Scintillating Simplicity

I found this $20 steal awhile back. I happened across it on Craigslist and negotiated the price down a whole $5! But here’s a little secret: I despise birch, and I think it looks especially cheap on Ikea-style furniture (sorry to any die-hard birch supporters out there!). When I bought it, I asked the man if he thought I could paint it and he said probably not (supposedly laminate is hard to paint). But I was determined to rid my apartment forever of this dismal color, so I began on an unwavering path toward furniture salvation.

Step 1) Hit up Sherwin Williams for advice (or just read this post)

Step 2) Purchase a sanding sponge and paint brush (several dollars each at Target), oil-based primer, and a quart of paint (fun fact: paint stores can color match using a special camera, so I took in one of the off-white shelves as a comparison)

Step 3) Set up something to catch paint (I used garbage bags that I had used as garment bags during my move)

Step 4) Sand the sides you plan to paint

Step 5) Spray on two layers of primer, waiting at least 2 hours between each coating

Step 6) Paint two or three layers, waiting at least 1 hour between each coating

Step 7) Admire your handiwork (most enjoyable while staring at it and sipping a Bud Light)

Remember to wash your paintbrush between use. I forgot to once and had dried flecks of paint everywhere.

And that is how I got from this:

ew

ick

To this: 

ooh

ahh

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