Suggestions for painting highchair?

IamJen

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Freya's chair, which we bought used well over a year ago is starting to really show some signs of wear and tear wrt the paint (chipping). I'd like to paint it myself, but I'm not sure what to use, particularly since it needs to be water/food resistant (or coated that way). I could shellac it, but I don't think synthetic, vegan shellac exists?

This is the chair, except hers is white: http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Valencia-Wooden-Highchair---Natural/917240,default,pd.html
 
That is a damn nice highchair.

Do you have any paint stores over there in the UK where you can ask about what kind of paints are best for what you need?
 
To put shellac or varnish on it, you would need to strip it down to bare wood first. Is that the look you're going for?

If you want to paint it, you'll just need to sand it and then paint it with a good enamel in the color of your choice. There are pretty decent acrylic enamels available these days. Explain at the store what you're intending to use it for, that it needs to withstand heavy wear. The secret to being able to clean it well is to get a very smooth paint finish, which is best achieved with multiple thin coats, with adequate drying in between coats. Also, the shinier the paint, the better it withstands cleaning. I would use at least a semi gloss.

Also, zero VOC and low VOC paints are not as durable (as far as washing is concerned) as regular paint.
 
If you use lead paint, your child will be easier to control in the future. ;)

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Okay, seriously though, this is your kid. Presumably you don't want to impede it's mental functioning. And it should be vegan, right?

Can you get Unearthed Paints where you are? If so, I'd contact them and ask them what they advise.
 
So, granted, I'm not really much of an environmentalist, but as a painter, here's what I would do. I would lightly sand the chair and apply wood filler to places where there are deep scratches. Then I'd spray on a primer and two coats of the color of your choice. I'd finish with two coats of shiny polyurethane and then a coat or two of satin (if you don't like the shiny look). That should make the finish plenty hard. From what I've read, as long as you let the chair sit and cure for at least a week, you should have no problems with it being child safe.
 
So, granted, I'm not really much of an environmentalist, but as a painter, here's what I would do. I would lightly sand the chair and apply wood filler to places where there are deep scratches. Then I'd spray on a primer and two coats of the color of your choice. I'd finish with two coats of shiny polyurethane and then a coat or two of satin (if you don't like the shiny look). That should make the finish plenty hard. From what I've read, as long as you let the chair sit and cure for at least a week, you should have no problems with it being child safe.

As soon as I saw this thread I thought of you Poppy!:up:
 
When I was looking to paint a rat cage, I was told by several sources that Plastikote spray paint is kiddie safe (so therefore rat safe). If youre feeling too lazy to actually paint it (and who doesnt love spraying things?) this info may be of assistance.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. @Mischief, it's really shiny/glossy now, so that's why I thought I might need shellac, etc. Wood filler is a good idea too! There are only a couple of spots with deep cuts, but it would be nice to make it look purty.
 
Since it's really shiny, you may want to lightly sand it. I'd still go with a primer, too.