Update Furniture With Paint & Wallpaper

The Before

I have had this random piece of furniture for years. It really did not coordinate in any way with the rest of my MODERN FARMHOUSE LIVING ROOM. I kept it, however, because, as you can see in the pic above, it works beautifully to store games. I always thought I would redo it at some point, but never was quite sure which way I wanted to go with it.

I knew I wanted to paint it to lighten it up. And, I knew I wanted to cover the glass somehow, as it is pretty unsightly to be seeing all the random stacks of games inside. I don’t like the way it seems to add a cluttered look to the room. And, finally I knew I wanted to change the feet. The silver metal does not go with the rest of the room at all.

Let’s Get Started –

Materials –

• SANDPAPER – I used a 135 grit, but you don’t have to be too particular. You are just trying to rough up the surface a bit to help the primer adhere well.
• KILZ PRIMER – I have used Kilz for numerous furniture redo projects and have had very good results.
• PAINT BRUSH –
• PEEL N STICK WALLPAPER –
• LATEX ENAMEL PAINT – I used the color Alabaster from Sherwin-Williams. (You do not have to get Sherwin-Williams paint to get their colors.) I definitely recommend using a latex enamel paint for furniture. It gives a hard finish to give you, in my opinion, the best results. I personally do not recommend using chalk paint for a piece that will get used a lot. I only use chalk paint for craft projects.

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THE PROCESS:

For more detail on how to repaint furniture, you can check out my post showing how I redid this large piece:

1. Sanding

Lightly sand the entire piece of furniture. I took the piece outside to do the sanding. I recommend doing that whenever possible. You do not have to be too particular on the grit you use. The main thing you are trying to do is to rough up the surface a bit to help with the adhesion of the primer.

2. WIPE THE ENTIRE PIECE WITH A SLIGHTLY DAMP CLOTH TO REMOVE DUST.

3. REMOVE THE DOORS, HINGES, AND THE GLASS FROM THE DOORS.

I was lucky enough to have a helper for this step. My 4 year old son asked to help and it was fun giving him from practice using the tools and seeing his pride in finishing the job.

4. PRIME THE PIECE.

One coat of Kilz primer is what I use. Follow the recommended drying times on the label. I did the primer in the morning and did a first coat of the paint in the afternoon.

5. PAINT THE PIECE.

I do 2 coats of the enamel based latex paint. I did one in the afternoon and then the second coat the next morning. I used the color ALABASTER from Sherwin-Williams, but I used Behr paint.

Alabaster has been one of the most popular whites for several years. This is the first time I have used it for a project. It was a warmer white that I was expecting. Previously, I have used Sherwin-Williams DOVER WHITE, which is even a warmer white, on a few furniture projects for our home. Both are lovely. I would recommend checking samples of them in the lighting in the room you will be using them to see which has the tone you desire.

For more detail on HOW TO PAINT FURNITURE, see my post where I share how I redid this large painted piece of furniture. It was a fun project my Mother-in-Law helped me with that turned out beautifully!

6. ATTACH THE PEEL N STICK WALLPAPER.

This was very easy to do. It was my first time working with wallpaper on a piece of furniture. I love the idea of using the Peel N Stick because it is inexpensive and so easy to change if I get tired of the style I chose. I could easily paint over it, if I don’t want a design at some point or pick a different style of wallpaper.

Such a fun way to add an accent to a piece. I laid the glass on a table and just did a rough measurement for the size I needed to cover the glass. The main thing to keep in mind was to make sure my paper was lined up the direction I wanted and to keep it straight, since there is a geometrical design to this paper, it would be very noticeable if it was crooked.

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7. REASSEMBLE THE PIECE.

Reattach the glass panels into the doors. Then, attach the hinges and doors to the dresser.

8. CHANGE THE HARDWARE.

I switched out the handles for a matte bronze handle and love the update. This is such an easy update to do for furniture pieces or your kitchen cabinets. Check out some of my favorite drawer pulls & knobs you can get right from Amazon. (I may earn a small commission when you purchase an item through my links at no cost to you. This helps to support our website. We greatly appreciate you shopping our links.)

9. CHANGE THE FEET OF THE DRESSER.

This was one of my favorite things to do to change the look. I love the look of natural wood mixed with painted wood, so I decided to look for some wooden feet to replace the shiny metal ones that were on the dresser. I was excited to find exactly what I was looking for from Amazon and they were inexpensive. Shop them and all the items from this post on our RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS PAGE.

Closing Thoughts:

I am loving the updated look to the dresser. The fun design of the wallpaper adds a unique element of interest to the room. And, it hides all the stuff being stored inside, which makes a big difference to the overall look in the room.

If you want to give an accent to a piece of furniture you have that has glass, but you do not want to cover the glass, you can wallpaper the inside of the back of the dresser. That adds a fun, updated look to a tired piece of furniture.

PIN IT FOR LATER: