I have always been nervous to paint a piece of furniture with something other than chalk paint. Admittedly, I am a very impatient painter and the idea of doing more steps to make something turn out beautiful has not been on the top of my list of fun projects. Also, I was afraid that somehow I would mess it up – it would be too streaky, chipped paint, etc. Funny, now on the other side of painting my French style 1970s dresser it seems silly how much I feared the task. It took way less time than it would for me to paint a room (and that is my bread and butter of joyful activities) and looks better than I thought it would!

The dresser has a laminate top and I wanted to make sure that whatever I did would actually stick to the dresser. I lightly sanded the top of the dresser. I then made sure to clean the entire dresser, used Goo Gone to make sure to get any stubborn spots, and then a tack cloth just to make sure there were no other pieces of dust or particles leftover on the dresser. This took way less time than it sounds and was worth the effort.

When looking for the best primer for a cabinet, I consulted with the owners at my local Benjamin Moore shop. For my project they recommended, and I used, INSL-X, Stix Waterborne Bonding Primer (SXA-110). I purchased a quart, and I had leftovers after applying two coats with a 1 1/2 inch paintbrush. The best recommendations in terms of time between coats, are found when reading the instructions on the can (who would have thunk it haha).

Another first for me, was using a small roller with a foam brush to put on the topcoat. It is a forgiving way to paint something and easier to paint the edges without a lot of nasty drips moving down the other side of your drawer. I did not use the correct paint for the topcoat (whoops). I purchased a quart of the pearl finish of Benjamin Moore’s “Midnight Dream” in wall paint. Total rooky mistake. I believe that using Benajmin Moore’s Advance Interior Paint would have been best for a furniture piece. I’ve used Advance Interior Paint in my bathroom on beadboard and “oh la la” — it was worth the extra money. I applied two coats of “Midnight Dream” and also have lots more to spare. I also followed the instructions on the can as to how long to wait between coats.

At some point, I may put some Wipe-On Poly on top to make sure it does not chip. There is a cure time especially when painting furniture and I have been careful to keep my silly cats away from the dresser and made sure to wait a bit before putting anything on top of it.

To finish off the dresser, I was lucky enough to have some leftover peel and stick wallpaper that I used for the drawer liners.

I did not replace the pulls and knobs and they look lovely with the new dresser color.

If I could say anything more, it would be just to just go for it. It is well worth the time and effort and the effort, it not as much as you think it is. This project has certainly given me the confidence to finally do my vanity in the main bathroom (which has been on my list for the last year at least) and to find some other pieces of furniture to give some TLC to.

xx, M