I finally decided to take my bedroom furniture from 2003 and give it a much needed facelift. It was a nice dark toned wood with a curved front that in its day worked really well. In my current home my bedroom floor is a nice oak that has many different tones. It always bothered me to have so much “wood on wood” in that room but it just wasn’t a high priority. So, having some time off between Christmas and New Years I finally took the plunge!
So, here is where I started. First I cleaned everything out and removed the hardware. I used my Black and Decker Mouse sander and sanded down each piece with 120 grit sandpaper. This is very important to do to get the current finish off so that the paint can adhere to the furniture.
As you can see, there is still the stained wood. You don’t have to sand it down to the bare wood. You just need to rough it up and sand out any dents or scratches. After sanding, use your vacuum attachment with the brush and vacuum out the drawers and all over the outside. Then use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe it down and let it dry. Now you are ready to paint! A lot of people use chalk paint but I have found that regular latex paint is just as successful if I do the application right. The most important thing is the let each coat dry 24 hours. For this project I used Sherwin Williams Mineral Deposit. Surprisingly it only took one coat! There were only a couple of places I needed to touch up with a second coat.
Usually after painting I use a polyacrylic satin finish that I wipe or brush on. This time I tried something I saw on Pinterest and it was a little different. It was using Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. You apply the wax, wait 10-15 minutes and then buff it out. It creates a very matte finish but still smooth. Time will tell which way I like better. I had two nightstands and a dresser to do to complete the project and it really brightened up the room from the dark heavy furniture from before. I hope this post inspires you to find something in your home that can be reimagined versus just buying new. This created a whole new look and I didn’t have to spend much money at all. Happy painting!
