Even though I’ve long been a fan of turquoise interiors, actually adding it to my own home has been a little intimidating. First, I tried it out on this blog, and I’ve loved it. Then, I made turquoise pillows to go on the couch along with the yellow & white chevron pillows. But I was really itching to paint some furniture turquoise.
Before I started painting recently, every piece of furniture in the entire living room/entry/kitchen area was black. Lots and lots of black. I know that’s sophisticated, but I truly love lots of color. Since our first colorful house didn’t appeal to all buyers, I’ve been nervous to really let this house express who we are. But no longer! Color is making a big appearance here lately.
I’ve searched my iPhoto library for any before shots of this dresser, with no luck. My parents gave it to us when we first got married, and they had painted it hunter green. We immediately painted it black, and it’s been the same since. It has served as a buffet in our first apartment, a dresser in our bedroom, a TV stand, and most recently an entry table. The drawer slides were breaking. And despite it being a sturdy piece of furniture, I was so tired of it.
Now I love it! I actually bought this paint for Jacob’s room. I’d intended to repaint his walls with it, but that never happened. I realized this week that it was the exact shade that I wanted for the dresser, which meant that I could redo the dresser for for free. That made up my mind!
The paint is eggshell, which isn’t normally the right finish for furniture. But I learned from a helpful fellow at Lowes that any latex paint can be coated with Minwax Polycrylic Gloss – a latex polyurethane with none of the downsides of normal oil based polyurethane. It doesn’t stink, it dries quickly, and it won’t yellow. It comes in a variety of finishes, including high gloss. So it will allow me to turn this wall paint into a rock hard glossy finish. I haven’t applied it to this yet, since I want the paint to dry for a few days first. But it’s on my kitchen table, and it’s made a big difference to the durability of the paint.
Hi there. I'm Sarah. My life these days is a happy result of the recession. I found myself unemployed Christmas 2010, and we decided that I should stay that way. So now I spend my days with my kids, playing and making things. It's really the best! 
Love your dresser! What is the paint color?
Thanks! The color is Bayside. It’s a Valspar Ultra Premium base. I got it mixed in 2010, and never used it, so hopefully they still sell it!
YES!!! Don’t be afraid of color, especially when it makes something look so awesome! I’m pinning this!
Did you sand the dresser before painting? Any painting tips? I have a black armoire that’s boring me, and I’m pretty sure it’s not real wood, but I’d still like to try and spruce it up to put in a nursery. Thanks!
I have to admit being a bit lazy on this project. I did sand, but I did not prime. We redid this same dresser years ago, and didn’t follow the rules, and it survived, so I guess I reasoned that I’d get lucky again. I redid my kitchen table just before, though, and I did that correctly.
So here’s the right way! You’ll want to sand it, and then use a good primer like Kilz. If it’s an oil based paint or stain that you’re covering, Kilz sells an oil based primer that can then be painted with latex. Follow the primer instructions for drying time before coating with paint. Sand the primer before painting with a very fine sandpaper. Then sand with the fine sandpaper between all coats of paint. The table I mentioned took me three coats. Once the paint is fully dry, Polycrylic (which I linked to in the post if you want to learn more) goes on. You also sand between coats on it, for a total of another three coats.
It does take a while to do properly! If you’re not leaving the top as is, like I did with the wooden top here, it’s very important to do all of that, since the top will get a lot of wear.
I think that they key steps are: Sand. Prime IF the paint is oil based and you’ll be using latex (this dresser was already latex so I just sanded so the paint would adhere). And finally, seal with Polycrylic if you’re going to touch it much.
I hope that helps!
Love the color, I just found your blog on Pinterest! Great Job
Thanks!
I’ve been looking for you on Facebook, but can’t find anything – or a link to your page there. Are you on Facebook?
I haven’t made a Compulsive Craftiness page on Facebook. I probably should
Do you use it to follow blogs instead of a blog reader?