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One of the things I love the most about painting furniture is how you can take a piece that is pretty blah and turn it into a statement.

That’s what we did with today’s furniture piece–read on to see the steps for this makeover as well as a video tutorial!

You can see a ton more makeovers here 🙂

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Where to Find Old Furniture to Paint?

This dresser was a purchase from Facebook Marketplace. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo of it before I started painting–I know, I know, I’m sorry!

But it wasn’t anything special, just your run-of-the-mill wood chest of drawers–very plain, with flat drawer fronts.

I have purchased a lot of old furniture also from local thrift stores and estate sales as well.

You can see my tips for shopping estate sales here!

And don’t overlook pieces you may have already in your house! If a piece is sturdy and still meets your needs functionally, then why not give it a new look with paint?

This post contains links to websites outside of LostandFoundDecor.com.  These links are provided for your shopping convenience. It does not cost you any extra to shop through these links, but I will make a small commission on your purchase. 

Supplies Needed

• Degreasing Cleaner, this is my favorite
• Dobie scrubbing sponges
• Lint free rags or shop towels
• Sanding Pads
• Fusion Mineral Paint Bayberry beautiful olive green paint, 
• Redesign with Prima Albery Transfer for extra accent
• Fusion Beeswax Finish ,my favorite topcoat for dark colors
• Paint brush, I like this one in size large or medium
• New Hardware, I found these on Amazon

 

How to Prepare Dresser for Painting

Getting your furniture squeaky clean is the absolute, most important first step when it comes to painting furniture.

You can read all about why cleaning your furniture first matters and how to do it properly here.

Clean Furniture

The Fusion TSP Alternative is my degreasing cleaner of choice. I love that it’s biodegradable, non-toxic, and works amazing!

To clean my pieces using the Fusion TSP, I spray the solution on using a spray bottle, then scrub with these Dobie sponges. 

Then wipe off any residue with a lint free cloth or shop towel.

Sand Furniture

After cleaning, I do lightly sand my furniture pieces with a mid grit (around 180) sand paper or sanding pad.

Then be sure to wipe off all your sanding dust–sometimes I vacuum it off also. 

This usually takes 5 minutes or less, it’s just a quick sanding to open up the pores of the finish.

 

What is Fusion Mineral Paint?

Fusion is the paint I use for most of my projects.

Fusion is not a chalk paint! But rather an acrylic paint with a gorgeous matte finish. 

You can read more about Fusion vs Chalk Paint here. 

However like chalk paint, for most wood projects it requires minimal prep work.

I also like using it because it is a zero VOC paint, which means it has no odor and you can paint inside.

With easy application and exceptional coverage, it’s my go-to paint.

You can shop all Fusion Mineral Paint colors in my online shop 🙂 

Fusion Mineral Paint Bayberry

For this project, I chose the popular olive-green color called Bayberry.

It’s one of my top-selling green colors–a customer favorite for sure 🙂

You can see another makeover in Bayberry here!

It took two coats of the Bayberry to fully cover the wood finish.

How to Apply a Redesign Transfer

Since this dresser was so basic and plain, I wanted to add a little something extra for that “wow” factor.

I decided to use a Redesign with Prima Transfer on the top drawer only.

Redesign Transfers will adhere to just about anything that is flat and clean.

They are an easy way to customize your furniture or small craft project!

You can actually watch the full process of applying the transfer in my YouTube video!

 

 

Sealing the Transfer and Top Coat

When you use a transfer on a piece of furniture, it’s a good idea to seal it to the surface.

I usually use a clear wax for that.

You can read so much more about furniture waxes here.

Over dark Fusion colors, my favorite wax is the Fusion Beeswax Finish. 

You can see how I also use it on a raw wood desk top here. 

Attach the New Hardware

Once the transfer was applied and the Beeswax Finish was dry, I added one more upgrade to the dresser by attaching new hardware.

I have used these pulls from Amazon several times.

I like their bronze finish and that you can screw them directly into your drawer fronts.

The Finished Bayberry Dresser

Ready to see it all done?

What do you think?

Again, I’m sorry for no “before” photo!

But trust me–this was a major upgrade!

This chest of drawers now has a fresh, modern color and a little “wow” factor from the Redesign Transfer. 

More Dresser Makeovers

Italian Provincial Chest Makeover with Fusion Mineral Paint Park Bench

6 Gorgeous Makeovers: Inspiration for Green Painted Furniture

Yellow Painted Chest of Drawers

Antique Chest Makeover with Fusion Mineral Paint Twilight Geranium

Light Blue Painted Chest of Drawers | Fusion Mineral Paint French Eggshell

 

Follow me over on YouTube to see more furniture makeovers and vintage decorating ideas. 

Thanks for letting me share today!

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