How to handpaint kid's furniture

Hi, my name is Danielle Lessovitz for About.com, and today I am going to show you how to liven up your children's furniture with paint that is eco-friendly, non-toxic, and made from the kid-friendliest of all ingredients: milk. That still doesn't mean they can eat the paint chips.

Supplies Needed to Paint Furniture

Milk paint is a great alternative to oil-based paints and latex-based paints and can provide a safe and permanent way to add color, fun, and personality to your children's bedroom. Here's what you'll need:

• a piece of furniture
• medium-grit sandpaper
• milk paint. I purchased mine from the Real Milk Paint Company
• a paint brush

Choose the Piece of Furniture

First, you're going to want to find a great piece of furniture. It can either be from your home, or it can be like this chair, something you find at a flea market.

What's important is that it is made out of wood and is a manageable size. You might want to start out small at first, and then as you get better, work your way to larger pieces.

Prepare the Furniture

But before we begin, let's make sure the floor is well protected. I'm using packing paper.

Now we'll want to remove our furniture's original finish. To do this, take your sandpaper and gently rub it back and forth over the surface of the furniture until the wood beneath emerges.

Remember, when sanding you want to move with the grain, not against the grain. Make sure to get every part as best you can.

Milk paint works best on porous wood ,so we're not going to use a primer. After you've sanded down the entire piece, take a damp rag and wipe away any remaining dust.

Paint and Decorate the Furniture

Now we are ready to paint. Dip your brush into your milk paint and apply to the furniture. Long, even strokes work best.

Once you've completed the first coat of paint, wait one hour before applying the second. Once your chair is dry then you can start decorating it.

I think I'm going to draw a chess board along the seat of the chair. Now we've taken an old shabby piece of furniture and have turned it into something that any kid would enjoy.

Thank you for joining me. To learn more, please visit us on the web at homegarden.about.com.