How to Paint Children's Bedroom Furniture

Remove any hardware on the furniture. Most handles and hinges are easy to remove with a screwdriver.

Sand wooden bedroom furniture with 220-grit sandpaper. Paint will adhere better if the furniture is freshly sanded. On a metal surface, sand only if you notice rust. Plastic surfaces are best left unsanded.

Wipe off sandpaper dust with a damp rag.

Apply painter's tape and plastic sheeting to any furniture cushions or other parts that you don't want painted.

Prime the surface, using a synthetic-bristle paintbrush. General-purpose primer is ideal for wood. Rust-inhibiting primer works well on metal, and bonding primer is best for plastics. Apply the primer in even, parallel lines, allowing a 50 percent overlap of each brush stroke. Wait for the primer to dry.

Paint the bedroom furniture with high-gloss latex paint. Use a foam brush, as high-gloss finishes show bristly brush marks. Paint in parallel lines, with a 50 percent overlap between strokes.

Apply stencils to the bedroom furniture, using painter's tape after the base coat dries for a full 24 hours. Stencils make it easy to add colorful shapes and fun pictures to children's furniture.

Fill in the stencils, using high-gloss latex paint and a foam brush.

Remove the stencils and painter's tape after the paint has dried for 24 hours. Reattach the hardware and begin using your fun, freshly colored children's furniture.