A couple of weekends ago Hubby and I went out to vist his parents in Eugowra, which is in the western part of New South Wales. While we were there his mum asked if I would mind helping her with an old dresssing table that used to be part of a pub that they own in Gooloogong. The dressing table is from around the 1900’s and needed some love. So today I’m sharing How to Paint A Vintage Dresser.
How To Paint A Vintage Dresser
When your starting out painting furniture it doesn’t need to be super fancy or hard. Keeping things nice and simple allows you to firstly get use to your paint brush and also the paint that you use. This is what I tell my students when they come along to one of our workshops. Before you know it you’ll be blending and highlighting and having so much fun!
What are the 5 main essentials when painting funriture?
I’m so delighted you asked!
- First off your going to want a really good cleaner. This ensures that you have the perfect clean canvas to paint on. It removes dirt and grime, furniture polish build up from over the years.
- A good paint brush. It’s good to have a quality brush to reduce your brush strokes.
- If your going to be tackling a lot of furniture it’s best that you have an electric sander on hand with various grits of sandpaper. 80 grit, 120 grit and 220 grit are the most common sandpaper that I use.
- A good quality paint. Wheather is be Milk Paint or a Mineral Paint you want to make sure that it has little to no VOC’s and good durability.
- Lots of old rags and or drop cloths
Having these 5 essencials is a big bonus to get you on your way to painting your first piece of furniture.
What paint brush do I like to use for all my furniture painting and craft?
I always use the Cling On! Brushes for all my furniture painting and craft projects. If your starting off I would recomend using the F30 which is a fabulous all round brush for all projects. But they do also come in round and oval as well which a fabulous if your doing a lot of thinner work. For example chair spindles.
How long do you leave your furniture before using it?
If your piece is a high use piece of furniture like a dining room table I would leave it to dry for at least 48 to 72 hours before using it. Using a paint like Fusion Mineral Paint the longer you leave it the tougher the paint becomes giving you more added protection.
Something like a dresser that doesn’t get used a lot wait 24hrs before using.
Steps to painting your vintage dresser
Let me take you through the exact steps I did with my mum in law who has never painted a piece of furniture before.
Supplies needed:
- an old dresser
- Fusion Mineral Paint – TSP
- Fusion Mineral Paint – Sterling
- Brush
- 80 and 120 grit sandpaper
- Fusion Mineral Paint – Clear Wax
- Wax Brush
- Old rags
- Wood filler
- Drawer pulls if needing replaced
- Drill
Step 1 – Remove the drawers and any hardware. Block up any holes from the hardware using a wood filler. Sand back lightly when dry to get a smooth surface. The mirror had already been taken off but it can be left on. Using an old rag and TSP mixed in warm water thoroughly clean the entire dresser. Then taking your sander give it a quick sand with 80 grit sandpaper just to remove any bumps. Then wipe over again to remove any dust from sanding.
Step 2 – Taking your brush give the entire dresser a coat of Sterling. Let completely dry. Make sure that there is no bleed through at this point. If there is, stop what you are doing and give the entire piece a coat of BIN Stain and Sealer that you can find at your local Bunnings. Apply another coat and let dry.
All most done – Step 3 – If you were wanting to distress at this point this is where you would. But we decided to leave as is to suit my in laws house. Using your wax brush give the whole dresser a coat of wax. Pop back on your hardware or drill holes if you need if you are replacing your hardward.
Shop Raggedy Bits For All Your DIY Projects & Home Decor 
And your all done! Now your piece is all ready for you to pop into your home and enjoy all of your hard work!
Didn’t my mum in law do a wonderful job?
Be sure to pin and share my mum in laws dresser to inspire and help others who also might be just starting out with their first piece of furniture!
Happy Painting!
6 comments
Great tips for a beginner. It’s wonderful you could salvage such an old piece and turn it into something bright and useful.
I’m so glad you found the tutorial helpful! It sure was a great save and my mum in law did such a wonderful job for her first piece!
White is the nicest colour for furniture, clean, crisp and pretty. Your mother in law did a great job. It must have been fun to do together.
It was a tonne of fun Leanna thank you! Hubby and dad in law were on the other side of the shed building things so it was really nice all just hanging out in the shed!
I love white refinished furniture best of all. I know that for an experienced painter like you its pretty easy to do. Thank you for all the great painting tips.
I love that you and your MIL did this makeover together, Sam. Great tips and lovely makeover with farmhouse charm!