Black-on-Black Dresser Part 1

My dresser is finally receiving its long-overdue makeover! :D It's being painted matte black with gloss black stenciling to match my chests of drawers.

With this project, I'm trying to do a better job of documenting the process step by step. (I suppose the very first step was to buy the dresser for $40 at a thrift store. The top was scratched and marred, but overall the dresser was very sturdy, and I really liked the curvy shape.)

First, empty the drawers and take everything off the dresser.

Next, put on your extra fashionable, ultra glamorous painting clothes.

Including the shoes you once dropped a loaded paint roller on.

Then, prepare your workspace. I cover my table and the surrounding floor with thrift store sheets.

Back at the dresser, pull out all the drawers.

Remove the knobs/handles/pulls. If you're going to reuse them, be sure to keep all the screws.

Sand the drawer fronts if desired. My drawers were in pretty good shape, so I did not do any sanding.

Ensure all the surfaces you intend to paint are clean. You can use whatever cleaner you like as long as it doesn't leave a residue. Allow all the surfaces to dry.

Now it's time to prime! Primer provides good adhesion on slick surfaces such as laminate or glossy paint. If you plan to use a dark color paint, have the store tint your primer. There are many primer options; I like Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. I apply it with a brush and a small foam roller.

Use the brush for the corners...

Then immediately use the roller for the flat surfaces, blending into the still-wet paint you brushed on. Don't allow the brushed paint to dry before you roll on the rest of the paint. For each drawer, I primed the inside and then the outside front and sides. I did not prime the outside back or the bottom, allowing me to handle the drawer enough to set it aside to dry.

Repeat with each drawer until all the to-be-painted surfaces are primed. I didn't bother with the inside bottoms of the drawers because I intend to cover them with adhesive shelf paper.

While the drawers are drying, address the knobs/handles/pulls if needed. I like the shape of my pulls but not the dull gold color. A little spray paint will fix that!

I like to lay out my to-be-sprayed items on a piece of cardboard. After spraying, I can simply pick up the cardboard and move everything inside without disturbing the still-drying items.

I like the color of Rust-Oleum Universal satin nickel paint, but not the sprayer. The mist is too fine and doesn't cover very well. I find it's much easier to use a series of primer and paints.

I always use Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch gray primer before spray painting anything. It covers amazingly well. Just a couple of passes and my dull gold pulls were gray. Next, I used Rust-Oleum metallic silver. It covers pretty well. Finally, I used the satin nickel to tone down the super shiny silver.

The key with spray paint is to apply light coats. You don't have to wait between coats; just keep spraying additional light coats until you get the coverage you want. I sprayed primer, silver and nickel in immediate succession, and in less than five minutes, my pulls were a nice silvery nickel color.

I moved the cardboard to the garage so the paint could fully dry (and off-gas; spray paint can stink for several days).

To Be Continued...