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
