How to paint my bookshelf white

Painting your bookshelf white can be a good way to give it a fresh clean look and appearance. It is important that you approach this fairly easy task in the right manner to achieve the professional look that your wall furnishing requires. To learn how to correctly paint your wooden bookcase white, read the guide below.

Preparing and cleaning for painting.

Remove panel Remove the back panel to your bookshelf. This is usually held in place by small nails or tacks, carefully remove these and set them aside to reuse them later. On some of the more expensive units, these may be screwed in place, simply unscrew if this is the case. If you wish to paint the back panel, it is easier to do so separated from the rest of the bookshelf. If not, simply set it aside for reassembling later. Cover fittings Remove any adjustable shelves and cover the metal or plastic fittings in tape if they cannot be easily removed. Plug any holes so that they are not covered in paint. It is far easier to paint the shelves separate from the rest of the bookshelf. Dust or clean Using a damp cloth, clean every surface to eliminate any dust or dirt particles that have settled on the surfaces of the bookshelf. Painting onto a dirty surface will leave a poor finish or even stop the paint from adhering to the wood correctly.

The steps to painting

Direction of the grain Before you apply any paint, check each piece to be painted for the direction of the grain of the wood. Always apply the paint in the same direction as the grain and never attempt to paint across the grain.
Primer or undercoat First apply a wood primer or undercoat to each surface to be painted using a suitably sized paintbrush or roller. Paint evenly and set each piece aside to dry.
Top coat Once the primer or undercoat has sufficiently dried, apply the white top coat in a matt or gloss paint, whichever is your preferred finish. Allow the bookshelf to dry completely before reassembling each of the pieces that you removed earlier. Always reassemble in the opposite order to how each piece was removed.