How to Paint Wood Furniture Without Sanding in 2025

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Restoring furniture is an affordable way to amplify your style and bring a unique look to your home. But sanding furniture is the worst! It is messy, time consuming and tiring. That’s why I rarely do it.

Thankfully, 15 years as a DIYer has taught me that you don’t always need to. Let’s learn how to paint wood furniture without sanding for a durable (and LASTING) finish with these reliable options.

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Post originally published March 2021, updated 2025.

How to Paint Wood Furniture Without Sanding

Let’s walk through my favorite method of painting wood furniture without sanding step by step.

It is very important to me to always write DIY tutorials that give people a lasting result, rather than a quick fix. Let’s use my china cabinet makeover as an example of the process.

Find a Sturdy Piece of Furniture with Good Bones

When painting furniture, good bones means that the piece is structurally sound, has good lines/details and will be a functional piece for your family.

As you can see from the before photo above, my cabinet is a solid wood piece of furniture and has very clean lines (aka straight and not ornate) for a modern feeling. The shelving is exactly what I was looking for to display my favorite decor and the storage underneath is very functional.

The first step in refinishing a piece is to make sure it’s worth your time. Make sure it is solid, the veneer (if not solid wood) is in good condition, and the piece is functional.

Clean Wood Furniture Thoroughly Before Painting

The next step to painting wood furniture without sanding is to clean the piece thoroughly.

I like to use TSP, which is a heavy duty cleaner.

It does excellently at removing years of grime, dirt and grease. This leaves your piece with a clean finish so your primer doesn’t have to work as hard.

First, clean the piece with TSP wearing durable gloves. Then, go back over the piece with clean water to clean off any film it leaves behind.

Make sure to remove doors and hardware so you can clean in all the nooks and crannies. You’d be surprised what clings to old hardware.

For a detailed cleaning process, make sure to check out this post which is applicable for prepping cabinets or wood furniture for paint.

Degloss Wood Furniture (In Place of Sanding)

The next step in this version of painting furniture without sanding is to use a deglosser.

Deglosser is your best alternative to sanding. If you’d rather not work with chemicals then sanding is the other option at this point in the process!

Wearing rubber gloves, simply rub the deglosser onto the wood with a clean lint free rag. You can also use steel wool, however I often find it is unnecessarily abrasive.

I like to cut up my husband’s old white tshirts he wears under his dress shirts for my rags! They are a great fabric and totally lint free. Plus, it’s giving them one last use before tossing.

After you’ve applied the deglosser, wait for the allotted time on the label and then wipe down with a clean wet rag. Each brand has a slight variation to the instructions, so make sure to follow the recommendations of the brand you buy.

Once you’ve cleaned and deglossed your furniture, you will want to decide if you’re keeping the existing hardware or not.

Patching Old Hardware Holes

I wanted to update the pulls on my piece and found that the new hardware didn’t line up with the existing screw holes.

This is an easy fix!

Simply use wood filler to fill the existing holes, sand down the surface flush, and then drill new holes in the position you need for your new hardware. I like to drill these holes before I prime and paint so I don’t mar up a freshly painted surface later.

I used these classic matte black pulls for my cabinet makeover. I love that they come in various sizes and finishes.

Prime Your Piece

The next step is to prime!

I’m always asked, “Do I need to prime furniture before painting?” And the answer isn’t exactly straight forward.

For this method, yes you do.

But I will share a few other methods at the end of this article that don’t require a priming step!

Best Primers for Painting Wood Without Sanding

Since I am using a latex paint, a quality bonding primer is necessary. Latex paint is versatile since it comes in many finishes and colors, but it isn’t the most durable option for furniture.

So priming first will ensure a long lasting finish.

I like both Kilz bonding primer and Zinsser Oil Based primer for use on furniture.

For this piece, I used oil based because it was what I had on hand. I traditionally like to work with water based paints for easy clean up, but oil based is a great option as well!

One thing to look out for is that your primer works with TSP.

Some primers say not to use TSP prior because it cannot adhere to a piece that has been cleaned this way. So make sure to read your labels to avoid heartache down the road.

Tips for Painting Furniture

You’ve made it!

All 4 of these preparation steps are necessary for a quality and durable paint finish when using latex paint.

If you skip the cleaning, deglosser or primer, then your paint will only have a slippery/grimy surface to try to adhere to. This will cause chipping or peeling very quickly.

