Posted by frenchicfinland Admin
A beginner's guide - painting instructions and inspiration
Hi, we're so glad you found us!
Welcome along as we turn something old into something completely new.
You'll find colors, ideas, and a touch of courage with us.
Whether you're renovating your home or cottage, or working on a smaller project, you'll find the right paints with us for almost any home renovation project.
The choice of paint is what sets the ordinary apart from the exceptional
Find out how to get the most out of Frenchic paint and achieve top quality with every brushstroke.
This article includes instructions and introductions to our paint ranges.
P.S. We're not responsible if you start looking at all your furniture and walls in a new light.
Painting furniture is IN right now - and for good reason
Upcycling is on the rise, and refurbishing secondhand furniture is stylish and sensible - DIY, recycling, and giving old furniture a new lease on life are unlikely to be passing trends. Get creative and repaint your old furniture to make it beautiful and modern again.
You don't always have to buy new!
If you've ever thought that matte paints aren't durable or high-quality, now more than ever is the time to try the award-winning renovation paint range: Frenchic!
The painting instructions for achieving a great result are ultimately very simple with Frenchic paints:
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Wash and clean the surface to be painted thoroughly, then let it dry.
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Sand the entire surface and wipe away the sanding dust.
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Apply at least two coats to a dry, clean surface, using thoroughly mixed paint.
- Allow to dry according to the instructions.
No more waxing or varnishing - no primers or other steps in between - just paint!
As a bonus, you get a beautifully leveled, smooth finish without brush marks or lap marks.
Why paint with Frenchic?
Painting with Frenchic paint is quick and pleasant, even when working indoors:
- Our fast-drying paints level beautifully, so you can finish your project in a single day.
- Frenchic water-based paints are pleasant to use indoors. They dry faster than conventional furniture paints, are odorless, and tools are easy to clean with water and mild detergent.
- Frenchic paint is a so-called hybrid paint, suitable for many different surfaces: you save both time and material costs when you can use the same paint for different projects and surfaces.
Explore and test first, before taking on a bigger project
Get a small 250ml sample pot and test the paint & tools.
Texture and shades - a new painting experience
Frenchic paints often have much better pigment and coverage than regular furniture paints. They also tend to have a thicker, almost drip-free consistency.
The gorgeous matte finish is perfect for both modern interiors and old buildings. The powdery pastel shades evoke our traditional colors and pair beautifully with wood surfaces, white or gray.
Frenchic paints offer a completely new painting experience.
Do your bit for the environment and bring old furniture from your attic or basement back into the spotlight.
Older furniture is often made of solid wood and built to last, but yellowed or darkened wood may no longer suit today’s interiors as it is.
It’s not always practical or necessary to buy new furniture. With just a little paint, you can easily give cabinets, dressers and other small pieces a stylish new look without the designer price tag!
Make your home your own and use the shades you love. Color is all it takes to create a new mood. Don’t hesitate to repaint; you can often change the color of your walls, doors or furniture. Your home evolves over time, and its colors can reflect that too.
Painting is an easy way to change the mood of a room.
Thinking of painting your kitchen cabinets?
Do you have a larger painting project in mind, such as painting kitchen cabinets or something similar? First, get a couple of small 250ml sample pots of paint, a brush, a roller and a color chart.
Practice first
If you haven’t done much painting before, we recommend starting with a small practice project like this:
Get a small piece of furniture with a drawer and a door, like the ones in your kitchen and try out a few shades you were thinking of choosing for a larger project, such as a bedside table.
With this practice piece, you can try out different tools: a sanding sponge, brush and roller, and see how the paint behaves as it dries and covers.
You can also check the shade by seeing what the finish looks like when applied with the tools you’ve chosen.
Prepare this small practice furniture piece the same way you would a larger one: wash the surfaces with Sugar Soap furniture cleaner, rinse off the cleaner and dry the surface, remove the handles and check whether any holes need filling. Paint.
Take before and after photos!
Painting furniture - how to get it right
1. Choose a paint and explore the options
- All Frenchic paint ranges are suitable for painting indoor furniture and rooms that get cold in winter.
- Weather-resistant paints from the Al Fresco range for outdoor furniture.
