I'm painting my wooden dresser black -- any suggestions?

Question

I have a large solid wood dresser that I'd like to paint a glossy black color. Has anyone finished a project like this before?

First off, should I use a spray paint, or paint brushes? Which brands/kinds of paint do you suggest?

Secondly, how many coats should I apply (and how long should I let it dry)?

Thanks so much. :)

Answer 1

We did this recently. I wouldn’t spray it. It took about two coats with a roller/brush. Just make sure you sand it a big first to give the paint a surface it can stick to.

Answer 2

Yes, I recently did over a bookcase in black.  The main thing is to sand off any shiny finish on the wood.  Not down to bare wood, but get rid of all the shine.  You'll want to sand every surface you want to paint.

Benjamin Moore paint applied with a brush should give you a good finish.  I would imagine a quart would be enough.  If your local paint place can give you black primer to start with, start with that -- it will bond to the surface better than regular paint.  Then go with your gloss finish coat.  Just becareful with your brush, so you leave little to no brush marks.

Spray paint will require you to take it outside, and half of the paint will go into the air.

Answer 3

my advice...don't do it!

if you have a nice wooden dresser then refinish it if you want a change

if it is old and like cheap wood then yeah go ahead and paint it. i would use a spray paint that is meant for wood

Answer 4

I have never used spraypaint, but I do see them use it on a lot of DIY shows. I would ask the person at the paint department what they recommend, that's what I always do. I'd do two coats of paint, and I usually do one coat one day and one coat the next, but paint only takes a couple of hours or less to dry. And don't forget to sand first!

Answer 5

no spray please . not even primer.1st coat brushed on gray primer, 1 or 2 coats black as needed to cover.

Answer 6

i used black stain and it kept the integrity of the wood and looks great