How to Dress Up a Drawer Front

Fresh Paint

• 1

  Choose a color of latex paint close to the rest of the furniture piece, or choose one that contrasts with the desk or dresser's color to make the drawers stand out more.

• 2

  Remove the drawers from the piece of furniture and unscrew the hardware with a screwdriver from the inside of the drawer face. Look at the heads of the screws that hold the drawer knobs or pulls in place. If the head of the screw has an "X-shaped" notch, use a Phillips screwdriver. If it has a single straight notch, use a flathead screwdriver.

• 3

  Clean the faces of the drawers with a cleaning solution that contains trisodium phosphate, or TSP. Use a scrub brush to apply the cleanser and rinse it with a clean sponge and water. Allow them to air dry.

• 4

  Sand the drawer faces with fine-grit sandpaper to even them out and remove any visible brush strokes from the previous paint job. Remove the dust from sanding with a tack cloth.

• 5

  Apply two layers of latex primer with a paintbrush, allowing each coat to dry for at least 2 hours.

New Hardware

• 6

  Take your old drawer pulls or knobs to a hardware or home improvement store. If they are all the same size, take only one, but note how many you will need to replace them all on the drawers.

• 7

  Compare the old drawer knob or pull to the available styles, making sure to select a new style of pull that is the same size as the old ones and has the same distance between screw holes. This will prevent you from having to fill the old holes and drill new ones.

• 8

  Install your new drawer knobs or pulls by holding them in place over the face of the drawers, with the screw holes matched up. Screw the bolts into the holes from the inside of the face of the drawers with your hands. Tighten them further with a screwdriver.

• 9

  Place the drawers back into the dresser or desk.