How to Spray Paint a Wood Dresser White

I've had the itch to paint this dresser that I got back in Virginia . And because it has some lovely detailing and nooks and grooves that would be harder to get with a brush, I opted for spray paint. I chose the rustoleum painter's touch in dark gray. (I bought at Home Depot, but I've seen this brand popping up at other stores too)

This is how I spray paint a dresser:

This one did not have a high gloss finish on it, so it was a great candidate for spray paint without a lot of sanding. If your piece has a really high gloss finish, you'll want to sand or use a liquid sandpaper/de-glosser.

Rustoleum painter's touch spray paint is my favorite brand (no affiliation with them) – it just seems to grip and cover really well (and has held up beautifully on this dresser) so I just sanded down some rough spots on the top and went to town with it. I don't prime with this spray paint either.

If you plan on spray painting more than one thing in your life, I highly, highly recommend investing in a spray paint respirator -- I have this one and is honestly one of the best diy investments I have ever made. Because the worst part of spray painting is the fumes! Even if you are doing something small like knobs or hinges, you don't want to be breathing them in. Save your brain cells and your lungs, trust me.

Another big secret to spray painting is to do light coats with long strokes, stop.

move down a little further:

Light coat, long stroke, stop. Shake the can, repeat.

See how they are not heavy, gloppy, dripping coats? Do as many light, thin coats as you need to get the coverage you want. For this project I did about 3 coats and used about 3.5 cans.

Now, here is where I am super smart (enter sarcasm) It had been beautiful weather, and I went out early on a Saturday morning to touch up and see where I had missed in the morning sun. It was below freezing and I didn't even think. I sprayed and this is what happened:

The dreaded spray paint crinkling!! Way too cold outside and it may have also had some dust on it from our super clean garage. Oh, Melissa. You just gave yourself another hour of work on this darn dresser! Basically the crinkling happens if the temperature is too hot or too cold, or your surface is not ready (previous coat of paint has not dried completely, it is not clean, etc.) If this happens, this is what I learned from my friend Kate at Centsational Girl. Wait 24 hrs for it to completely dry. Then sand down the crinkled part.

Then, you need to cover that sanded part with an oil primer, like this one

so it will grip the spray paint again.

Wait for it to dry and spray over it again (light coats)

And it will be ready for business in no time. And I need to confess that I just found some little crinkled parts I missed from my early morning escapade, but they are just going to be part of this dresser's character! I'm done.

It's still in the garage because we are moving into our house at the end of April, and I just really don't want to move it. I do love the gray with the aged brass handles, although I really thought the color would be a bit darker. It comes off blue in these pictures doesn't it? Where it will go in the new house is a good question as well.

I'm painting some other dressers too, I'll be sure to give you my thoughts on if I prefer brushing or spray-painting furniture like this. What about you? Are you a brush/roller furniture painter or do you prefer spray paint?

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Source: https://www.320sycamoreblog.com/2014/02/how-to-spray-paint-dresser.html

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