Can you explain why you have your heart set on an auto body shop?

Is the dresser wood or metal? Often times people will have metal furniture powder coated, which is a chemical process that is done at auto-painters. However, I don't think you can do this with wood furniture, as it will not have the same chemical reaction.

I as well dont understand your strict desire to use an autobody shop. Not only do they use different fillers, primers, paints, and finishes, but they are also going to used to painting steel and plastic. If your credenza is steel you may be on to an idea, but if it is wood i would think twice.

Wood reacts very differently to paint, or any liquid for that matter. I dont live in LA but i would look for a place that refurbished old furniture or creates new furniture from scratch and get their recommendation on where to bring your piece. If it is wood you want someone who deals specifically with wood and it is steel, any powdercoater will do.

It's not that I am dead set on using an auto body shop, I want to achieve a high gloss lacquer effect on a wood credenza and have seen many pieces that have been refinished this way and the results were uniform and very nice. I guess I just don't trust myself to do the job on my own either!

There are some powder coating places here in las vegas that also will powder-coat wood. I think it is a fairly new thing. Maybe you could look into that?

Either that, or hire a furniture restorer to do it. I don't blame you for hiring it out, it will be a big and messy job!

I think your idea is fantastic, and with the number of auto body shops in LA, am surprised that you haven't found one yet. Good luck!

Diona, you don't need an auto body shop or a powdercoat finish.

The key to getting the lacquer-like finish is to use a sprayer for the paint application. You can rent spray equipment from Home Depot and do this yourself -- though you'll probably want to set up some type of spray booth.

If that is too much of a hassle, contact painters and find someone who can do this for you.

Auto shops use metal paint usually in the form of powder coat. If the furniture which you wish to be refinished is wood or plastic, the powder coat which is heated would not fuse with the wood grain and warp the wood. If you are looking for the super smooth finish for wood try a cabinet shop which has the spray equipment for the type of paint used on cabinets. I just had metal outdoor furniture powder coated and it is great for metal furniture.

Listen to Arroyo. But please don't think you can spray it out yourself. I know it sounds simple enough,but it takes a practiced hand. You would not believe the mess you can make out of your new piece of beloved furniture.

Go to a furniture refinishing place and ask for the finish you want. They are set up with a dust free, vented room for just this kind of thing. You will love what comes home to you.

Thanks for all of the comments and advice!
@Arroyo....I think you are right but I don't have the space (or patience for that matter) to do it so I am currently looking into a furniture refinisher that can get the job done. I am so eager to find a solution because I am picking up the piece tomorrow morning and would love to just drop it off to have it done vs bringing it home and letting it sit because I fear it will never get finished!

Try Room Service.

http://www.roomservice-la.com/

They sell furniture that is painted with auto body paint. Maybe they can refer you to a place.

Ringleader - do you have a good rec for powder coating in the LA area? I have a set of fantastic vintage metal outdoor furniture that is begging for a fresh coat of paint this summer! Your help is greatly appreciated - thanks!

I found an auto body place that would powder-coat an antique Doctors Cabinet in a small little town that did have much work this past winter. They were grateful for the business and gladly stripped it & painted it for me. I paid about $200 but honestly I don't see much difference if I'd just spray painted it!

What kind of material is the credenza? Do you want it for strength and durability or finish?

Sidenote: If I remember right, I thought I read where someone used an auto body shop to restore a Saarinen Tulip table and chairs.

As for powder coating, there's a place in South El Monte that my buddy turned me on to. I had some table bases done there (my buddy originally went for coating auto parts.) It's a shop that mainly works with a patio furniture manufacturer in the same complex (if it's not the same.) I can't remember the name but it's on Santa Anita close to the 60 fwy.

Here in LA people have long touted auto body places as having the equipment and expertise to paint furniture at a reasonable price (HVLP sprayers and paint boxes).

Diona wants to know if anyone has had any experiences with it - me too for that matter. I have several pieces that I would like to repaint, but I'm unwilling to pay $75/hour w/10 hour minimum to refinish.

Skip the AB shop, call cabinet shops- they have the paint you want, and they're not averse to custom paint jobs in most cases.

I just called a cabinet shop yesterday, and they said "we do the building, not the painting." Although they did give me the number of the guy they often use to paint their cabinets

Oops, just read through all the posts and realize it's wood (didn't realize you're dmvaughan 15)

As Jennifer 42 says, go to a cabinet maker. They can do what you want. Or if you wanna try it yourself, I think you might be interested in an epoxy coat for that high gloss finish. You just need a dust-free zone. As a bonus, like a clear coat on a car, it'll take out some imperfections of the paint... with enough layers! It's the clear coat on a car that makes it shiny, if you want the high gloss effect. And it's pretty durable.

I read from one of the popular design magazines that one of a featured designers actually brought his clients dining chairs to an auto body shop to paint them in white to get that shiny smooth finish you are looking for...so yeah, it's def doable. I assume this is cheaper than going to a furniture refinishers.

