I found a solid wood dresser at Habitat Restore several years ago for $20. Originally it was just a wood tone. I decided to paint it bright red and used it in our eating area in our San Antonio house. When we moved to Kanas City, I placed it behind our sofa, sort of acting at a console table. I use the dresser drawers for storage, which is so convenient!
Everyone always loved the pop of red in the space, but after looking at it for so many years, I decided I needed a change.
White.
I wanted bright white. And I wanted to update the hardware. Here’s how to paint a thrifted dresser white.
Here is the original piece before it was ever painted. It’s solid wood and I loved the details. How can you go wrong for $20?!
And here it is in the space, painted red, with the original hardware.
Type of White Paint Used
I ended up using “Pure White” by Sherwin Williams in their oil based enamel. This gives it a super shiny, hard coated finish. With the red, I painted the dresser in red latex paint. It always had a sticky feeling on the top, and it never had that “furniture” look to it.
I’m convinced that all furniture needs to be painted in oil based paint! You won’t regret taking the extra time.
Process of Painting the Thrifted Dresser
First, I lightly sanded the entire dresser with a sanding block. After wiping it down really well, I added 3 coats of the oil based paint. I didn’t prime over the red, I just added an additional coat of the white. I waited 24 hours in between each coat. This is one of the downfalls of using oil based paint.
Before painting, I took the drawers out and used a roller. I rolled the entire piece and used a paint brush for the details and the edges.
The final result is just what I wanted, light and bright and hard coated. It really pops against our dark hardwoods and our dark sofa.
Eventually, I would like to get something new for behind the couch, but for now, I’m loving the fresh change. The plan is for this dresser to be moved to the guest bedroom as soon as I find something, but I’m in no rush.
Gold Hardware
The original hardware on the top drawers is very specific so I decided to keep those. I bought four new handles and spray painted the gold so they all had the same tone. You can find that DIY blog post here!
I hope you liked seeing how to paint a thrifted dresser white! I’m loving the transformation. XO