How to Paint Wood Furniture That Has Chipped Paint

Apply paint stripper with a rag to the wooden furniture, following the manufacturer's instructions, and allow it to work into the wood. Wait 10 minutes and begin scraping the paint off the wood surface. For finer and tough-to-reach areas, use a wire brush. Repeat as necessary to remove all the old paint that you can and then allow the wood to dry.

Sand the wood first with the rougher 80-grit sandpaper, concentrating on areas where paint still remains or where the wood is slightly raised or dented. The goal is to create a smooth surface to paint. This will be the hardest and most time consuming part of the project. Use a 60-grit sandpaper if the area needs deep sanding.

Finish the surface by sanding it with the 120-grit sandpaper. This is a finishing grit that will give the wood a smooth surface. Do not sand against the grain of the wood.

Apply a coat of primer to the wood and allow it to dry. Use a standard acrylic paint and a paintbrush or use an acrylic spray paint primer. One even coat of a quality primer will provide enough coverage to prepare the surface for the finishing color. If the piece of furniture requires turning or flipping to reach all the areas to be painted, paint it in sections -- the top, and then the sides, for example -- and let the primer dry between each section. Inspect the area after it dries for paint drip marks that need to be sanded and smooth these areas out with fine grit sandpaper.

Paint the finishing color with a paintbrush in even strokes, or evenly spray on acrylic spray paint. This color can also be done in even sections, if necessary. Liberally apply two coats of paint and sand between coats for runs in the paint and to smooth out the surface. Two coats are necessary for adequate and even coverage.