Giving Your Furniture a Post-PCS Facelift

We’ve been settling into our new home over the last month, and I have personally been up to quite a few projects.

Many military families choose not to paint the interior of their homes due to the temporary nature of most assignments, but there is another easy way to use paint and update your space after a PCS!

We had several pieces of wood furniture which, after enduring three moves, had more than a few scratches and dents. It was time to face the facts—these pieces either had to go or they needed a major facelift.

We had three large bookcases, one small art chest, and an interesting piece we wanted to convert into a “coffee bar.”

All of this furniture had problems.

On the bookshelves, there were several areas where the laminate had cracked or peeled off in sections.

The blue art drawers were knicked and scratched on every surface. I wasn’t honestly sure how this would work with paint, but I figured I certainly couldn’t make it any worse.

Choosing paint colors is, of course, both the most difficult and the most fun part. At the home improvement store closest to my new home, I asked for guidance from the paint experts who suggested I try a paint and primer in one for this particular kind of undertaking, and stick with a low-gloss eggshell finish.

After selecting my colors, I picked up two paint edgers with six refills, a package of cheap foam brushes, a few sheets of fine sand paper, and a drop cloth.

From my research (AKA Pinterest), I deduced that the most important step in painting furniture is to sand it down well, then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Sanding gives the new paint something to grab on to, but you want to make sure you’ve wiped off all the specks of dust from the sanding as well or it will clump up in the paint and ruin everything. Or, you’ll have to sand it again.

Some people suggest using a for-real electric sander, but I sanded everything by hand. It seemed to work well for my purposes (and I’m afraid of power tools).

If any of your pieces have handles or hinges, be sure to remove those items before sanding and painting! Having the furniture in pieces also makes a nice way for multiple helpers to, uh…. “help.” Hopefully, without painting each other too much.

Each piece took two coats. However, a gallon did the three large bookcases, with some to spare! I also bought a quart of red and a quart of blue, all in eggshell enamel interior paint with primer in one. I found it easiest to use edgers on the flat surfaces instead of a roller because the rollers were too wide. Plus, I liked the nice straight smooth lines an edger makes! Then, I used the sponge brushes to get in all the corners, do the edges of the drawers and doors, and anything small or detailed.

The end result… Well, let’s just say the furniture has been given a new life that I expect will last a long time.

The coffee bar in Olympic Burning Bush. The hanging bars and hooks above it can be found at Ikea.

Our art chest in Behr Premium Navy Blue.

The book cases in Behr Premium Antique Tin.

And that, my friends, is that! Old furniture given a facelift and a new life courtesy of a couple coats of paint. I was able to complete these projects on my own, with the exception of needing my husband’s help to lift and move the large bookcases out to the garage and back and putting the hinges back on the red cupboard doors.

Look around your house and be inspired! Right after a PCS is the perfect time to undertake this kind of project, since we know our furniture won’t get roughed up on a moving truck for at least a couple years.

Is there anything in your home that could use a little makeover?