are a couple things you should do to help ensure your paint sticks well. A lot of people (including the other HT members who have commented before me) will insist it is absolutely necessary for you to sand furniture before painting but I'm going to tell you from personal experience I have found that is not true if the furniture's existing finish is smooth and in pretty good shape. Even if the finish is shiny, it is not necessary to sand. I am not a professional but I have painted probably no less than 30 pieces of furniture in the past 6 years for my previous and current homes and I only sanded ONE of those pieces before I painted it. (The finish on that piece was all bubbly and rough.)

I absolutely hate sanding so before I ever painted my first piece of furniture, I did quite a bit of internet research and found a way to get excellent, long-lasting results with NO sanding. The substitute for sanding is a product called "liquid sandpaper" or "deglosser." You can find it in any hardware store. I personally like Klean Strip Sander-Deglosser. When you wipe your furniture down with it, it cleans off any dirt and old grunge but more importantly, it leaves some "tooth" for your primer to grip to.

After using the liquid sandpaper, I apply a good quality primer. I do highly recommend not skipping the priming step. (A quart of primer should be more than enough to do this dresser and the twin bed--you'll be applying only 1 or 2 thin coats.) Whether you elect to sand your furniture first, or skip the sanding and use de-glosser, priming helps the paint adhere and helps fill in any little imperfections in the surface to provide a nice base for your final paint finish. (Much like using a base coat before you apply nail polish helps your polish stick and go on smoother and more even.) Primer will also help cover up those designs on the drawers so you won't have to use as much paint to get good coverage. My primer of choice use to be the Zinsser Bullseye 123 but a couple years ago I tried the Valspar Multi-purpose Latex Primer (in the blue can and sold at Lowes) and I like it even better than the Zinsser. It's tough as nails! After applying a couple thin coats of primer and letting it dry well, I apply several thin coats of interior latex paint in the color of my choice. A final coat of clear polyurethane is optional but since you plan to use the dresser for your toddler son, it might be advisable--at least on the dresser--for extra protection in case he decides to run his little cars or trucks across it.

Don't be intimidated. Painting furniture is not hard. If you take your time, apply thin coats, and allow your primer and paint to thoroughly dry between coats, you should get very good results. Good luck and happy painting!