PAINT VS. STAIN: WHICH SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Here at MegMade, we live for a good furniture makeover. Taking an older piece, and making it look brand new, or enhancing its already beautiful style… that’s the best part of what we do. Both stain and paint provide protection to your piece and allow you to make it your own, but they're very different in terms of the overall look of the final product! If you’re thinking about bring back some life into your piece, let’s consider the advantages of each technique!
Go Bold With Paint
One of my favorite aspects of using paint is the wide range of colors you can choose from. The greens, the blues, the pinks… we can color match any shade or hue under the sun and put it on your piece! With paint, you can be a little more daring when it comes to color because not only is there a ton more to choose from, but it’s much easier to change if you’re not in love with how it comes out. The thing with paint is that the color sits on the surface and doesn’t seep into the original grain. Now, if that’s the look you are going for, then paint is definitely for you!
Keep Its Integrity With Stain
If you want to maintain the original graininess, stain is the better option. Stains come in a wide range of colors, but the colors available are the typical colors that you would see with natural wood. You definitely can find different washes and shades of stain, like a whitewash or weathered color, but keep in mind that whatever color you choose will be combined with the color of the original wood that you are staining, so it may look different once applied. Testing it on the furniture piece is a MUST before diving in and staining the entire piece.
Easily Swap It Out With Paint
The great thing about paint is that you can always paint over it if you don’t like the color. The thing with stain is that it’s very hard to get the stain color out of the wood if you wish to change the color of the stain or add some paint. Once you've chosen a darker color, it's almost impossible to go with a lighter stain. However, you can always paint over a stain! Since paint sits on the surface, to change one paint color to another, all you'll have to is strip the paint color off and start fresh. If you're using our MegMade DIY Furniture paint, you're in luck - that step won't be necessary.
*Click HERE to shop our MegMade DIY Paint*
Go For Durability With Stain
Staining a piece takes a lot more prep on vintage pieces. You must strip the piece all the way down to the raw wood and ensure you don’t accidentally sand through any veneer. While we do the same with painting, staining requires a lot more work because you cannot sand too far. With both paint and stain, we fill in all cracks and scratches to make the piece look as fresh as possible. Although both have the same durability because they are painted with the same product (stain gets clear), stained pieces do stand up to nicks and scratches better than paint.
There's No Wrong Choice With Paint Or Stain
Stain protects and preserves the original beauty of the piece while giving it that little something its been missing. Some grains are so gorgeous that it’s hard to paint over it, but it's all about the story you want to tell through your piece! Paint transforms the piece and can give it a completely different look than its original. Since paint sits on top of the wood, it typically covers the natural elements of the piece, but if you’re going for a drastic change, go with paint!
Whichever you choose, both paint and stain are great options. They both preserve and protect your furniture pieces, and can transform and help create the overall look that you are going for. More than anything, painting and staining your furniture is an awesome project that you can spend time on and be proud of. No matter what, it’s always fun to customize and transform a piece of furniture!
What do you think? Paint or stain? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook or Instagram page @Megmade!! As always, I would love to see how you've restored your furniture. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @Megmade and use the hashtag #findthegold to let the world see how you turned your once old furniture piece into the perfect piece for your home and style!