This is painting furniture 101 for beginners! This was my first time painting furniture and I wanted to share with you in case this is something you might want to tackle but are unsure of how to start. I did my research by reading other blogs and watching YouTube, so I felt confident to try it! Not to mention, I hated the color of the dresser I had so I figured it wasn’t the end of the world if I messed it up.
Painting Checklist
To start I made a checklist of all the things I needed to buy. I chose to use Interior semi-gloss paint because of the durability. From my research, I knew that it would probably need a polyurethane clear coat to help with protection too (except I ended up not using this for the time being due to paint curing time).My painting started with this mini foam roller pictured but later switched to this 3/8′ mini shedless knit roller due to having coverage issues that I’ll explain later. A good paint brush is worth it and I loved this short handled brush! It made painting so easy and my hand didn’t hurt once! Grab a paint roller tray, 100 grit sandpaper, and a tarp too!
After talking to a friend who had redone a few pieces, I quickly decided that buying an inexpensive electric sander would be worth it so my hand wouldn’t fall off sanding this huge piece! I got this one on Amazon for around $30 and it was worth every penny.
This is what I was sanding. See what I mean? HUGE.
I am not the most patient person in the world so painting this dresser seemed daunting, but I had a collaboration with a small shop maker that was sending me a sign to go above this dresser and that was the push I needed to get me moving. Can’t have the ugly dresser in my product picture for Instagram. Nothing like a deadline to get things done!
Painting Prep
Lots of people told me I should have used chalk paint because it didn’t require sanding, but I wanted it to be more durable and more of a glossy finish since it was going to be touched and used everyday from here on out. And I didn’t want to mess with using wax on top of the chalk paint. Just what I wanted, but many people choose to use chalk paint for it’s ease of use.
To start, I cleaned the dresser with Murpy’s Oil Soap. Made sure it was nice and dry before I started the sanding process. I removed the drawers before sanding too.You are not sanding to get to the bare wood, just roughing up the surface a bit to have something for the paint to adhere to. Admittedly, I had a lot of fun using my first power tool (at least I count the electric sander as one)! I did use the sandpaper for little nooks and crannies the sander couldn’t get to. Make sure and take an old towel and get all the sawdust wiped off. This is super important to do before painting!
Painting Process
Since my paint also had primer in it, I didn’t prime – I just started painting! As I mentioned earlier I chose to use a foam roller for the big flat spaces. Plus, I was worried about a paint brush leaving brush strokes. Using a roller was definitely the right choice, but instead of a foam roller I would start with a roller with a 3/8″ nap meant for smooth to semi-smooth surfaces. The foam roller didn’t get enough paint on because by nature they are not supposed to get super saturated. My roller needed to be more saturated.
After 4 coats with the foam roller, I did some more research and switched roller brushes. It made a HUGE difference! The main reason I ended up switching was because the top of the dresser had weird strokes on it and wasn’t smooth. After one swipe with the new
3/8′ mini shedless knit roller I knew it was the right choice! It looked great and had a more finished look. I used the paint brush in all the small spaces and since it was well saturated with paint it’s coverage was excellent. I decided to not paint the back of the dresser since it would always be up against a wall too. Big time and paint saver.
A million coats later (seriously listen to me on making sure whatever you use = a brush or a roller) is saturated with paint so you can knock this out in a few coats. The hardest thing about doing this project? DRYING TIME. I hated waiting hours between coats. I wanted to knock this out in a day (especially since I couldn’t move the dresser and had to paint it in my son’s room). It took me an entire weekend off and on.
Things I Learned
- Have an incredible amount of patience to do this project right! It’s SOOOO worth it!
- Loved using the roller, just ditched the foam one for one with a longer nap (holds more paint).
- Paint has to cure for a LONG time. Like almost a month! So, since this is a new project I have not added the polyurethane coat yet because it said the paint needed to cure completely first.
- OK and this was a total NEWB mistake…. I did not put anything under the legs of the dresser except for the tarp. SO after painting several coats the tarp basically got glued to the paint on the legs. I actually had to rip it off of the legs. It stuck so bad I had to sand it off and repaint. My advice is put some hard cardboard under each leg. The tarp was just too squishy and touched the wet paint too much.
- If you have drips in the paint (which you will), jut wait for them to dry, sand them off and touch up with another coat of paint. It will look as good as new!
- PRO TIP – wrap your brushes and rollers in saran wrap in between coats to keep them moist and avoid having to wash them out over and over again. After I did this project, people also told me you could wrap them and even stick them in the fridge overnight! I didn’t know that tip so I washed them every night, but not during the day between coats.
Before & After
I hope this might have helped you if you are new to painting furniture like I was! I want to paint all the furniture now! It was such an inexpensive easy fix/transformation and I feel like his room is the way I always wanted it to be. Can I call myself a DIYer now? I think I just might! LOL
I’m adding a few links to shop this finished room. Maybe you are wanting a Lego room too!
Room Links
Lego Signs (above bed – 21” size)
Matching nightstand for headboard
Pillow came from @linenandivory
Table Painting (Feb. 2021)
It’s been awhile since I painted furniture and I wanted to update you with a new project I did that was much easier than the above dresser! I bought a table for the design, but didn’t like the color, so I decided to paint it. I have gained confidence so it didn’t bother me to paint a new piece of furniture. I love the result and so glad I went with my gut. If you don’t like the color of something, but love the bones painting is a great option!
Process
This project went pretty fast! HERE is the table I was starting with.
Here was inspiration piece from @ourvintagenest!
I didn’t sand it since it was already wood. I did a test paint sample and it seemed to do take the paint fine, so I skipped sanding/priming as well.
Here is the paint I chose. It’s Sherwin Williams Tricorn black. I chose this paint because it’s recommended for doors and trim and is pretty durable. I did two coats of this with a foam roller. I had also used this paint on my son’s bathroom cabinets too! I plan on painting my staircase railing behind where this table is going with the exact same paint soon, so I wanted them to match.
After those two coats are dry (I let mine sit overnight at least) you will want to put a water based polyurethane HERE on it to protect it. I did two coats but 3 is recommended. I used a matte finish too because I didn’t want the table shiny.
That is really it! This project was a bit time consuming but so easy! Hopefully this helps you take the plunge to paint somthing you don’t like!
Table Decor Links
Here are some current links to things styled on this table too!]
Ladder is from @decorsteals
Here are the baskets I’ve ordered too! A buit procey but pretty sure they’ll be worth it.
