How to Get the Smoothest Paint Job on Wood

Fill a bucket with warm water and a nonsoapy detergent. Pour clear water into the other bucket. Ammonia and water are effective in cleaning the wood if you don't have the right detergent. Mix it according to the directions on the bottle.

Immerse the scrubbing sponge into the cleaning solution and wring it out well.

Wash the wood surface to get rid of greasy grime, dust or other debris. Rub the sponge over the wood by starting at the bottom and continuing up to clean the entire surface. Rinse with the clean sponge and rinse water after you wash each section. This prevents the cleaning solution from drying and leaving a residue.

Sand the wood until it begins to look dull, using 180-grit sandpaper. If you have difficulty smoothing an area due to a puddle of old, dried-up paint, use 80-grit sandpaper in these areas.

Scrape the peeling and loose paint off the wood with a paint scraper. Pull the tool in the direction of the wood grain. Avoid scratching or gouging the wood. Use a flexible putty knife to get old paint out of corners and any carved sections of the wood.

Remove any debris with a feather duster. If there is a great deal of debris, use a brush attachment on your vacuum.

Turn bright lights on in the room or use a flashlight to spot any flaws or indentations in the wood surface. Trace around the flaws with a sharpened pencil. This enables you to find them easily when fixing the repairs.

Fill in cracks or other flaws with spackling compound and the flexible putty knife. If an area is deeper than 1/16 inch, allow the spackling to dry completely. Fill the area again if it is not flush with the wood surface. Use wood filler or caulking to fill in large defects or areas around window frames. Select acrylic latex caulk that allows you to paint over the repair.

Smooth any filled spots with sandpaper. Use 320-grit sandpaper for these areas. This feathers and flattens the repaired areas and allows the new paint to go on smoothly.

Dust off any debris on the wood.

Apply primer paint with a paintbrush. Do this over any surfaces you filled with caulking, wood filler or the spackling compound. If you skip this step, the paint may appear dull in these spots after it dries. It is also important to cover any stains with the primer. This prevents them from showing through the new paint. Purchase a primer that states it is low-odor, particularly if you are working in an area that has little ventilation.

Paint the wood surface with your paint choice.