How To Fix Paint Bleed Through And Cover Stains

Hi friends. I’m so happy to be sharing my latest project fail with you! You might wonder why I’m happy I had a project fail, and I’ll tell you. Because hiccups happen! And that is all it is when you experience bleed through on a paint project. A hiccup. I’m glad I know what to use to get my project back on track and I’m happy that I get to share that, with you!

Today I’m going to show you how to easily fix paint bleed through, and cover stains too!

My project began with a coffee table. A raw wood piece with no finish at all. The coffee table is great, but I didn’t care for the woods tones. I felt the coloring was a bit off, and not right for our space. I knew painting it would change all that pretty easily though.

Painting My Raw Wood Table:

It’s a bit of a handful, so I had Jimmy help me pop it up on the dining room table, and I worked on it right there!

With lots of drop cloths protecting our floor, I started with a base coat of white.
Next I did a second coat, in grey.
Then, I lightly layered on a final coat of white, careful not to fully cover the grey, so I could have a peek of that here & there.
I got it looking just how I wanted it, kind of like it had been painted a few times over the years, and a bit imperfect.
I was intending to varnish it for protection as the final step the next day.

Unfortunately, when I saw it the next morning, the tannin’s in the wood had bleed through the paint and discolored portions of it. In that past, this would have upset me, but I’ve run across this a few times over the years and I know it can be fixed. In fact, I had tried a new product awhile back on a gorgeous dresser I re-did for our booth, with fantastic results, so I wasn’t worried at all.

Actually, because I’d shared my progress a few times on Facebook, I decided to do a quick Facebook live video [click here], sharing the hiccup and giving you a good look at the bleed-through, and then again after the clear furniture primer was applied. It wasn’t pretty. Not the worst I’ve dealt with, but not white, as intended.

After applying my clear primer (according to the directions on the can), and letting it dry overnight, this is how it looked the next day. Yuck.

Having used the clear furniture primer from Maison Blanche before, thankfully, I wasn’t surprised, and continued on.

I want to add something here that I really like about this fix, is that it’s water-based… and I don’t feel sick to my stomach after using it!! Some of the stain covers are so strong, I can hardly stand to use them. I din’t experience that with this, and I like the quick clean up too.

Okay, back to my project… I quickly began re-painting the table, first with my grey, letting that shade dry, then re-applying my final layer of white, again, careful not to cover every little bit. I wanted a peek of grey, and that layered look.

And now… It’s layered all right!

And all that bleed through is long gone!

I’m extra loving the table my husband made, now that it’s wearing it’s new paint.

A little color is fun sometimes, but white will always be my first love for furniture. Do you remember my $5 navy coffee table [click here]? It’s safely tucked away down at The Little Cottage right now, but it’s first makeover, was you guessed it… white.

Maybe I’ll swap them around over Summer, but for now, the white is just right!

The living room is still wearing it’s after-Christmas “Winter” decor.

See more of our Cozy Winter Living Room [click here]. And of course, there are lots & lots of pillows & throws for snuggling up!

I may have added a few sparkly pillows too. Just a few. And some fur. But who’s counting?

It feels nice and bright in here when the sun is out on these Winter days, and calm and cozy when it’s not.

You’d never know the top and bottom boards were so discolored now!

The decor is simple, and un-fussy right now. I feel like it more closely mimics the starkness of the season. Well… if we had snow. haha. Who am I kidding, we are surrounded by evergreens. It’s feels calm and zen though… and I like it!

I’ve got my fav lil “farmhouse” read tucked right there for easy browsing. Have you read it? So many sweet and simple ideas. A few I’ve tried, and there are some great news ones as well!!

My hope is sincere, that this post might help you fix a future project that has a hiccup, without feeling to overwhelmed or upset when it happens. Because now you know there is stuff out there to make it all better. No tears necessary.

xo Shannon

PS: this isn’t a sponsored post, just thought I’d share my experience with the product with ya!

Paint Supplies:

Maison Blanche Paint Company: Clear Furniture Primer, Vintage Furniture Paint in Magnolia, French Lime Paint in White Pepper, Matter Varnish, 2 inch flat brush
Rug: [click here] affiliate link
Pillows: Sequin, Wool PopPom, Ruffled Euro White, Fur – from my HomeGoods hoard
Table: DIY/Handmade
A Touch Of Farmhouse Book: [click here] affiliate link

Painted Furniture Ideas

More Ideas & Inspiration

Comments

Lisa Ronan says

January 21, 2017 at 8:58 PM

Hi! Glad it all worked out the way you had hoped! I am wondering, I have a stained and polyied pine desk and bookcase . If I wish to paint over it, would I need to sand away the current finish before applying this?
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 22, 2017 at 2:08 PM
  
  Nope! You can paint right over a poly finish with Maison Blanche. As long as the finish is clean, smooth and in the condition you want before you start.
Joanne says

January 20, 2017 at 11:22 AM

Who is the manufacturer of your sofa? I love it!! I really need to update my furniture but don’t know where to start:(
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 22, 2017 at 4:04 PM
  
  It’s funny that you asked that… I’m working on a post right now, all about sofas. I get asked about mine a lot, and I am so sorry to say there is not a stitch of information on it. I got it about 12-13 years ago and the store I bought it from closed. I am searching for some similar to share with you all though.
Emmy says

January 19, 2017 at 8:26 AM

Hindsight is 20/20, but do you think that using the clear primer as first coat would have avoided the bleed through on the first round? I toally understand the momentum in attacking a project and the excitement for reaching the finished product. Just wondering if you think that the primer did its thing so well because there were already a few layers of paint on. Is the primer that magical on naked wood?
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 19, 2017 at 12:08 PM
  
