Oriental Furniture Painting Techniques

Lacquer

• A lustrous lacquer is a popular finish for Oriental furnishings, particularly in Chinese furniture. Black lacquer is the most well known, but red and yellow are not uncommon. Lacquer requires care to apply it properly so the coating is smooth and free of brush strokes, but it can be worth the effort. If working with lacquer is too daunting, a very similar look can be achieved with high-gloss paint.

Dark Wood

• Many Oriental furnishings are made of dark stained woods, such as mahogany, teak or cherry. If your furniture is not real wood, you can still give it the look of wood with a faux wood paint treatment. Using woody colors, glazes and the right brush stroke techniques, you can learn how to mimic the grain patterns of different wood finishes to make any furnishings look as though they're made from quality natural woods.

Decoupage

• Decoupage is an art that involves cutting images and affixing them to furniture with a transparent glue-sealer. If done well, decoupaged images can look like dainty inlays or handy brushwork. Cut out Oriental-style designs, such as delicate orchid blossoms, growling tigers and dancing dragons. Glue them to your furnishings as embellishments after the paint job but before varnishing.

Gold Leafing

• A touch of gold can bring opulence and warmth to painted Oriental-style furniture. While real gold trim may be cost prohibitive, you can get the same look by using gold leafing on your paint job. Gold leafing is actually real gold, pounded thinner than paper. It can be applied over your paint job with an adhesive, and really makes your furniture trim and hardware shine.

Make It Shine

• One thing that Oriental furnishings tend to have in common is that they usually have a highly polished, glossy finish. No matter what paint or decorative treatments you give your furniture, finish it off with a few coats of a high-gloss varnish or sealer. Look for a nonyellowing formula so your hard work won't go to waste. Some products also offer UV protection, so if your furniture is placed near a window where daylight hits it regularly, it will be protected from sun bleaching.