How to Faux Paint the Top of a Dresser With Silver Metallic Paint

An old dresser in need of a makeover takes a little lacquer and some sweat equity. Paint the top metallic silver, faux tarnish it, and replace the knobs with reproduction antique silver for an authentic-looking “heirloom” that doesn’t deplete your inheritance. Put the shiny, new storage piece in a foyer, in a dining room as a sideboard, or in the bedroom with a tarnished silver mirror and faux-silvered bedside lamps.

Painter's tape
Clean cloths
Sandpaper
Wood filler
Gray lacquer primer
Paintbrush
Silver metallic lacquer
Dark-brown paint
Semigloss transparent lacquer
High-gloss clear lacquer (optional)
Reproduction antique silver drawer knobs (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the dresser, remove the drawers, and apply painter's tape to the area you will not be painting.
- 2
  Sand the top of the dresser to help the new paint adhere. Sand thoroughly -- the painted surface should appear as smooth as metal when it is finished.
- 3
  Fill any cracks or gouges with wood filler, and let it dry. Sand the wood filler to a smooth finish.
- 4
  Paint the dresser top with a coat of gray lacquer primer. Let the primer dry completely. Apply the silver metallic lacquer. Apply a second coat of metallic lacquer if you are not satisfied with the coverage.
- 5
  Give the silver an “aged” look with faux tarnish. Mix 1 part dark-brown paint with 3 parts semigloss transparent lacquer. Paint this wash over the silver top, and then rub it off with a clean cloth, leaving “tarnished” areas to dry.
- 6
  Complete the dresser top with one or two coats of clear lacquer, letting each coat dry to a hard finish. Remove the painter's tape. Replace the old drawer pulls with reproduction silver knobs, and put the drawers back in the dresser.

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