The New Dresser

So I finally finished our new dresser this week.  We were at Ikea a few weeks ago and saw this in the “As-Is” section for 45% off and couldn’t resist:

So after 4 years of marriage, we decided it was finally time to upgrade from plastic drawers to a real solid wood dresser.  With a little bit of sanding, painting, cursing, sanding, and painting again, this is the result:

I mentioned cursing.  A few lessons learned during this project: 

• Sand well so the paint sticks.  There were a few spots I missed that wanted to peel off at the slightest disturbance.
• Use a foam roller or Floetrol for a even finish.  My biggest challenge was that I used a brush to put on the first coat.  Since the paint was thick (paint+primer), it didn’t flatten out before it dried, leaving brush strokes, even with a brand new brush.  Using a foam roller or additive would have prevented this (or an oil-based paint, but they’re smelly).  I ended up sanding down the ridges and using the foam roller on top to get an even coat.
• Latex paint takes a long time to fully cure – up to 30 days.  Heat and/or air movement helps.  Sanding when it’s dry but not cured is no fun, and it gums up easily.