- Three different paint ranges: Al Fresco, Trim Paint and the wall paint range
- Frenchic paints cover approx. 13m2 per large 750ml tin. This is roughly the size of a standard chest of drawers or wardrobe.
- You can paint an average family kitchen with 2-3 750ml tins of Frenchic paint.
- A small 250ml tin covers about three wooden chairs, a small chest of drawers or two bedside tables.
- You can choose a shade for indoor furniture from any Frenchic range.
- Thanks to the paint's strong adhesion properties (Frenchic is a hybrid, multi-surface paint), it can be used on many materials and a variety of different surfaces, such as metal, wood, glass, concrete, plastic and MDF.
- Frenchic paints have a primer built into the paint, and no varnish or wax is needed on the surface: it dries to a durable, washable finish.
Frenchic has 3 different paint ranges:
Al Fresco, Trim Paint and wall paint. Our range of colors includes light powdery pastels and bold vintage shades that are easy to combine and work beautifully in both modern and traditional settings.
Trim Paint - exceptionally durable paint for wood, MDF and metal
The subtle satin finish makes this paint an excellent choice for all surfaces in the home, on wood or metal: doors, trims, frames, furniture, kitchen cabinet doors and radiators. Resists splashes & washing and wiping. Suitable for indoor wood and metal surfaces.
- Fully washable once dry
- Non-yellowing
- Exceptionally durable
- Fast-drying and water-based
- Excellent coverage, 500ml tin size.
- Coverage: approx. 7m
- High abrasion resistance
- European 'Toy Safe' EN71:3 certification
- Peel & Stick color samples
- Low VOC % content: Low VOC's 5.5
- Gloss level%: 35. Satin matte
- For indoor use on wood, brick, metal, MDF
Award-winning wall paint range:
multiple test winner: best washable wall paint, suitable for wooden floors and ceramic tile
Frenchic wall paint was chosen as the top choice for 'Best Buy' - washable wall paint 2026.
Frenchic wall paint is a water-based, highly durable, easy-care paint that has achieved ISO 11998 wet scrub resistance class 1, the highest possible washability rating. The surface withstands repeated wiping and washing while retaining its beautiful appearance.
- ultra-matte finish, gloss level approximately 5%
- non-reflective, smooth finish
- breathable, also suitable for cold winter spaces
- fully washable once dry
- ISO 11998, wet scrub resistance class 1
- excellent adhesion and coverage
- high coverage, approximately 2.5 l covers around 32 m²
- levels beautifully, with no roller or brush marks
- quick-drying and low-odor
- water-based with very low VOC content
- European Toy Safe EN71:3 certification
Al Fresco - test winner:
Non-yellowing and weather-resistant, awarded best garden furniture paint. For wood, metal, and ceramic tile
Al Fresco is the most innovative and versatile paint range in the Frenchic collection, designed especially for surfaces that require a perfectly smooth, polished finish and non-yellowing colors.
- Coverage: approximately 13m2 /750ml and 3m2/250ml.
- European 'Toy Safe' EN71:3 certification
- Peel & Stick color samples
- Low VOC % content: Low VOC's 3,5
- Gloss level%: 10. Matte.
- Non-yellowing
- Suitable for painting exterior doors and kitchen cabinets, for example. Skirting boards, frames, railings, stairs, radiators, interior doors, furniture and cabinets, as well as garden, balcony, and patio furniture, get a new look with Al Fresco paints.
- Suitable for: wood, MDF, metal, and ceramic tile
- A true 'all-in-one' product.
- Test Winner 2025 and 2026
What are you painting, and what color is the surface to be painted now?
- If the surface you’re painting is bare wood, be prepared for the first coat to soak into the wood a little, increasing paint consumption.
- However, there’s no need to remove an intact old coat of paint or varnish; often, roughening the surface is enough.
- Primer is rarely needed for home projects. Frenchic paints already contain primer, so you can start painting right away.
Tip! When painting from black to white or vice versa - or painting dark, reddish wood white, paint the first coat in a shade of gray. It counteracts the darkness and reddish tones, so you’ll need fewer topcoats.
Choose furniture or wall paint that is toxin-free and has no unpleasant smell. This is important when painting indoors, in children’s rooms or frequently as a professional. You can also choose easy-to-use Frenchic paints for furniture, which already include protective properties.