By taking the time to do a quality job on the preparation steps, you’ll benefit greatly in the long run.

While you only need to apply one coat of primer, you will want to apply two coats of paint.

The image above shows one coat of paint and, as you can see, it is a streaky finish. This is typical of latex paint and why I always recommend two coats for your topcoat.

I chose to use the color Black by Rustoleum which you can buy at Walmart.

When using latex paint, a semi gloss or gloss are the most durable finishes on furniture.

Apply with a brush for all the tight spaces and a mini roller for the flat surfaces.

What Paint do I Use for Furniture?

Now, on to the other methods for how to paint furniture without sanding!

The method above uses primer and latex paint, but what if you don’t want to prime too? There are a few other paint options you can choose from.

• Chalk Paint: Boasts a no-prep reputation, however the finish options and colors are limited. Top coat highly recommended.
• Mineral Paint: Similar to chalk paint, but often more expensive. Top coat recommended.
• Milk Paint with bonding agent: Also does not require sanding or priming, however the colors are limited and you have to mix your paint/bonding agent well.

All three of these types of paint are a great alternative to latex paint. However, most of them do require a top coat.

So if you’re trying to avoid an extra step of painting, then they don’t quite accomplish that. Whether you are painting a priming coat or a top coat, it’s still an extra coat of painting something!

This is why I personally prefer latex. It is more affordable than chalk, mineral or milk paint and isn’t any additional work in the long run.

However, I know many people who swear by these non-latex paint options and they do produce a beautiful result as well! It’s simply a preference as they will all work wonderfully to update your wood furniture with paint.

Furniture Painting FAQs

Can You Paint Over Wood Furniture Without Sanding?

I hope by now you fully understand that you can absolutely paint over wood furniture without sanding.

How? With a liquid sander; also called a deglosser.

Use deglosser instead of traditional sanding to accomplish the same goal: preparing the furniture to accept and hold paint, long term.

Can You Paint Over Varnished Wood Without Sanding?

Often times people assume they can paint raw wood without sanding, but what about how to paint over varnished wood?

My marketplace find had a high gloss varnish on it, and I was still able to paint over it without sanding! That’s because I used the two step process of painting wood furniture.

The degloss and prime combo!

Simply follow the steps above and your varnished wood will have a beautiful painted finish.

How to Paint Laminate Furniture

My cabinet was solid wood, but more often than not, thrifted furniture is laminate. So the question becomes, “Can I paint laminate furniture without sanding too?”

Yes!

By using the same method as above, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding. Simply make sure the laminate itself is in good condition and isn’t cracking or chipped.

The priming step is the most important for painting laminate furniture since you don’t want to sand an already delicate surface.

Take care to follow these same steps and your laminate furniture will turn out just as beautiful.

How to Paint Veneer Furniture Without Sanding

Similarly to laminate furniture, older pieces of furniture often have a delicate top wood veneer.

You can paint veneer furniture without sanding with the same steps as solid wood furniture.

However, if you have to do any touch up sanding, make sure to use a very fine grit sandpaper so you don’t damage the veneer.

Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that you physically dry your wood furniture well during the cleaning step, as water can cause veneer to curl.

Do not allow it to air dry or have any standing water on the surface.

How Do you Paint Furniture Without Brush Marks?

As you can see, I used a paint brush to do my cabinet makeover. This is a typical tool and I prefer it. I think it gives a great finish and you have more control over the paint application.

I use this short handle angled brush for most of my projects and it is highly recommended.

You can see all of my favorite DIY paint tools in my Amazon Storefront for quick purchasing!

This post is geared towards painting trim without brush strokes, but all of the painting techniques apply just the same to painting furniture to get a smooth finish.

The more you try to “smooth out” brush strokes using a brush, the deeper the grooves will go as the paint slightly dries.

Make sure you head to the full post next to get my best tips and avoid those pesky brush strokes!

More Tutorials on How to Refinish Furniture

If you’re looking for more painting projects, I have a ton of resources on the blog to help you.

• Painting Interior Doors: Pros & Cons of Brush vs. Paint Sprayer
• How to Paint Shiplap
• How to Paint Windows Without Tape
• How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets
• How to Paint a Tile Backsplash
• How to Paint a Deck

I hope this article on how to paint wood furniture without sanding has been helpful to you!

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~Sarah