How to Paint a Dresser to Make It Look New Again

Solid hardwood dressers are often built like tanks and are meant to last for decades. If you have one looking a little worn, don't trash it or give it away as a freebie. It likely has several good years left, so why not refurbish it or paint over it? Even if it has previously been painted, you can give it a new coat of paint.

We decided to paint this solid wood vintage dresser in Himalayan Salt from The Spruce Best Home Chalky Finish Paint line. Chalk paint offers a soft but refreshed vintage look⁠—and it's a perfect way to update other pieces of furniture, such as an end table. When painting furniture, you have a couple of options, including a brush or a paint sprayer. Since paint sprayers have become more affordable and user-friendly, they are embraced by furniture painters as a brushless, even way to apply paint.

Opting to repaint the dresser in a solid color lightened the overall look and made the piece more eclectic. To maintain a little vintage charm, we buffed in some dark wax and created a subtle antique finish. Your choice of furniture paint—whether chalky, acrylic, milk, or more—can also change the look and feel of your refurbished piece. Review the following steps to recreate something similar.

Preparation

Before grabbing your paintbrush and getting started, remember that not all dressers are good candidates for repainting or refinishing. Antique dressers should be evaluated before painting to ensure that altering the appearance won't devalue the piece. This dresser had been painted numerous times, and the faux wood look using brown paint was heavy and worn.

Prep work is vitally important when painting a dresser. To start, empty all the drawers. Working on the dresser will be much easier when it's not loaded with stuff. Then use a screwdriver to remove the drawer pulls carefully. Take a few minutes to clean them well if you intend to put them back on the dresser after painting them.

You also need to evaluate whether the dresser needs sanding or not. You might not need sanding if the furniture piece has a nice smooth finish. But, you might want to give the paint some grooves in the furniture to create a bond. Also, note that although chalk paint is often known as a paint that requires little to no prep, you might consider using a primer to get the chalk paint to stick well and seal in the first coat of paint.