Painting of wooden toys

Natural durability of wooden objects imparts to them a unique value. A wooden toy is a simple gift but timeless. How much joy can bring a renewed rocking horse or a set of blocks, which we used to play when we were kids?

Contrary to what one might expect, renovation of toys made of wood is not difficult and can be performed by ourselves, without much effort and time. Then, we can be certain that the object received by a youngster will be remembered for a long time. Solidness is the feature which distinguishes wooden gifts from contemporary toys made of plastic. Who knows, maybe the person who receives the wooden toy will pass on to the next generation?

Apart from simple tools to disassemble the movable elements of the toy (if it has them),we need the following objects: a paintbrush, sandpaper and a relevant wood preservative. On the market there are many available varnishes, however, we need to choose a product which is friendly for particularly sensitive persons. Optimal solution is VIDARON Acrylic Varnish. It’s a fast drying product of gentle and non-irritant odour. It complies with strict European norm PN EN 71.3 – Safety of Toys. It can be used without concern, since it is made of raw materials safe for human life.

VIDARON Acrylic Varnish is solid and resistant to scrubbing, scratches, mechanical damages and influence of water and detergents, which is extremely important in case of toys. It’s also very convenient and does not require great experience – it is characterized by excellent flow and adhesive properties to the substrate.

Also, a good solution is to use Super Efficient Varnish and Stain which thanks to the gel formula facilitates the application. The product complies with European standard ‘Safety of Toys’.

Surface preparation

All moveable elements of the toy must be disassemble and painted separately. The surface should be smooth, dry and free from any contaminations. Greasy spots must be cleaned by using extracting naphtha and dried out.

Before painting, all the elements must be sanded by using sandpaper. Its grit should be adjusted depending on the surface roughness. While sanding we ought to bear in mind all difficult-to-reach spots. The collected dust must be removed.

First coat application

After opening the container, we must stir its content carefully. Painting must be carried out by using a paintbrush or spraying method.

Remember so that the air temperature where we paint does not fall below 5 and exceed 25 Celsius degrees. While using a paintbrush, we use a model with synthetic hair. If we use a universal paintbrush, it’s recommended to sand the hair by sandpaper. This activity softens the paintbrush’s end and eliminates loose hair.

Painting must begin with difficult-to-reach spots. The varnish is applied in large quantity and slightly distributed upon the wood surface. Connection of particular elements on larger surfaces should be conducted by wet-to-wet method.

Second coat application

After the first coat is dry, the toy surface is sanded by using sandpaper of 320 grit, till obtaining a smooth surface. Similarly to the first application, the dust must be removed by a vacuum cleaner. After the second coat is dry, we proceed with assembling the separate elements.

The final stage of works is drying and cleaning of the tools.