How To Prevent Wood From Bleeding Through Painted Cabinets or Furniture (Painted Bathroom Cabinets Beige)

Does your furniture have wood stains? In this post, I will show you how to fix tannin staining from your wood cabinets or furniture.

Eight years ago we renovated the main bathroom. Hubby had the contractor keep and repaint our custom cabinets. They were in good shape and we were trying to keep the budget down. We did at least get granite counters!

It looked fine initially but stains gradually bled through the paint. We’d spent a lot on the update. I was disappointed.

After years of bearing it, I could bear it no longer. I would not yield to the stains! I had to repaint.

I researched the issue on Pinterest and discovered that shellac-based primer blocks stains from bleeding through.

I got the primer at Home Depot. I asked hubby about his preference between light green, greenish-gray and beige. Beige won.

100 shades of beige! Who knew!? After attempting to sift out the ideal shade I picked one and hoped for the best.

All right folks. Let’s get down to business.

Full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

Supplies

Zinsser BIN Shellac-Base Primer
Paint – I used Behr in Bauhaus Buff
foam roller
sandpaper
clean rags
wood filler (optional)

Directions

I removed the handles and hinges and wiped the cabinets with a clean rag.

I lightly sanded the cabinets just enough to help the paint stick. I wiped away the dust. I filled the cracks with wood putty and sanded it once it dried.

I applied a coat of the primer. It took only about 10 minutes to dry!

I painted the cabinets. Two coats. I let the first coat dry completely before applying the second.

Once everything dried, I re-attached the handles and hinges.

I’m delighted with the results. I highly recommend Zinsser. It’s one of the best primers I’ve tried. It’s not as thick as others and it dries fast and leaves a smooth finish.