  Yes I do. I took my chances because the wood was very dry and not as dark as some I’ve worked with (cherry and mahogany). I’m sure if I’d laid it on as a preventative step, I’d have avoided the bleed through. Although, I do think because the wood was raw, I’d have had to use a lot more of the clear primer because it would have soaked right up, and been less fluid in the application. If I had a piece that had a finish on it, I’d feel more inclined to apply the primer first. Maybe I’ll do a test on a scrap piece of this and see how it fares if I’ve got some free time?
Tammy says

January 19, 2017 at 4:27 AM

The bleed through has happened on several projects for me so this is great information! Thanks for sharing! The coffee table looks fabulous! I took a peek back at the navy one and I love it too! 🙂
Janet- Shabbyfufu says

January 18, 2017 at 1:25 PM

Hey Shannon…it is such a cute table and looks great in your home! I usually use Kilz, but good to know that a less harsh paint would work too. xo
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 18, 2017 at 2:45 PM
  
  Same here. I was a Zinnser or Kilz girl. And I do keep a can of spray Kilz Shallac on hand for nasty knots. I’m loving this alternative though and I was able to work indoors with it! 🙂
Mary P says

January 18, 2017 at 5:56 AM

I am working on a little table right now and am having the same problem.
Thanks for the tips.
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 18, 2017 at 2:49 PM
  
  Good luck!! 🙂
Becca says

January 17, 2017 at 11:28 AM

Ah yes, the infamous bleed through … been there, done that … ugh! You stopped it in its racks before it took over even more, and it now looks fabulous … both the color and the style. Perfect in your room!
- Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage says
  
  January 17, 2017 at 10:20 PM
  
  Yep, used to freak me out. Now I know and I don’t sweat it. I’m glad to know what to do. I should have added a spray can of shellac is great for stubborn knots too. 😉 Thanks! I like it now that it’s white, it’s so much better!

How To Fix Paint Bleed Through And Cover Stains

Today I’m going to show you how to easily fix paint bleed through, and cover stains too!

My project began with a coffee table. A raw wood piece with no finish at all. The coffee table is great, but I didn’t care for the woods tones. I felt the coloring was a bit off, and not right for our space. I knew painting it would change all that pretty easily though.

Painting My Raw Wood Table:

It’s a bit of a handful, so I had Jimmy help me pop it up on the dining room table, and I worked on it right there!

With lots of drop cloths protecting our floor, I started with a base coat of white.

Next I did a second coat, in grey.

Then, I lightly layered on a final coat of white, careful not to fully cover the grey, so I could have a peek of that here & there.

I got it looking just how I wanted it, kind of like it had been painted a few times over the years, and a bit imperfect.

I was intending to varnish it for protection as the final step the next day.

After applying my clear primer (according to the directions on the can), and letting it dry overnight, this is how it looked the next day. Yuck.

Having used the clear furniture primer from Maison Blanche before, thankfully, I wasn’t surprised, and continued on.

I want to add something here that I really like about this fix, is that it’s water-based… and I don’t feel sick to my stomach after using it!! Some of the stain covers are so strong, I can hardly stand to use them. I din’t experience that with this, and I like the quick clean up too.

Okay, back to my project… I quickly began re-painting the table, first with my grey, letting that shade dry, then re-applying my final layer of white, again, careful not to cover every little bit. I wanted a peek of grey, and that layered look.

And now… It’s layered all right!

And all that bleed through is long gone!

I’m extra loving the table my husband made, now that it’s wearing it’s new paint.

A little color is fun sometimes, but white will always be my first love for furniture. Do you remember my $5 navy coffee table [click here]? It’s safely tucked away down at The Little Cottage right now, but it’s first makeover, was you guessed it… white.

Maybe I’ll swap them around over Summer, but for now, the white is just right!

The living room is still wearing it’s after-Christmas “Winter” decor.

See more of our Cozy Winter Living Room [click here]. And of course, there are lots & lots of pillows & throws for snuggling up!

I may have added a few sparkly pillows too. Just a few. And some fur. But who’s counting?

It feels nice and bright in here when the sun is out on these Winter days, and calm and cozy when it’s not.

You’d never know the top and bottom boards were so discolored now!

The decor is simple, and un-fussy right now. I feel like it more closely mimics the starkness of the season. Well… if we had snow. haha. Who am I kidding, we are surrounded by evergreens. It’s feels calm and zen though… and I like it!

I’ve got my fav lil “farmhouse” read tucked right there for easy browsing. Have you read it? So many sweet and simple ideas. A few I’ve tried, and there are some great news ones as well!!

My hope is sincere, that this post might help you fix a future project that has a hiccup, without feeling to overwhelmed or upset when it happens. Because now you know there is stuff out there to make it all better. No tears necessary.

xo Shannon

PS: this isn’t a sponsored post, just thought I’d share my experience with the product with ya!

Paint Supplies:

Maison Blanche Paint Company: Clear Furniture Primer, Vintage Furniture Paint in Magnolia, French Lime Paint in White Pepper, Matter Varnish, 2 inch flat brush

Rug: [click here] affiliate link

Pillows: Sequin, Wool PopPom, Ruffled Euro White, Fur – from my HomeGoods hoard

Table: DIY/Handmade

A Touch Of Farmhouse Book: [click here] affiliate link

Painted Furniture Ideas

More Ideas & Inspiration

Comments

How To Fix Paint Bleed Through And Cover Stains