It also depends on the kind of wood, an open grained wood is going to need to be filled which can be a painstaking process, it could then be painted, then depending on the surface (matte, high gloss, ect) it can be sprayed with a polyurethane finish and it will give your furniture a really sleek effect.

I am a professional decorative painter and I suggest you find one in your area. They would really understand your project and desire to paint such a lovely piece. Good luck... otherwise send it to KY and I'll do it for you:)

I think this is a great idea, but probably because my father-in-law helped me do it this past summer with my current computer desk. I really wanted a OneLess Desk, but I couldn't spend that kind of money right then. Instead I came across a Pottery Barn Kids outlet desk with nearly identical dimensions and a similar concept, but I wanted the perfect green. I could only find it in auto paint so my father-in-law helped me go through the process of using steel wool to make sure the wood would have enough rough edges to grab the primer and paint and we went to town over several days. It took us three thorough coats and twice as much paint as we anticipated, but only $60 later I had a custom color desk for less than half of the price of a OneLess Desk. In addition to all this it was just as cheap to buy the paint sprayer (make sure you get the right kind!) as it was to rent one (from the one or two places that rented out auto-paint sprayers - be sure to double-check again).

Overall I don't think I would have tackled this one my own the first time, but having done it it really wasn't all that hard; just time consuming.

Here's some photos of how it turned out:
http://flic.kr/p/6PYc7B (spraying the desk)
http://flic.kr/p/6PYc9e (desk by itself)
http://flic.kr/p/6PYcdX (shows the shine with the monitor)

Good luck to you with whichever route your choose to pursue. And like my father-in-law says, it's really easy to clean. Worst case scenario you can always go through a car wash ;)

auto coating and furniture coatings are different products. The equipment might be similar but the paint is very different. If you search there may well be a kitchen manufacturer or furniture polisher/manufacturer that is more suited to the job.

Goddess Abigail Ahern speaks to this very issue:

http://abigailahern.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/bank-holiday-diy-ideas/

(and if anyone would know, it it she)

I don't have a local lead, but my dad gets the (wood) guitars he builds painted at an autobody shop, and they look awesome. Keep looking!

Drive past some shops and see if you can find one that doesnt look busy. If you are going to to some high volume collision shop - they'd rather deal with what they know and make their money that way. But if you find a nice small shop that doesnt have a lot of work, or maybe a new shop - I think you'll have better luck. Than GO IN ... and ask to talk to the manager or owner because you have a unique question.

I live on the east coast and the local shop that paints furniture for me is one that does a lot of work on European cars. Look for a smaller shop, many times they take on the furniture work just to stay busy in these tough times. Good Luck!

Hey mods - anyone want to ban the IP Address that goes along with this spammer?

yylikeu

Try the Barnacle Brothers. They do custom fabrication for artists and seems capable of painting/building/making anything. They're in LA, and they won't laugh at your proposal. After all, I met them while they were building a 30 ft high plaster post-apocalyptic site from which an opera would be performed.

http://www.barnaclebros.com/

stevenhaddox-
WOW!

My mother has used auto body shops for spraying furniture in Ohio and Florida. Perhaps if you rode around your neighborhood and found a one or two man operation that does specialty paint finishes for cars would like a little extra work. They're out there!!

Earl Scheib isn't going to do it. I'd recommend looking at places in East LA, Alhambra, Santa Ana, Pacoima, Reseda (try State Auto Body), etc. You want a smaller place that's not a chain. Speaking some Spanish will help.

I have been having this exact problem getting the fiberglass shell of my stereo egg chair painted. Conventional design/diy wisdom always says AB shops, and I can't find a single shop in LA that wants to deal with it. And no one seems to be able to name a shop that works on these jobs.

Others have suggested that I try custom marine shops or shops dealing primarily with custom motorcycles, even custom bicycle shops, as these are generally smaller operations that don't rely on slinging volume in and out of the shop. Haven't tried this route yet. I'll keep everyone posted.

I called a local cabinet shop and got the number for their painter - dropped my pieces off today. A bit more than I was hoping to pay, but at least he does this for a living. We'll see.

Finishing Touch
323-932-6445

Thanks JBJ...for BOTH of your posts!!

Any follow up? Did you all go with "Finishing Touch?" how did it turn out?

I'm in LA and looking to refurb a big old desk with some lacquer, and have gathered about 8 painter's names from Craigslist after doing a search for "lacquer"...

I Live in Jacksonville FL .I Paint wood furniture with automotive paint all the time.I now offer 35 colors. Email:blickenstafftom@gmail.com

JBJ, Brookifyd ...

Any word on results? I am also in LA and am looking to have a piece re-lacquered. Thanks!

*wish there was a way to be notified of replies to your comments*

thats exactly what i do, i have moved from painting cars, to houses. there is no better paint that lasts as long, or looks as good. but it must be painted in a booth. please visit my website : www.fantasydoor.com. mail order is available but the shipping may be just to much, thanks pete

Does anyone know where I could get this done in Michigan (near Detroit)?