Refinish/Paint Bedroom Set

I have recently acquired a bedroom set from one of my parents. The set is forest green in color but isn't painted, it appears to be wood laminate. The drawer fronts are real wood but the sides and front (between drawers) are laminate. I was wonderig if there is a way for me to refinish/paint this set without it looking too tacky. Any ideas?

Thanks,
baileygm

 

Bailey:

Whether it's tacky or not when you finish will be entirely up to your sense of esthetics - but the set can be painted.

The process is the same for both the laminate surfaces and wooden ones.

Sand thoroughly, using 120 grit paper. Your object is not to remove the old finish (obviously impossible sanding the laminate) but to rough it up enough for a new finish to adhere.

Wipe clean with damp rags and let dry.

Apply 2 coats of a good primer (BIN or KILZ), sanding after each dries to remove irregularities.

Apply the finish paint - your choice of both type (oil, latex, acrylic, etc.) and color of course. I would be so bold as to suggest you might want to consider two colors in order to accent the pieces and break up the monotony of a single look...drawer fronts a different color from the frame, for instance, but that's entirely up to you.