If you are tired of an old, dark, seventies-looking, chest of drawers, you can breath new life into it by repainting it in a light, airy, contemporary color. My wife recently painted an old chest of drawers that had been in her family for many years. Here is an easy seven step process for repainting an old chest of drawers.
1. Purchase supplies. You’ll need spray paint, a respirator face mask, work goggles, sandpaper, tack cloth, and a drop cloth. For her project my wife used six cans of Rustoleum Universal Satin Paint & Primer in One White spray paint. While she used an old bed sheet as a drop cloth, you can get large plastic drop cloths at Dollar Tree. The “respirators” basically look like surgical masks and are very inexpensive.
2. Clean it. I helped her take the old chest of drawers out to a large open area. In our case, we used our rather large balcony. Then she dusted and cleaned the chest thoroughly inside and out.
3. Remove old hardware. All the old hardware ( knobs and drawer pulls) needs to come off your old furniture. Take any drawers out as they get painted separately. Otherwise you’ll paint them shut and make a mess.
4. Rough it up. Next, you have to prep for painting. If the chest of drawers has a smooth finish, you have to lightly sand it so the paint can adhere to the surface. If you have any dents to fill or old stickers to pull off, do that as well. We didn’t do much to my wife’s old chest of drawers because the spray paint covers a multitude of cosmetic issues. Once, you’ve sanded, wipe the old piece of furniture down with tack cloth to ensure that all little particles of wood, paint, and sand are removed.
5. Paint it. The fun part comes next. It’s time to suit up with your face mask and goggles, shake up your paint, and start spraying. It’s best to start spraying off the furniture and make smooth passes across the furniture. If you haven’t spray painted before, it’s worthwhile to check out videos on youtube. They will have you painting like a pro.
6. Let it dry. Once you’ve painted, let it dry. If you’ve missed some spots or have areas of light coverage, shake up another can add an additional coat. Then leave it alone. Let your masterpiece dry for a long time. You should be able to bring it inside after a few hours. Then let it stand for a day if possible before reinstalling the drawers.
7. Reinstall new or existing hardware. If you really want to make your old “chester draws” look classy, you can get new drawer pulls at the hardware store. Otherwise, reinstall your existing hardware.
Our investment in my wife’s project was around $50. It certainly saved a lot of money versus buying a new chest of drawers. It’s also worth preserving a well-built old piece of furniture instead of buying a cheap department store piece. Good luck!
