Name: Jenna
Location: Chicago
Time: 3 days
Cost: $50.
Jenna says, "This dresser was a WalMart purchase 8 years ago when I first moved out on my own. It has held up well but was in need of a facelift. I was worried the cherry laminate would be difficult to paint over, so I put off the project for years. So when the Jumpstart contest came up I knew it was time." Here's proof that it's good to be brave and give things a try - a total transformation! All the pics, tools, instructions and VOTING is below...
BEFORE
Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:
I headed to Home Depot and purchased Glidden interior paint in an antique white, mini rollers, a sand paper block, Killz primer, polyacrylic clear coat and a foam brush. Then I purchased 6 new silver button knobs and 2 crystal drawer knobs.
MY TOOLS
Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:
1. Empty the drawers and remove all hardware.
2. Remove drawers
3. Set dresser frame and drawers on old sheet to avoid getting paint on the floor
4. Clean all surfaces that are going to be painted. I only painted the parts that were cherry, the interior of the drawers was left as is. I ended up painting the drawer fronts, and the top, sides and front of the dresser frame.
5. Sand all surfaces until they are rough to the touch.
6. Roll on one, thin coat of white primer. Let dry for 1 hour.
7. Use mini-roller to paint the entire unit. It took 3 coats to cover, waiting 30-45 minuts in between coats.
8. Let dry overnight.
9. Apply thin coat of polyacrylic clear coat to all painted surfaces
with a foam brush.
10. When applying, brush in a linear pattern. Apply a thin line then go over it again to smooth out any bubbles. Continue for the entire piece.
11. I applied 2-3 coats of the polyacrylic to prevent the paint from chipping and to protect against scratches from the jewelry box and items on top of the dresser.
12. Attach the knobs with a small Phillips head screwdriver. The old hardware was not a standard width, so when I went to buy handles for the bottom three drawers I ended up having to buy two knobs for each
of the three drawers instead of one handle pull for each drawer. But I think it gave it more of a modern, boutique hotel look. I chose to put two different knobs on the top drawer to give it a more customized look.
DURING
AFTER
BEFORE and AFTER
Wow, that really does look SO much better. You really updated it!
Is there a reason you didn't go for coordinating glass pulls?
Like so: http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl;jsessionid=0a000d4a1f43db492f6aa3c741afba96c066954964f5.e3eSc34RbhyRe34Pa38Ta38PbN50?it=A&id=2294&sc=11&category=100
Too expensive? I recently found this this site which has pretty good prices.
Or just too matchy?
view DahliaCactus's profile
Jenna! I need help! I want to do this exact same thing with some IKEA furniture... would you say your Wal-Mart piece was similar laminate/veneer that your method would work on my IKEA pieces? I've been scouring the internet for some tips on how to paint veneer particleboard without much success, except for the tip "do NOT try to sand!!!". :) How did your sanding go? Did you sand through the laminate or was it thick enough? What grade of sandpaper did you use to get "rough to the touch"?
Thank you for any tips and great post!
view mh330's profile
I'm afraid I like the before better. I guess I'm just not a white furniture person and there have been so many posts where people have painted wood furniture white. The wood finish on this looks like it was in fairly decent shape unless things just aren't showing up well in the photo.
view dmstudio's profile
I always get a piece of glass ($10) cut for the top of these types of painted tables. It saves days of polying the hell out of something and makes it a snap to keep crisp and clean.
view jlg's profile
I really like the finish, although I'm not sold on the hardware. I had been wondering how to achieve that kind of finish on a table I'm painting, so thank you for sharing!
view rorarora's profile
sorry for the late response, I was on vacation!
mh330, I cannot remember the grade of sandpaper, but it literally looked like a big square. It was by 3M. The guy at Home Depot really helped me out. I just lightly sanded it and the primer took right away. it really wasn't rough to the touch either, it just took the "shine" away and then the primer stuck. Good luck!
DahliaCactus, I didn't go for matching hardware because I didn't want too much of a traditional look. I wanted to mix modern with more classic look, so I chose the silver buttons and glass. the pictures don't do them justice, my camera is horrible! :)
Thanks for your comments.
view Chijenna's profile