The RAST Dresser

My nephew is staying with us a couple nights a week and we wanted him to have a place for pajamas and his things.

Enter the RAST, the favorite amongst crafters for being a blank canvas for all sorts of design treatments.

The RAST in its original state.

After assembling the dresser, which went quickly and smoothly, we gave it a light, quick sanding with fine grit sandpaper.  We then gave its exterior surfaces a coat of Zinnser primer to lay the foundation for the paint.  I like to use a spray primer because it goes on evenly and there isn't any clean up with mineral spirits.  I did two coats of primer, with a light sanding in between.

I painted the dresser a very pale blue and painted the knobs in brushed nickel metallic spray paint.  When painting knobs and pulls, I like to poke the screws through a piece of cardboard and attach the knobs.  This way, the knobs stay straight up while painting.

I also made a stencil of a elongated star burst, just using clip art on the computer.  I carefully taped all the edges of the stencil and spray painted it with the metallic paint.  I plan on putting on a protective finish, but just haven't decided what yet.  The color is a custom Benjamin Moore that I added more blue to so I don't really know the color!  It also has Floetrol added to it to help even out brush strokes.

Finished dresser - I love the little red converse!