Crafty question Re: dress-up cabinet

melody921

So I posted before about how DH and I trash-picked an old dresser to turn into a dress-up closet of sorts for the kids for Christmas. Does anyone have recommendations on types of paint that would be good to use on this? Do I need to sand down the existing finish on the dresser first or just paint over it? Can you tell I never take on projects like this, lol?

McKee09

Rust-O-leum has a cabinet transformations kit that doesn't require sanding and there's a several colors to chose from. I know we used it in the break room at work to change some honey oak cabinets into an espresso color. It's held up well and it was easy to do. I think with all the steps, we did it in three days, but it may go faster for a dresser.

hmp1

I used Annie Sloan paint for the one reason of you don't have to pre-sand. Just clean the wood well and paint. Easy peasy. You don't have to do a wax or poly seal over the paint but it will last longer if you do.

If you are using paint from Home Depot, sand it down first, clean it well, then paint. You will not need to seal it.

27boo

Per @hmp1‌ 's suggestion, I used Annie Sloan chalk paint to redo Aria's dresser. It turned out great! We also used a fairly dark color (teal) and in most places it only took 2 coats. It covers well, so we used less than a quart. Worth the $ to not have to sand.

Hyaline

You don't need to completely sand if you use an oil-based primer over whatever finish is on there--even laminate stuff.  But be warned, oil-based primers are stinky and suck to use inside in the winter.  I just scuffed the surface up a little before priming.

You don't need to seal it after priming and painting (with whatever--I used leftover semigloss from another project last time I did this), but I do think it will last longer.  The bookshelf I painted is in a high-traffic area and gets bumped a lot, and is starting to show dings.

melody921

27boo said:

Per @hmp1‌ 's suggestion, I used Annie Sloan chalk paint to redo Aria's dresser. It turned out great! We also used a fairly dark color (teal) and in most places it only took 2 coats. It covers well, so we used less than a quart. Worth the $ to not have to sand.

Chalk paint is like a chalkboard, like you could actually write on it? I'm digging the no sanding for sure!

ETA: I just googled it and I'm seeing Chalk Paint is just what it's called. I am a crafting moron.

melody921

You ladies are awesome! Seriously, a wealth of knowledge. I'm going to take a little trip to Home Depot. @hmp1, do they sell Annie Sloan paint there?

melody921

So I just found a local retailer that carries Annie Sloan. But their website is advertising classes on how to use Chalk Paint. Please tell me this is not something complicated!

hmp1

melody921 said:

So I just found a local retailer that carries Annie Sloan. But their website is advertising classes on how to use Chalk Paint. Please tell me this is not something complicated!

It is not complicated if you are going for a simple painted look. A lot of people use it to get a shabby chic/ old look with sanding and different color mixes and dark wax on light paint. That isn't really my style, I just like the soft look of the paint, and the ease of no sanding/no primer.

It is not chalkboard paint. Don't let your kids write on it

hmp1

RivaJam said:

I'm also wondering where to find the Annie Sloan.  Can it be ordered online?  I did a search on their website and nobody near me sells it

You can order it online from boutiques. I used Shabby Paints Vax instead of Annie Sloan wax. You can see if Shabby Paints has any retailers near you. Very similar product. 

melody921

hmp1 said:

melody921 said:

So I just found a local retailer that carries Annie Sloan. But their website is advertising classes on how to use Chalk Paint. Please tell me this is not something complicated!

It is not complicated if you are going for a simple painted look. A lot of people use it to get a shabby chic/ old look with sanding and different color mixes and dark wax on light paint. That isn't really my style, I just like the soft look of the paint, and the ease of no sanding/no primer.

It is not chalkboard paint. Don't let your kids write on it

LOL, OK. I'm going for soft paint look, so this sounds perfect.