HOW I REPAINTED AN OLD VANITY WITHOUT SANDING

The Vanity

About a year ago, I scored a whole set of furniture for free! A dresser, a bed frame, and the most exciting piece.. a vanity. Immediately, I got to work on the bed frame for my daughter. Since it was my first time painting furniture, I googled and asked friends for advice. I was told that when you sand furniture you get the best results and painting over the original furniture just wouldn't look right.

I got a sander and went to work. Well, what a pain this was. The bed had poles, which are obviously round and the sander was flat so it just wasn't working out for me. Even regular sand paper took didn't get the job done. This furniture was passed down a few generations and whatever they used back then was extremely thick and sanding it took FOREVER. Not to mention there was so much detailing and nooks that I couldn't get to. I couldn't believe what I got myself into. It took a week total to sand and paint. There was no way I was doing that to the other two pieces of furniture that had just as much detailing and a thick amount of paint to sand through. 

Finally, a year and some change later, I decided to re-do my vanity because I knew how beautiful I could make this piece. I knew there had to be a way around sanding and guess what, I found a way. All I needed was a good primer! I must admit I was afraid even with a primer that it wouldn't stick because of the fact that the original paint was thick and seemed to have a different type of coating on the top.  

Here's what I used: 

Zinsser Cover Stain Primer

Behr Satin Enamel Paint

Rust-oleum Polyurethane Spray

Foam Brushes (I found that last time the brushes left too many bristle marks)

(These products were used for the vanity, I used different products on the chair)

Be sure to remove all hardware and drawers before getting started.

All products worked out great. I applied light coats starting with the primer. I did about three coats waiting a half hour in between each coat. Then, I did 3 light coats of paint, waiting an hour in between each coat. I then finished off with the Polyurethane spray. 

I'm very happy with the results and I do not regret not sanding! I'll never sand again after my first experience. Anyone can do this. All you need is the right materials and a little bit of patience. I say a little because I don't have much patience and even I can do this! 

The Chair

To get started painting, I unscrewed the cushion off the chair and sprayed a primer on the chair. Yes, I used a spray instead of painting it by hand. Why? Because those little poles you see are a pain! I learned my lesson after doing my daughters bed. Also, you can't see it in the pictures but all of the groves in this set of furniture are a dark grey color which makes it harder to cover! Spraying the primer and the paint made the chair a piece of cake!

Isn't the fabric on the cushion pretty? Sike! The fabric was hideous so I went to Jo-Ann's fabric to get a pretty white and grey damask fabric. To remove the old fabric, I removed the staples with pliers and found the original piece of fabric still on it. I left that piece on and just covered it with my new piece of fabric. I bought a half of a yard. I recommend getting a little bit more than half of a yard just because half of a yard JUST cut it. That's of course you have the same size cushion as mine.

Center your fabric onto the cushion and using a staple gun from the fabric store, start stapling the edges. Tug on the fabric for a tight fit as you go around. If you find any staples hanging out, hammer them down. Wait until the furniture is done drying to put the cushion back on.