Painting Furniture - My Latest Obsession

Before you notice, I'm going to admit that I get a bit obsessive about a project or a or a "thing" and I like to do it all the time, until I move on to my next interest.  Right now that thing is painting beautiful, old furniture. You've seen it.  It has lovely details and hardware, it's really heavy, and painting it white has been all the rage. Well I was late to the party so I'm having a great time now.

First, I finally got around to painting a chair I picked up at an estate sale in Long Beach more than two years ago.

Then I painted the frame and drawers of a sideboard and stained the top dark with a matte varnish finish to protect it.  I just love the contrast.

Before and after:

Now I've moved on to a dresser for my daughter.  I wanted to finish decorating her room around some bedding I made and the color scheme was quite trendy so I opted to for a Granny Smith green apple.  She is college age so she needs a contemporary feel to her vintage furnishings.

Here is a picture of the "before" dresser with a crackle finish on it. Yes, it is hideous, but admit it, the piece has good lines, details, and hardware.

My first step was to take off all the hardware and put it in a big ziplock bag then put it somewhere safe.

Next I sanded everywhere I could with a power sander. I have to do it everywhere because of the uneven crackle finish. On other items  I hit the bad spots with the power sander and the rest with sandpaper.  I used everything from 100 grit to 220 grit.  Lots of dust from this job so I covered up with a dust mask and safety glasses.  Hand sanding worked best in the corners and details of this dresser.  Since I want a fresh look, I made sure I had a nice finish.

After the dresser was all sanded, I primed it with a shellac based primer.

Remember if there is an issue that bothers you before you paint, it will be magnified when a sheen, glaze or wax goes on it.  A big scar may need to be embraced instead.  If the piece has a shabby chic look then don't sweat it.

Wipe down the piece with a damp cloth to remove dust. Another good option is to go over the finish again with a cloth dampened with paint thinner or a tack rag.

Then start to paint away.  Use a small roller with a 1/4" nap called a cabinet finish roller.  This is my new favorite tool.  For a beautifully smooth finish, this little baby is the best!  I used a latex paint with a low sheen finish.

My next painting project is a dresser for my master bedroom.  I love the beveled mirror.  The finish has a bit of wear and tear, but that doesn't matter since I'm going to paint it.  Should I keep the top stained?  Let me know what you think?