Rattan Furniture Makeover
Do you need to add a breath of fresh air to your home? Can I show you how EASY it is to do? Honestly, if you have some furniture you love or find for cheap that needs a little redo, then paint is your best friend ever. Watch how much difference a little paint made on my girlfriend’s rattan kitchen table and chair. Y’all are going to love this makeover! I want to thank Wagner for sponsoring this project, all opinions, tips and ideas are my own!
My friend was busy moving furniture around in her home, adding some new and mixing some old. PRO TIP: Shuffling furniture around your home is a great way to get a fresh look for low cost. 
Once things were settled in their final destination the breakfast nook needed a little cohesiveness. There were too many colors going on and the space didn’t feel weighted. I knew paint would do the trick in no time flat. But painting Rattan by hand would be a mini nightmare so I brought out my trusty sidekick, my Wagner Paint Sprayer.
When you pull furniture from different rooms it can really add a cozy, curated feel to your home and is way more inviting than a matchy matchy kind of set up. Sometimes the pieces don’t blend well and that’s where a fresh coat of paint can help you pull mismatched furniture into a winning environment quickly.
Pro Tips For Painting Rattan Furniture
- Whenever I can paint outside I do, if I can’t I use a spray tent in the garage. Here I was able to lay out all her rattan furniture and spray it at once.
- Use good quality paint for one coat coverage like Sherwin Williams HGTV line at Lowe’s.
- Use a paint sprayer. You’d have to be really handy with a brush to navigate all the round pieces and rattan straps on this type of furniture and have it turn out without a ton of drips and streaks. I use the Wagner FLEXiO 5000 Paint Sprayer and love it.
- Practice spraying a bit before you start painting your piece. A scrap piece of cardboard works great to make sure your spray force and pattern are correct.
- I like to start my furniture painting projects bottoms up. By that I mean flip your furniture wrong side up and start there. It lets you get a little practice in and allows the best side to be finished last. Rattan needs to be sprayed from a variety of angles and directions for the best coverage possible. Make sure you walk around your rattan or wicker pieces and spray them from all sides.
- There is no need to thin your paint with the Wagner sprayer. You can adjust the air force to throw more or less paint and you can adjust the material flow to increase or decrease the amount of paint flowing through the sprayer. It’s awesome.
- Spray your rattan piece holding the sprayer 3 to 5 inches from the furniture surface. It feels closer than you think it should, but this controls the paint, allows for less over-spray and gets amazing coverage. Just practice first so you aren’t sputtering paint or spraying so much it drips.
- Move in nice even motions, staying the same distance from the surface throughout your movements.
- Wipe the nozzle frequently with a damp rag so the spray pattern stays full and clean. This little trick really helps!
- Allow paint to dry completely in between coats before flipping the furniture over
Doesn’t this breakfast nook have a cozy feel now? Look at that super smooth, professional finish on the rattan! The rattan table painted black looks sleek and adds extra weight to the table while anchoring the space. The two pieces that were at odds now look like they were made to be together. It also allows the wall art to pop and show off. Just think – in an afternoon you too could have a fresh new look in your home! What are you going to freshen up first?
Thanks, Kim! I have a porch rattan set that I intend to paint this Summer and having purchased a paint sprayer last year, I feel more confident to do it especially with your tips! Thanks again and God Bless!
yay – you are going to love the results!
I would have liked the bench legs painted Black too. More cohesive look
Love the updated look!!!
Beautiful! Do you happen to know where I might find the fabric you used? It’s exactly what I’ve been envisioning for a rattan sofa I plan to make over!
HI Michelle – this is actually furniture at my girlfriend’s house, but I think she got it at weither Joann fabric or Hobby Lobby! I hope that helps!
Wow! what a difference a coat paint makes, beautiful. Good job.
ThNk you…paint is a miracle worker
Do you know what type of paint you used? I have a similar project of painting rattan chairs with cane backing and am having a hard time picking out paint. I want it black with a little bit of shine (not too shiny but not matte)
I really love the HGTV line of paint at Lowe’s if you use a satin finish it should give you the look you are hoping for!
Could one use spray paint instead of a paint sprayer?
Yes – you need to make sure you like the spray paint and it’s finish though. They are not all the same and for a high traffic piece like chairs I would be cautious.
Kim,
Does rattan furniture need to be sanded and given a primer before using the spray paint?
I didn’t do either, but make sure you use a good paint that has a primer in it with good coverage!
That black is perfect. It brings those. pieces right up to the 2020’s.
Right!? Thank you so much!
I have a question about the paint coverage on the sinew wraps on my rattan chairs. So they hold the paint well..do I need to do anything special to those joints before painting?
Hi Gail – It probably depends on the paint you use. It’s possible a primer might be needed and helpful, but if you get good quality paint with a built in primer you should be good to go!
Hi Kim l just finished painting my rattan furniture should have bought spray can, did not like colour way too light,can l use perhaps a cheesecloth & wipe darker colour to chairs, l have floral seats & thought l had picked a light grey… thanks for your help
Well the good thing about paint is you can always update it! A dark wax or glaze might do the trick! Good for you for going for it though!!!