DIY furniture makeovers: the how-to

You might remember me grumbling under my breath somewhere in these pages, complaining about all our mismatched furniture. Sound familiar? If not, here’s a primer to bring you up to speed: poor twentysomethings rely on the generosity of parents to furnish starter apartments, compile collection of well-made but totally incongruous castoff wooden furniture from different parents’ houses.

There’s a happy ending to this story, though, in which the poor twentysomethings purchase paint and sandpaper, and with a little bit of elbow grease, start to turn things around style-wise. We’ve written this happy ending, word by painstaking word, over the past six months—and now I get to share the results with you!

Well, to be more accurate, today I’ll be sharing one of the results with you, whetting your appetites for a full reveal next week. And I’ll go through the step-by-step process we used to make over each of these lovely-but-tired pieces. Sound good? Then here’s the “before” photo for our first subject, the antique bureau I pilfered from my father’s house. It has some great history, having come originally from my grandfather’s home, but the years hadn’t been too kind to it (or its brass handles—read their story here). These pictures were taken after a light scrub with sandpaper, but paint a pretty accurate portrait of what we were dealing with.

And here’s the glorious “after,” in which the dresser is slicked with four coats of Benjamin Moore’s Vermilion. What do you think—does it fit into our color scheme? Don’t the brass handles pop against the lipstick-colored exterior? And doesn’t the pretty woodwork on the legs shine through all the better now? Spoiler alert: I think so.

Now, for the step-by-step guide to painting your own piece of furniture. It’s really not so bad; if two overgrown kids without DIY experience could swing it, chances are that you can, too.

1) Gently sand your piece of solid wood or wood veneer furniture with a piece of sandpaper—or, better yet, an electric sander. You’re simply trying to rough up the surface of the wood, to give your paint something to adhere to, not to sand down to the bare wood. For an older, more worn-down piece of furniture, this will be extremely easy; you can use high-grit, smoother sandpaper (we used 180 grit) to get the job done. For newer furniture with a glossy, protective coating, start with a low-grit, rougher sandpaper (60 grit), followed by a pass with high-grit paper to smooth the surface.

2) Wipe down the furniture to remove all sanding dust. If using a damp cloth, allow the furniture to dry completely before proceeding.

3) With a small paintbrush, and in a well-ventilated area, apply one or two thin, even coats of primer—I used Kilz latex-based primer. This step will help your paint adhere properly to the wood and go on more evenly. (The key in these next three steps is applying paper-thin coats to avoid gloppy patches of paint, air bubbles, and obvious brushstrokes.) Let dry two to four hours between coats.

4) Apply two to four coats of the paint of your choice, preferably in a semi-gloss finish for maximum wipeability. Remember to brush the paint on paper-thin! Again, let dry completely between coats.

5) Apply two coats of polyurethane coating in extremely thin coats; a little goes a long way. I used Safecoat Acrylacq, a (rare) eco-friendly poly that seals in fumes from the primer and paint you just applied, in case you didn’t choose low- or no-VOC options. (This last step is actually optional, but will help protect your furniture from nicks, scratches, and everyday wear and tear.)

6) Once it’s fully dry—wait at least three full days before handling—enjoy your beautiful new piece of furniture! You’ve earned it.