Dresser Redo

When I started to make plans for setting up Ella's nursery, I was set on painting her dresser (and Josh was gracious enough to humor me). I did a lot of research online and Pinterest, but was unsuccessful in finding direction for painting an IKEA dresser - so hopefully this helps others.

We painted a white dresser, but I believe this would work with any color.

The biggest issue I faced in redoing the dresser was the glossy paint that IKEA uses to finish their furniture. I couldn't get any paint to stick to the finished dresser front. I tried primers, sealants, and various different paint types. Ultimately, the only thing that worked was lightly sanding the dresser where we wanted to paint. I then added my painted design and used a sealant to get the glossy look back over the entire dresser. I ended up using Martha Stewart's paint line for the dresser.

Thanks to my Uncle Chuck, we were able to add a bright finishing touch to Ella's dresser. We used glass paint to add bright yellow glass drawer knobs - I think it makes the whole piece come together. Thanks Uncle Chuck! 

Note - when you do sand the front of your drawers, do so lightly.  You do not want to remove the color, so in my case - I brushed off the gloss, but the entire drawers remained white.

I suggest painting the drawer fronts before assembling the dresser, however, if you already have your dresser set up, you should still be able to complete your furniture revamp.