pine window seat was mechanically stripped back, then repaired. To achieve the required finish a wood dye was applied along with two coats of flat varnish.

The completed seat is shown here, situated in the old coach house window, perfect for many more years to come.