Expert: Jamie Yocono - 12/10/2006

Question
I just bought a natural wood rocking chair as a gift and my intentions were to stain it and then paint on top of that.  It is a child's rocker and my question is, do I need to go over the stain with something before I paint on it in order for the paint to stay on or will I just be able to paint what I want on it and then seal everything?  An answer as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated.  I just stained it tonight and would like to be able to paint it by this weekend.  Thank you for any and all help you can offer me.  

Answer
Hi Liz,

My only reservation about painting over stained wood is that if the stain contained some sort of oil, which might make the paint tend to peel off. Some of the Watco Danish Oils contain pigments, so if you use them, you're staining and sealing the wood all in one application. Painting over a stain/oil like this might not be a good idea.

BUT... the good news is- most finishes cure, and will generally give you a surface that will accept paint. The curing time varies, but I would think anywhere from 3-7 days, depending on where the chair is stored. If it's in a warm room, you will probably be fine painting it in 3 days. But if it's being kept in a cold basement or a garage, I would allow a little more time for the finish to cure.

The most important part of all of this is that you're going to apply some sort of a top coat to seal everything. That way, you'll bind the painted area to the stained wood even better. This top coat is important. If you were going to stain the piece, and then just paint it, without top coating it, I would be recommending against that. The final sealer is what is KEY to making this chair finish last.

Sounds like a fun project to work on, I suspect it's a holiday gift? How cool.

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com