My Adventures with Spray Paint, or, Why People Buy New Furniture

My project this summer is refinishing my bedroom furniture. I have a chest of drawers and a dresser circa 1980 that have seen better days. The dark wood stain looks dated, and makes my room very dark and heavy. However, the bones of the furniture are still good, and really all they need is a fresh coat of paint and maybe new drawer pulls.

Therein lies this week's problem. Drawer pulls are cheap individually. But when you need 20 of the same pull, the price escalates quickly. So instead of buying new pulls, I decided to paint the originals.

Original brass drawer pull

I used Rust-oleum American Accents Metallic spray paint in Satin Nickel to paint over the original brass. I wasn't looking for a high-shine, but more of a brushed satin look. I got what I wanted, but not without my share of trials.

Learn from my mistakes.

Mistake One: DO NOT PAINT ON YOUR DRIVEWAY. You'll get all kinds of crap stuck in the paint.
Solution One: Hang the drawer brackets by their pull on a stick. That way you can spray all the way around the pull and not get clumps or lines. See picture.

Mistake Two: Holding the spray paint can close to the drawer pull makes the paint run. But how else are you supposed to hold a tiny drawer pull and spray at the same time?
Solution Two: Ingenious solution, courtesy of my mom. Take styrofoam plates or bowls and thread the screw through the top of the plate, then screw the pull onto it's screw. It will hang from the plate, that way you can spray paint around it. See picture.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed in how this project turned out. Don't misunderstand, the final product looks great, and I am pleased with the color of the drawer pulls. But the process itself was challenging and I was frustrated with myself on more than one occasion. I blame HGTV for making do-it-yourself projects look so damn easy. However, practice makes perfect.

And if I decide I hate the drawer pulls later, I'll paint over them.

Or make mom and dad buy me new ones :)

Coming soon: priming and painting the bedroom furniture... and the odyssey that will be.

Paintingly yours,
Nay