Spattering, sponging and foam-stamping can be as much fun as finger painting. Decorative paint techniques are just as playful, especially on a child's furnishings.
These and other do-it-yourself touches give plain furniture pizazz. By adding a splash of color and a -- of detail, they jazz up a setting for someone young.
Detailed with paint, furniture acts as a canvas for myriad designs. If parent and child pool their decorative ideas, the result is bound to be meaningful.
Because growing up means growing into different looks, it's wise to consider furniture for a child's room that easily changes face. With a little elbow grease and a colorful new decorative finish, painted furniture assumes as spirited or sophisticated a personality as you want.
Before deciding what furniture to paint in a room, consider the age and interests of its resident. For a preschooler who likes tabletop activities, think about detailing a small table and chairs with a stencil design in his or her favorite motif. Once he or she is school age and doing homework, zero-in on a desk or a big table suitable for projects, and paint it in a color the student prefers.
For ideas about painting furniture, visit museum furniture
exhibits and folk-art stores, or study painted dollhouse furniture, kids' clothing patterns or books on Americana. And look in the library for how-to books on painted furniture finishes.
If you lack talent to do a detailed project, take on something easy. In a room devoid of bold furnishings, even one object in a solid bright color pops out from the surroundings. Painting the handles of a dresser or desk in a contrasting color is another touch that doesn't demand special skill.
Sponging and spattering are among finishes with kid appeal. Both entail free-form expression similar to finger painting. Sponging involves dabbing paint on a surface with a sea sponge. The mottled effect is magical if more than one color is applied. Spattering is just as splashy. All it takes is a flick of the wrist with a brush wet with paint. What lands on an object in front of it creates a flecked pattern as fanciful as confetti.
Foam stamps add whimsical flair on kid's furniture, too. Toy and bath stores sell high-density foam designs as tub toys, lightweight blocks or pre-cut letters and shapes. Once acrylic paint is applied, decorating furniture with foam stamps is as easy as using rubber stamps and ink pads. Clear lacquer will protect it and the wood beneath.
An unfinished furniture store is a good place to start if you want to unleash your artistry on something new. Besides chairs, desks and dressers suitable for any age person, you'll see armoires and other storage geared for an older child.
As with finished furniture, unfinished items come in varied woods. If you plan to paint a piece, the wood chosen may seem inconsequential. It isn't. Oak, for instance, has a distinct grain that shows through paint.
Recommended unfinished woods include alder, aspen and better pine. As for knotty pine, be advised. For the dark knots not to "bleed" through paint applied over them, you'll need a base coat of shellac or polyurethane as a sealer. For guidance, consult an unfinished-furniture dealer or paint store personnel. Do-it-yourselfers should also check how-to guides with step-by-step techniques for antiquing and stenciling.
An important consideration in choosing furniture to paint is also construction. Check the drawers, says Randy Buck, president of the Unfinished Furniture Association On a quality unit, he says, drawers are solid wood, not particle board made from sawdust chunks glued and compressed. Because kids tend to be hard on furniture, Mr. Buck recommends items that are solid wood overall. Be cautious of inexpensive veneers bonded to particle board. In general, he says, veneer isn't the best surface to paint because the wetness of paint may lift veneer from material to which it's bonded.
Old furniture renewed
As appealing as something new may be, it's not the only game in town. Old furniture lightly sanded can be repainted with a zippy design. In some cases, old pieces may require wood stripping.
Besides looking at home for relics worth camouflage, check secondhand shops for finds. But think twice before buying a highly detailed piece of furniture. The more intricate it is, the more time-consuming its preparation for decorative application.
There are many furnishings good for painted treatment in a child's world. They include:
* Chests and dressers: Because of their size and flat surfaces, both take large-scale design well. Simple yet striking is a combination treatment with the drawers and top painted a bold color and the sides and hardware stained.
* Cube or small parsons table: Paint a checkerboard pattern on top of either, and it turns into a child's game board.
* Desk: Paint each drawer in a different color, or decorate each knob as a sports ball, such as a soccer ball, baseball, etc.
* Garden bench: This outdoor seat has a place indoors as a rest stop for toys or tots. Use storybook illustrations as a guide for painting favorite make-believe characters on the bench back or seat.
* Step stool: This childhood aid is tailor-made for personalizing with a name or initials. For a one-of-a-kind touch, let your child imprint the furniture with a hand- or footprint. Dip his or her hand PTC or foot in a shallow container with just enough latex paint to cover the skin. Hold your child's wrist or ankle as a guide. Any paint residue will wash off with soap and water.
As you furnish your child's room with a painted design or two, remember the fun part: Artistic expression follows no rules. Blend your child's ideas with yours, and the generational mix may be the best recipe ever for sensational kid's quarters.
WHEN FURNITURE CHANGES FACE
Depending on the illusion wanted, the following techniques are worth investigating. Check a paint store for kits and other how-to information.
Antiquing: Also called glazing, antiquing consists of painting a thin glaze of one color over a base coat of another. As it dries, the glaze is lightly wiped off, giving a two-tone effect.
Foam-stamping: Similar to rubber stamping paper with ink, foam stamping involves applying paint to high-density foam shapes and stamping designs on a surface such as unfinished furniture.
Marbling: A painted finish resembling the durable mineral it mimics, marbling can be achieved with washes of latex paint.
Spattering: Paint flecked with another color is achieved by showering a base coat with wet paint remaining on the paintbrush. It's flicked off by tapping the brush against a stick.
Sponging: This faux finish of mottled impressions relies on a natural sea sponge. The result looks like fine or coarse granite depending on the layers dabbed and the kind of sponge used.
Stenciling: As simple or ornate as the stencil upon which it relies for pattern, stenciling calls for a flat-topped brush dabbed onto the area to be detailed.
No matter what technique you choose, cover the paint with clear finish to protect the design and the wood itself.
SOURCES
As with any decorating project that requires hands-on knowledge, consult how-to guides for advice before taking paintbrush in hand. Books to consider include the following:
* "The Art of the Painted Finish for Furniture and Decoration" by Isabel O'Neil (William Morrow & Co. $17.95 paperback). A master of painted finish, Ms. O'Neil covers centuries of craftsmanship in up-to-date techniques.
* "Color: A Stroke of Brilliance" by Leslie Harrington with Joan Mackie. A section on painting projects and techniques highlights this in-depth guide printed by Benjamin Moore Co. It's available for $11.95 at authorized Benjamin Moore dealers nationwide.
* "Creative Decorative Painting" (Sunset Books, $9.99): Marbling, stenciling and free-form painting are among techniques included. Features a pullout pattern sheet.
* "Furniture Finishing" (Sunset Books, $8.99): This detailed guide explains many decorative finishes from sponging to glazing.
* "Marbling: How-to Techniques" by Stuart Spencer (Harmony Books, $12.95) features 12 simulated marble effects.
* "Painting Furniture Patterns" by Jocasta Innes (Viking Studio Books, $19.95 softcover; $29.95 hardback). A stenciling guide with 34 different patterns.
For a free catalog of children's furniture custom painted to client specifications, contact Boston & Winthrop, 2 E. 93rd St., New York, N.Y. 10128; (212) 410-6388 or (617) 593-8248.