How to Redo a Vintage Dresser With Antique Paint

Vintage pieces of furniture can give your interiors a pleasant blast from the past. However, some vintage pieces can do the opposite; they can bring down a room if they look large, dark, clunky or simply outdated. However, you can easily fix that with a coat of antique paint. Antique paint refers to the strategic process of applying paint or glaze to make a piece of furniture look drastically more old-fashioned than it actually is. You don't need formal design training to achieve this simple effect.

All-purpose wood spray
Soft cloth
Screwdriver
220-grit sandpaper
Electric sander
2 Tack cloths
Oil-based primer
2 3-inch brushes
Oil-based paint in pastel
Oil-based paint in cream or white
100-grit sanding block

Instructions

- 1
  Spray the item with an all-purpose cleansing spray. Wipe it with a soft cloth. As it's drying, unscrew all hardware from the item.
- 2
  Press a piece of 220-grit sandpaper to the bottom of an electric sander. Run the sander across the surface area of the dresser, removing the old finish. Wipe the dresser with a tack cloth to remove sanding dust.
- 3
  Dip a 3-inch brush in the primer of your choice and cover the dresser with a light coat of primer. Allow it to dry for at least five hours. Cover the dresser with a coat of oil-based paint in the pastel shade of your choice, such as lemon yellow, mint green or periwinkle blue. Allow it to dry overnight.
- 4
  Dip a 3-inch paintbrush into a shade of cream or white. Cover the dresser with this color, applying a light coat. Allow it at least 12 hours to dry.
- 5
  Run a 100-grit sanding block over the dresser in random spots, removing the top layer of paint and exposing the bottom layer from below. This will make the dresser look worn with age and give you a graceful combination of delicate colors. Focus on places like edges and corners to sand heavily, as well as the drawer fronts. Wipe the dresser down with a tack cloth when finished.
- 6
  Screw in antique-style dresser knobs and handles to give the dresser a finished, authentic look.

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