How to Paint a Wood Dresser With Latex Paint

Remove all of the drawers from the dresser.

Use a screwdriver to remove all knobs and drawer hardware from the dresser and drawers. Set all of these items and the screws in a safe place.

Use a strong directional light to detect any dings and scratches. Fill in any imperfections with wood putty.

Sand the dresser and drawer fronts with 120-grit sandpaper, either by hand or with an electric sander. Sand it again with 200-grit sandpaper.

Wipe all sanded surfaces with a tack cloth to remove the sanding dust.

Set the dresser and drawers on a plastic tarp located in a garage or outside. If working in a garage, open the door for maximum ventilation.

Fill a paint sprayer's reservoir with latex primer.

Set the spray pressure to the setting recommended on the instructions for latex paint.

Don a respirator. Spray a coat of primer onto the dresser and each drawer, holding the gun 12 to 14 inches away from the surfaces. Sweep the gun back and forth in smooth movements until the dresser and drawers are covered with a thin coat of primer. Allow the primer to dry.

Lightly sand the dresser and drawers with 300-grit sandpaper. Wipe them with a tack cloth to remove sanding dust.

Apply a second coat of primer, allow it to dry and repeat the sanding process.

Flush the paint sprayer with water, spraying it into a trash can until the water comes out clean.

Add semigloss latex paint to the reservoir.

Apply two coats of paint to the dresser and drawers, allowing each coat to fully dry.

Reattach the dresser's hardware and put the drawers back in place.