When we moved into our house, we some how inherited an ugly, 80s, cheap, laminate dresser. (I'm not even sure it's laminate- it's just particle board with a giant ugly wood sticker over it...) We took it because it was big and it held clothes, and that's what we needed.
The dresser looked something like this (I didn't take a before picture- sorry!), with gold handle bars to accent the ugliness:
The dresser now looks like this:
This was my first time to refinish furniture and it was more of an experiment. I really didn't care if I ruined the dresser because I was learning as I went along. Experiment or not, I am really happy with how it turned out and it will keep it's spot in Kenna's room for awhile longer.
So, in case, you are wondering- painting ultra cheap furniture does work! Here's how:
1. Sand down the existing "sticker" finish with 120 grit (I used 60, but most people recommended 120). I actually sanded just the dresser, and not the drawers to see if it would work the lazy man's way. SAND!! The drawers turned out fine, but the dresser looks much whiter and just better.
2. Prime. You must use an oil-based primer. I used Zinsser's Cover Stain primer. (Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area with this stuff.) Let it dry (at least 2 hours for this particular primer) and apply an additional coat (sanding in between coats as necessary- any drips or other mess ups). If you skipped the sanding in the beginning, you might want to apply at least 3 coats.
3. Use a latex-based, semi-gloss paint. Paint two coats at least, allowing each coat to dry in between.
4. I purchased new hardware. The old handles were hideous, and I thought about painting them too, but scored these cute knobs for under $5.00 in the Target clearance section.
5. Done!
(Now, I need to paint that bed frame to match the dresser!)
