Expert: Eileen Cronk - 2/15/2010

Question
QUESTION: My daughter is getting her first apartment and plans on taking her bedroom suit from childhood into her new apartment.  Her bedroom suit is traditional"little girl" white and appears to have a lacquered finish (very smooth and shiny).  She would like to update the furniture to a black color.  I have no idea how to go about doing this and hoped you could advise.

Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Debbie
Nice to hear from you.
This will be a great project..and easy.
First remove all handles knobs etc.
Then lightly sand all surfaces to be painted with 120 grit paper. Just a light scuff is all thats necessary. Make sure all sanding dust is removed.
Get a roll of green painters tape and tape off any sections where there is the possibilty of getting paint on them. That will be any sections that currently do not have finish. A lot of folks omit this step and it shows in an unprofessional looking messy job. A few minutes on this step makes all the difference.
Then apply a coat of primer then two coats of your black paint.
My choice is waterbased primer and acrylic paint. I would use an eggshell finish for the black but your daughter may prefer the shiny look. Look at some samples in your paint store.
Get one of those small sponge rollers and trays for your black. Also get a good water based paint brush.
Don't use either for the primer. You can brush on the primer with any decent brush you may have on hand. But get a super good one for your final black coats as it makes all the difference.
Get a competant sales person to help with the correct brush.
You can do this Debbie.
Kind Regards
Eileen



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I should have asked this at the same time but didn't think about it until now.  What can I do to give that old gold harware an updated look (without buying new ones)?

Thanks again!

Answer
Hi again Debbie
Darn I was going to mention that last night.
Updating the hardware is easy.
Clean it well and spray paint it.
With the black paint you could go a pewter color, silver or black even grey might look good.
Turn the hardware over on a piece of cardboard. Spray the undersides. Let this dry.
Turn right side up and spray the tops. Easy.
Good Luck
Eileen