Tip! When painting furniture for everyday use, avoid tube paints and hobby paints intended for crafts.
Durable paint from the Frenchic range for painting furniture or kitchen cabinets
- Our washable wall paint range is ideal for painting wooden floors.
- Wall paint is also suitable for panels and interior ceilings.
- The door and trim paint is the Trim Paint range.
- Al Fresco is suitable for garden furniture
Read more here about the ‘Self Priming’ feature of Frenchic paints.
Restoring old furniture and painting surfaces around the home is recycling-inspired decorating at its best.
Invest in a brush and avoid disposable painting tools
It’s worth investing in a quality brush made for painting furniture and home renovations. Using old, worn or dirty budget brushes can leave your painting project with a result that’s far from what you wanted.
Round and oval brushes pick up a lot of paint at once, making painting faster. The paint also levels out well when there is enough of it. You’re sure to love our brushes and high-quality microfiber rollers.
A roller is a fast painting tool, so choose one when you have a lot to paint, such as kitchen cabinet doors or several pieces of furniture. A microfiber roller gives a spray-painted finish and is reusable.
Instructions on choosing the right brush and a blog post, read them here.
Only paint clean surfaces
Get started by cleaning the surface to be painted.
Remove handles and knobs if you wish.
Wipe away all dirt and grease: only paint clean surfaces. Sugar Soap is the Frenchic range's own furniture cleaner, an effective degreaser: for example, kitchen grease, nicotine residue, and soot.
A piece of furniture that looks clean can still release a lot of dirt.
Paints in the Frenchic range have excellent adhesion, so make sure to clean thoroughly and leave nothing between the surface to be painted and the paint.
The concentrated Sugar Soap goes a long way and makes surfaces easy to clean before painting. Whatever cleaning product you use, rinse it off the surface with clean water afterward.
Tape off and mask the areas you don't want to paint
Taping is a handy way to keep paint off areas you don't want it on: door handles, knobs, or glass edges. Taping creates neat paint lines. Choose quality tape when you want really precise edges. You can use cheaper masking tape to attach protective paper.
Start painting with thoroughly mixed paint
Once you've protected the floor beneath the furniture you're painting, it's time to paint!
Remember that Frenchic paint dries quickly.
Don't overwork a painted surface that's already drying. Let the coats dry as instructed, then touch up any spots. Coats that are too thin can leave brush marks clearly visible as the thin coat dries quickly.
Paints in the Frenchic range have an amazing 'self levelling' quality that smooths the paint as it dries. The coat should not be too thin. Frenchic paints don't need to be thinned when painting for full coverage.
If you're painting a dark color light (or vice versa), you may need to apply a few coats for complete, even coverage. Here's a tip: paint the first coat gray, so you'll need fewer coats.
Always apply at least two coats of paint from the Frenchic range.
Step back and admire!
Your furniture is ready to sell or take pride of place in your home. Now you can start thinking about new painting projects.
New features in our hybrid paints
Our paints have award-winning, completely new features that you won't find in other ranges!
- Like the excellent 'Self Levelling' feature, which means the paint smooths itself out, resulting in a perfect, even and smooth finish, whether you paint with a roller or a brush.
- Or 'Self Sealing', which means the surface seals itself, so there’s no need to apply wax or varnish separately, as with conventional chalk paints. The furniture will be highly durable in everyday use simply by painting it.
- 'Self Priming' means you don’t need special primer or adhesion paint when using paints from the Frenchic range. Frenchic paints have excellent adhesion.
Together with their non-toxic nature and powdery matte finishes, these features have quickly made the Frenchic range the most popular chalk paint range among interior decorators and furniture painters.
More useful reading and painting guides
- Watch the videos introducing the ranges and showing how to paint a door and kitchen cabinets.
- Read what supplies you need to get started on your painting project.
- 7 easy steps to paint a piece of furniture
Get inspired and admire Frenchic projects in our Facebook group!
Choose the supplies for your project and explore the photo gallery
Find the best painting guides on the Frenchic website:
- Discover the Frenchic range
- All painting guides and articles
- Get inspired by Frenchic projects - photo gallery
- How to paint kitchen cabinets
- How to paint garden furniture
- How to paint laminate furniture
Over the years, Frenchic paints have received several other prestigious awards, which you can read more about on our website here.
