I want to re-do, paint a lovely Stanley buffet/chest

Syl
by Syl
I have a real good Stanley chest/buffet that I want to use in my White living room, but, it needs to be White. Help me transform very inexpensively. Thx
  19 answers
  • Kay27246977 Kay27246977 on Mar 04, 2018

    sand it prime it paint it and seal it. Shouldn’t be too expensive. Try the site createforless.com

  • Maria D'Onofrio Ferguson Maria D'Onofrio Ferguson on Mar 05, 2018

    I would sand it, then spray paint it with rustoleum white or heirloom white, but don't paint the top (if it needs refinish, sand it smooth). Then sand the white on the edges and curves, just enough to let the wood peak through. Glaze with a quick wipe on wipe off glaze. Then finish with rustoleum clear coat including the top. Will give a great shabby sheet look that will transform the piece.

  • Holly Kinchlea-Brown Holly Kinchlea-Brown on Mar 05, 2018

    REmove the hardware, wash the piece with a degreasing so,ution (krudkutter or tsp) if using chalk paint, paint and seal the piece. If using any other type of paint, sand the piece, use a good primer before painting. Replace the hardware.

  • Castiron Castiron on Mar 05, 2018

    I love using Behr Marquee flat (matte) paint, it has primer and paint in it. It goes on more like a chalk paint. You may need two coats if you don't want any of the dark stain to come through. I did a large dresser that had dark stained wood, I didn't bother sanding it. If you have any flecks of stain coming off your piece, just sand those parts. If you end up painting the top just use a polyurethane protective coat. They have sample cans of the Marquee at Home Depot for under $4. If you do more than one coat you would probably need 3 of those or a quart size (just figure out what would be cheaper). Obviously remove the hardware before painting the drawers. I'm sure it will be beautifu!

  • Keith Keith on Mar 05, 2018

    OMG

    You want to PAINT that beautiful wood. Refinish - OK, but paint? NO

    • Jch28448817 Jch28448817 on Mar 05, 2018

      Absolutely don't ruin that beautiful wood with cheap chalk paint. It will destroy it, and likely you can never get it off. If you want something painted, sell or give that one away, and get a piece that needs to be painted rather than ruin a wonderful natural wood. My husband used to refinish furniture for people and after the fad of the 60s-70s of antiquing furniture, had a terrible time removing that paint after the fad passed.

  • R.lewis0309 R.lewis0309 on Mar 05, 2018

    I love Annie sloan Paint to redo my furniture with. It's a bit pricey (about $39.00 a can) but.... It's easy to use, you don't have to sand unless there is wax cleaner on it and then just give it a light sanding by hand to rough it up and seal it with their wax. It really is that easy. I just bought some more to do an Antique dresser that was my parents. I've tried other brands and will never do that again. Other brands in my opinion weren't the same quality and didn't go on smooth like the Annie Sloan. Before you start I would suggest just looking up a youtube on how to use the paint. Very Simple and fun to use. If you wanted to you can also go straight over the metal hardware on the piece. I redid a liquor cabinet with it because the piece was just too dark and wasn't my taste and.... I really did breath new life into the piece. Attached are before and after pics of the liquor cabinet I did with the Annie Sloan paint.


  • Judith Judith on Mar 05, 2018

    Guess I am the voice of the other side. If it is Stanley it is all wood and I would never just paint it. It should be refinished by a professional to do justice to the original piece. It would be a bit pricey but Stanley is well worth it. One cannot replace an all wood Stanley piece today without spending big bucks. I have a 35 year old Stanley bedroom suite and it looks as good as the day it was purchased. Cannot come close to equal quality today for the same price. All wood is rare in production these days. Change the color if you must but do it right so you will still have a quality piece. Good luck.

  • V Smith V Smith on Mar 05, 2018

    Just a thought but if you left it original your room would look more curated instead of matchy-matchy.

  • Car31620758 Car31620758 on Mar 05, 2018

    Hand painted furniture is awful and outdated. Once thrift stores have something in their inventory, the fad is over. Goodwill has painted furniture for very low price. Any flea market has booth after booth of chalk painted furniture as well as other techniques..It is definitely over kill. If you like your piece too much to pass it to someone who will appreciate it, then perhaps you realize painting it will most like cheapen the look.

  • Ginny Ginny on Mar 05, 2018

    Why does everyone want to paint beautiful, natural wood. I would like to strangle the person who started this fad. Natural wood - unless it is in horrible condition - should be left alone and restored to its original patina.

  • Sarah Muldoon Worthen Sarah Muldoon Worthen on Mar 06, 2018

    Why not replace the hardware with white enamel pieces, or some cool eclectic ones from Apostrophe...put a cute white linen on top. It's a beautiful piece. Would be a shame to paint it IMHO.

  • Glen Glen on Feb 04, 2024

    Just ran across this exact piece/great lines, really rich colour chestnut brown with a distressed finish by Stanley!

    Very Elegant,Traditional look-I love it as is and personally I wouldn't change a thing!

    I bought 3 pieces that they had and will thoroughly enjoy the Quality American Craftsmanship!!!

    Please check out what they do in the U.K. with furniture/rooms - I think they treasure the wood tones and maybe change the surrounding elements for a whole new look! Just as a note I went back to the same place to get the Stanley bed, not sure it's a match to the other pieces but so well made/headboard of bed is very heavy - I'm really interested to find out the style of these pieces-note to eveyone/do not overlook used furniture value-you'll pay a lot less for alot more!!

  • Deb K Deb K on Feb 06, 2024

    Hello Syl, hope this helps you. I love chalk paint for this!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLnPT4o4iCM

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Feb 07, 2024

    Sell this lovely Chest/Buffet and from the money, buy a white one!

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Feb 09, 2024

    Another vote for please do not paint this!

    You could clean and refinish, just as an idea I am throwing out there, take a look at Iron Orchid designs, they have many creative ideas for wood transfers, etc. Plus they give you support and instructions.

  • Dee Dee on Feb 10, 2024

    Clean, with a good cleaner degreaser. Then Sand, prime, sand again and paint.

  • Sanding, priming, and painting is the best way to do it so that the update will last.

  • Janice Janice on Feb 26, 2024

    Lots of good advice here about painting it white. Just know it's a LOT of work to do a really nice job. Personally, I agree with those saying to sell it and purchase a white piece you love. I've done some painting and realize I don't have the patience or skill level to do as good a job as some of the really good pieces deserve. Others have been impressed by a notice very little mistake in my work.