Just quickly repaint a door? Not a good idea. It is better to prepare the whole thing well and be patient: The best tips for brushes and varnish, for sanding, priming, and painting. The shelf is pre-painted and shines new and fresh. But does the paint pass the fingernail test? Scratch the nail vigorously over the dry varnish and see where the color is. On the nail? Then the paint has to come down again. Because like a fingernail, any flower vase or bookend pushed back and forth on the shelf would scratch the paint. It would look scuffed in no time. It is therefore essential to work well before applying the first brushstroke of paint. But how does paint adhere really well? Which are suitable for which wood? Is it better to use a brush or a paint roller? And how do you get a nice, even surface?

Choosing the right paint
There are two types of paint: water-based and solvent-based. Here are the main differences:

• Water-based paints – this includes acrylic paints: They are solvent-free, low in harmful substances, and low in odor. Perfect for indoor use. Many have a “Blue Angel ” environmental seal of approval on the paint can. Anyone who paints furniture for the children’s room or wants to freshen up wooden toys should take a lacquer with themDIN standard EN 71-3: It does not come off when children put the toy in their mouth or in a wet hand. Further advantages of water-based paints: They dry faster and with water and a little washing-up liquid, the brushes and paint rollers can be cleaned again.
• Synthetic resin paints: They usually contain so-called volatile solvents such as turpentine. You can smell it. Usually longer, because the varnish evaporates it after drying. So not such a good idea in the apartment or in the house. You can only get synthetic resin varnish out of brushes and paint rollers if you bathe them in turpentine or brush cleaner. Then why apply synthetic resin paints at all? Because they adhere better and the painted surface is smoother and more durable.

Brushes and rollers for painting
The varnish has to get onto the wood somehow: with round and flat brushes or rollers in different sizes. It is a bit of a matter of taste what you prefer to work with. you can visit a buying guide to see different kinds of a high-quality paintbrushes. For water-based acrylic paints, it is best to use a brush with artificial bristles. Because pure natural bristles would swell – due to the water content in the paint. Only paintbrushes that are solvent-resistant should be dipped into synthetic resin lacquers – and that does not dissolve in them so that individual bristles float in the lacquer.

This is how you can tell whether a brush is of good quality:

• dense bristles
• a high proportion of long bristles
• wide handle that lies comfortably in the hand
• no “cheap brush hair loss”, ie stable attachment of the bristles to the handle.

And what about paint rollers? They are good for painting larger areas and for distributing paint over a surface. Good rolls have fine foam and rounded corners so that the rolled-out paint has no air bubbles and edges. There are special flocked rollers for acrylic lacquers, which better prevent air bubbles.

Prime properly before painting
To ensure that the paint adheres really well, prime the surface once – with an adhesive primer or undercoat. Ideally in the matching color to the paint: so no white, but a red primer for red paint. Stir the primer vigorously once, this is the only way to distribute the color pigments evenly. Then spread so much primer that the old surface no longer shows through. You can still see something of it? Then prime again.

Apply paint: “Finishing”
Before you start painting, sand everything lightly one last time with a fine sanding sponge. Then wipe the surface again with a damp cloth. Professionals apply paint several times, changing direction in the process. It is called “finishing”. And it works like this: First, apply long puffs of lacquer in the direction of the wood grain. Then “in a cloister” across the grain. In this way, the paint is evenly distributed everywhere. Finally, quickly paint one more time with varnish in the direction of the grain of the wood.

Paint the moldings
Mask off the edges of strips – for example on the door frame. If the frame has squiggles or other uneven parts, then paint with a brush, which is best for getting into nooks and crannies. Now you need a sure instinct for the right amount of paint: too little does not cover, too much paint runs down the noses on the frame.