How To Paint A Wooden Shelf

How do you paint over stained wood? Easily if you use spray paint.

Here's a quick step by step DIY tutorial how to paint a wooden shelf. 

The easy way.

While the floor and walls have both been painted, the decor is just not there yet.

Oh sure, we made over and hung up a few mirrors.

And I refinished a corner cabinet I found for $25 on Facebook marketplace.

But overall, the room is still incomplete.

Well, this week I got a little closer to the finish line, with a small DIY.

Over the summer, one of the mirrors I painted was rather ornate. It had a heavy top design and a thick base, since I believe it was made to sit on a dresser.

It needed something underneath to anchor it.


I considered putting the table that I had there, before the renovations, back in that spot, however, after pulling everything out of the hallway, and living with the open space, I decided against it.

The hallway in this old summer beach cottage is tight.

Instead I pictured a shelf, like the iron ones in the kitchen and family room.

But where would I find one that was the right size and the right style? Would I be searching online for months?

Would I be combing every yard sale and thrift shop for the next year?

Well, obviously, I found the perfect shelf. And lucky me, it was in my very own home,

How convenient.

In addition to all the updates going on upstairs, we've been making some small changes downstairs in the basement family room.

There was an old shelf hanging on the wall that had been stained green to match my skirted table.

However, it no longer went in the space, since I was going for a lighter color scheme. But.

The scale and design was a just right for the hallway.

Of course, the color was still wrong.


And it was way too long to fit in the narrow area beneath the mirror.

So I enlisted Mr. Handy Dandy to help me out. I have to admit for this project, I was mostly there as the idea girl.

The please hand me that girl.

And the clean up girl.

Which is all A- ok with me. I didn't have to pick up a power tool or inhale spray paint fumes with my allergies and tricky lungs.

So how'd we do it?

Painting Over Stain

I paint over painted surfaces all the time, but stain is different. I wasn't sure if the stain on the wood was oil or water based and if the paint would adhere without stripping or sanding.

I was also worried that the stain color would bleed through and/ or require many, many coats. I wondered can you paint over stained wood?

The simple answer is yes, and there are a lot of paints that will cover well.

Turns out, for us, spray paint was the quick and easy answer. No sanding or stripping. 

Love that.

Step 1: First things first, we measured.

I wanted the shelf to go almost to the moulding on both sides. 

Once we marked the shelf, my husband used his saw and trimmed off the excess wood on each end.

Step 2: Next, I grabbed a can of white spray paint from the garage.

Since the wood was already stained, we knew that the shelf should be primed. 

But we're lazy DIYers. We like simple processes.

So rather than use a traditional, brush on paint, we opted for spray paint with a primer. The all in one formulas are the best.

We used Rustoleum this time, but Krylon works equally as well.

I'm a big fan of chalk paint, which also generally requires very little to no prep and would cover the stained wood, but spray painting is so much easier.

And it covers those intricate areas, like the shelf scrolls or chair spindles, in half the time it takes to do with a brush.

Step 3: We propped it up on an old spackle bucket outside.

The area was obviously well ventilated but I still made my husband wear a mask.

Leaning it on the bucket was a simple way to support the shelf without dragging out saw horses or a big table and tarp.

Plus, the tacky paint didn't stick the plastic.

Step 4: We gave it two coats of paint.

One at a time with long even coats and allowed it to dry a bit in between each one.

Thinner coats are best, this way you avoid splotchy areas or drips.

Step 5: Then we set it aside to dry for several hours.

I also let it sit in the garage for a few days until the paint smell dissipated, because it reeked.


Most latex paints are low VOC and chalk and mineral paints have virtually no odor, so I can paint with them in the house.

That noxious smell is the one drawback to spray paint.

It does a really great job though.


Covered that green stain like a champ. The shelf was light, bright and super white.

It looked even better than I'd imagined it would in the hallway.

And it anchored that mirror nicely.


Plus, it didn't take up too much space, but it still felt substantial.

Even better it was the ideal place to showcase some of my new thrift store finds.


Like my four dollar footed cups.

They sparkle in the day, and with the help of a few battery operated votives, they glow at night.

Making my unfinished hallway a little less so.

And that makes me smile.

😊

Looking for more creative makeovers? Well, then, it's your lucky day.

My good friend Ann from The Apple Street Cottage is hosting another round of the Do It Over Designers.



Be sure to pop by and check out all the upcycles and say hello!!