Painting a Dresser

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I found this dresser on Craigslist last September after searching for one for over a year.  I learned that dressers go pretty quickly on Craigslist around here!  It was so long ago now that I'm having trouble remembering how much I paid for it - I think $30.00.

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There were several layers of paint on the dresser and it was peeling of pretty badly.  The dresser actually looks much better in the photos than it did in person!

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See the hardware?  I really like the drawer pulls and was thinking of stripping the paint and reusing them, but once I took them off I realized that they were pretty cheap.  They were not solid and may even be some type of plastic.  Strange!

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Now, on to the stripping.  I used an inexpensive brush and a aluminum tray to pour the stripper in.

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I used a plastic scraper to scrape off the paint after the stripper did its job.  The paint was so thick, I had to repeat the stripping process twice all over the dresser.  I also used wire brush (see photo & list of supplies below) to remove paint from areas that were too small to use the scrapper - like the small rails between the drawers.

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All stripped (except for that small bit of yellow on the back leg!):

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Here are the supplies I used for painting:
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1.  6" wide roller
2.  3" mini roller.  This was really helpful for getting in the small areas of the dresser where the larger roller wouldn't fit.
3.  Putty knife
4.  Wood filler.  I used the putty knife to apply the filler to a few areas of damaged wood on the dresser top.
5.  Sanding sponge.  I love these things!  Made sanding the dresser so much easier than just regular sand paper.  I one I used is from Gator and was coarse/medium.
6.  Wire brush.  Used this in conjunction with the stripper to remove paint from small, detailed areas where I could not use the scrapper.
7.  Foam brush.   Surprisingly helpful for applying to paint to some areas of the dresser.  I used it on around the edge of the dresser top and on the narrow rails between the drawers.
8.  Angled paint brush.  Mine is a Purdy, 1.5" with an angle.
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I used the angled brush to cut in the paint, and then the rollers for the rest.  Once the primer was on, everything else was easy!
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The Zinsser primer I used:
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And Olympic paint:
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Color matched to:  Valspar Caribbean Walk #7003-5.
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Here's the finished dresser:
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I'm not 100% in love with the drawer pulls I bought, but I was in a time crunch and needed to finish up the dresser before my Dad's party.
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I bought the dresser for this area off to the side of my kitchen:
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I love the curved front on the dresser top.
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And these side rails make me pretty happy too:
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See the curved piece at the bottom?  I like that too.
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Hmmm, looks like I need to find another project to work on now that the dresser is finished!
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Sharing this post at:
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Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors