Before and After

Paint: Bahia Grass and Simply Linen by Behr

I'm genuinely surprised I didn't mess this up.  Painting has never been my strong suit.  I just don't have the patience for it.  Between the prep work and the dry time, there's too much waiting around for me to really enjoy it. But as I'm in the process of moving into a new apartment, I decided to bite the bullet and give furniture painting a try.

Using a tutorial from Design*Sponge, I set to work on an old dresser I got from a thrift store in Allston.  Now if there's anything I've learned from multiple failed painting projects it's this: the prep work is the most important part!!!  Don't skip it!  Sanding may seem superfluous, but it's the difference between a professional finish and a ruined piece of furniture.  It's also important to clean the piece inside and out after sanding.  Dust is not your friend.  I found that rubbing everything down with a Swiffer cloth worked fantastically (even better than vacuuming).  

The painting itself is the easy part.  Two coats of green, four coats of white and I was done!  Originally I had planned to replace the hardware, but 1) new hardware is very expensive and 2) I kind of like the way the old stuff looks with the new paint.  I may change it one day, but it works for now.

Overall I found this to be pretty darn easy.  It's amazing what a new coat of paint can do.  I will definitely be doing it again soon!