greencanary's Profile

Hi Amba-

Thanks! I used semi-gloss latex paint, which turned out just a little too shiny for me- next time, I'll probably use something more matte (my mom suggested eggshell- sounds like a good idea good to me). This was also my first serious furniture-painting project, so I'm definitely no expert and I'm sure I've made lots of mistakes that I'm not even aware of, but this was the process I used on the dresser with the silver knobs:

The biggest and first step was the sanding! Lots and lots of sanding! Be sure to wear a face mask or else you'll be breathing in a lot of dust. Be prepared to be sore if you do it by hand.

Then I used Elmer's brand wood-filler on the holes, because I'd be replacing the old pulls with new pulls (the new ones had just barely different screw measurements... sigh). Use a plastic spackle knife to push the wood filler into the holes from the outside, sort of like frosting a cake, but with more force. Put more wood filler in than you need, and then, from the inside of the drawer, push the wood filler back out a little through the hole, so it bumps out of the hole a little on the front of the drawer. Sorry to be gross, but from the outside of the drawer, each hole should now resemble a wart. Remember to wipe the excess wood filler off of the inside of the drawer with a wet rag or paper towel. Let the filler dry completely, and then, very gently, sand it flat so the hole feels flush with the rest of the drawer. If the 'wart' falls off while you're sanding and creates an uneven dent in the surface, just add some more wood filler and wait for it to dry again. I had to touch up a lot of the holes because I wasn't patient enough and sanded before the wood filler was thoroughly dry. Wood filler is a lot less dense than spackle, so it crumbles very easily.

Then drill new holes for the new hardware.

I primed the wood with Kilz (not sure if I needed to, but it seems to have worked out alright).

When the primer had fully dried, I painted two coats of paint, using a roller on the large surface areas, and a brush in the corners and in the detail areas like the striped grooves in the front. Watch out for drips! There was one drip I didn't notice before the paint dried, but luckily it was in an area that wasn't too noticeable.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi Adiaphane- So happy for sarcasm.

Uh. Mazing! They'd make for a hilariously appropriate gallery show in Harvard's Natural History Museum!

Hi LSUgrad03- Thanks! The larger dresser is the same color as the dusty blue-green stripes/main background color on the green-knobbed dresser. I bought too much paint, so everything is a similar color. It was California brand paint, and I think it was called 'Viscaya' from their historical color collection.

Hi ChrisGal- (for full effect, please play 'Piano Sonata No. 2 In B-Flat Minor' as you read this) Yup, it'll probably be an outdated fad in a few years, but I've loved that color long before it was a fad, and will continue to find love in my heart for that color way after the fad has died a painful blue-green death.