How to Paint Primitive Wood Crafts

Achieving a primitive country look when painting wood crafts depends to a large degree on the shades of paint selected along with a few finishing touches. Seek out colors that are more muted and subtle and avoid bold primary colors that are out of place in a primitive country setting. While country wood craft projects are usually smaller undertakings than full-sized pieces of furniture, many of the same painting techniques apply. A combination of warm colors and simple sanding techniques after painting will achieve a weathered and primitive appearance for country wood crafts.

Seal any holes or imperfections in the wood with a quick-drying wood filler. Push the filler into the hole and remove any excess filler with a putty knife. Allow the filler to dry for about 1 1/2 hours.

Sand the wood with a medium-grit sandpaper. Make sure that you follow the grain of the wood as you sand and work only in that direction. Sand again with fine-grit sandpaper.

Clean the piece with a soft, damp cloth to remove all of the dust from sanding. Remove all of the sandpaper dust from the work area as well.

Apply acrylic paint using the 1 1/2 inch paintbrush. Use even strokes that go in the same direction as the grain of the wood. Allow the paint to dry for one hour.

Sand corners and edges of the piece with fine-grit sandpaper. Work on areas that would have received the most wear and tear over the years. This step adds a sense of age to the item.

Apply an even and light coat of acrylic wood stain in the color of your choice with a foam brush to help mute the color and add a primitive quality to the piece. Allow the stain to dry for about three hours.

Apply a satin acrylic polyurethane finish with a foam brush. Don't use a high gloss finish as this will take away from the primitive country appearance. Allow the finish to dry for about three hours before handling.