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    Home » Painted Furniture » How To Paint Old Vintage Plastic Furniture

    How To Paint Old Vintage Plastic Furniture

    This post may contain affiliate links

    You can paint old vintage plastic furniture....that ugly overly detailed stuff from the 1970's known as Mediterranean style. The furniture is mostly made of hard plastic and MDF but it can look great painted in a vibrant color. The bedroom furniture I painted for the granddaughter of a friend of mine is bold. The color is perfect for a teen girl. I hope she loves it as much as I do. Not that I'm patting myself on the back or anything.

    The granddaughter's name is Toni. Her grandmother is a sweet friend of mine and asked if I would paint these pieces. I never say no when I get a chance to paint something bright and colorful and girly.

    how to paint a plastic dresser from the 1970's

    Paint Old Vintage Plastic Furniture -Mediterranean Style Furniture

    The furniture style is over-the-top with swirls and curls. The dresser and headboard are beautiful now but they were sure a mess before the makeover.

    plastic headboard to paint

    The furniture is old style 1970's. The front panels are plastic and a bit over the top. The curves and curlicues on this bedroom set definitely look great painted if you use a feminine color. I actually like the plastic fake cane back inserts on the headboard. They look good painted and even better distressed. I've painted several sets of chairs with the faux cane backs and I love the look.

    how to paint a Mediterranean style furniture

    The dresser has feet similar to French Provincial furniture and French Provincial style drawer pulls but that's where the similarity ends.

    prepping furniture for painting Petticoat Junktion

    Both pieces had been sitting on the front porch of a house for a while. There were dust bunnies, and dirt dauber nests, and a few dead bugs, and other things I couldn't identify. I vacuumed both pieces then cleaned them with Simple Green. You guys have heard me talk about furniture prep. It's the hardest part of a furniture makeover. The actual painting is easy and takes no time at all. If you prep properly the final product will show it.

    how to paint fake wood furniture

    The front feet and the detailed fronts on the drawers are all plastic but the rest of the body is MDF....or fake wood. Where the MDF was a bit ragged I used a piece of sandpaper to very lightly knock down those puffed up edges. Then when it came time for paint I dabbed primer on the areas a bit at a time so the "wood" didn't get to wet. After that I was able to apply the paint to the legs without them puffing up again.

    ProBond Advanced project Petticoat Junktion

    The runner fell off of this drawer so I used a little  ProBond Advanced to glue it back on. No nails or screws needed. The Probond holds tight.

    Glidden Grey Gripper Primer before paint Petticoat Junktion

    I applied a coat of my favorite primer…Glidden Gripper tinted gray. I wasn't sure about the plastic and the slick finish so I thought it best to prime first. The primer also gives a solid colored base to work with.

    Spray painting furniture hardware white Petticoat Junktion

    The original hardware was all there, so that made my job a lot easier. It's hard to find replacement French Provincial style hardware. I first painted the pulls a dark antiqued bronze.

    spray paint furniture hardware white

    But I didn't care for that look and I spray painted them a second time using white-white spray paint.

    How to paint ugly Mediterranean style bedroom furniture

    How to paint ugly Mediterranean style bedroom furniture

    The paint is by  Behr and it's a paint and primer all in one,  color "frosted pomegranate". I applied three coats of the pomegranate. I find red colors often don't cover as well as neutral colors so you need more coats of paint.

    paint a plastic headboard

    I very lightly distressed the details and the cane on the pieces. The gray primer looks almost white under the reddish paint.

    painting plastic furniture

    See, you can paint plastic furniture. I usually pass up the Mediterranean style pieces but I won't do that again. The dresser looks like it was meant to be painted.

    how to paint plastic furniture

    how to paint plastic furniture

    As I mentioned there's not much real wood here. But it doesn’t have to be the best made furniture in the world to look nice! See what a little paint can do? What do you think?

    How To Paint Ugly Mediterranean Style FurniturePaint Old Vintage Plastic Furniture

    I have more girly projects here.....Coral Bedroom Furniture.... and ........Coral White Wash Furniture.

    You may have missed this gorgeous makeover in 2014 when it first appeared on Petticoat Junktion. The original photos have been re-edited and new ones added and the information updated. Hope you enjoyed it.

    Thanks for stopping by and have a great week,  Kathy

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marie

      February 05, 2020 at 10:01 pm

      Wow, what a difference paint made! LOVE the bold red, my favorite color! Pinned

      Reply
    2. Dorth

      February 04, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      Great job.

      Reply
    3. Rebecca Payne

      February 04, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      I love this and the color. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    4. Loei

      February 04, 2020 at 10:44 am

      This is beautiful Kathy. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Linda C Johnston

      February 04, 2020 at 10:04 am

      I would never have seen this in my mind's eye. It turned out magnificent! I learned a lot too so thank you so very much. Great post!

      Reply
    6. Becky Fischer

      February 04, 2020 at 8:01 am

      I love what you did and all the hard work you put to make this furniture look beautiful. Now I know what to do if I find this type of furniture what to do with it. Hugs

      Reply
    7. Bobby

      February 04, 2020 at 7:02 am

      That's very interesting what you say about red paint not covering as well and needing more coats. I am currently painting two old wooden chairs red which had previously been spray painted in blue with Plasticote. Despite rigorous prep and a good white primer I am having trouble with coverage and already on my third coat of red. I thought it was just me so I was very pleased to find out from you that it wasn't!

      Reply
    8. Jeannie Scott

      August 29, 2014 at 7:14 am

      Kathy,I want to say that you are my favorite blogger!!!!! Your pages are always so informative and helpful and I really appreciate that being new to painting!!!! I follow you via email and always open your email first because I know it is something useful. Thanks for always taking the time to explain your techniques, products and also for all your helpful tips!! Your hubby has been in my prayers...glad he is recovering well!! Hugs!!!!js

      Reply
    9. Jen

      July 16, 2014 at 10:53 am

      Wow! Wow! Wow!
      a Fabulous color!!
      Just stunning!

      Reply
    10. Sue

      July 09, 2014 at 10:50 am

      WOW!!! It took me aback somewhat but the color then grabbed me in a most positive way! I think I must find a "gotcha" color for my bedroom...right now it's kinda too serene. Thanks so much for post this!!

      Reply
    11. Andrea

      July 08, 2014 at 4:44 pm

      Love it!! The color is GREAT!

      Reply
    12. Kate

      July 08, 2014 at 2:12 pm

      This is so beautiful!! I love the color.
      Did you spray, brush or roll on this?
      I always like to know which technique you prefer.
      It's just awesome.

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        July 08, 2014 at 9:33 pm

        I brushed all of it but on the top of the dresser I rolled on the last coat of paint.

    13. Janet

      July 08, 2014 at 1:33 pm

      I luv this color....not for me, but it will be great for her room. Looks awesome. Sometimes when you see furniture pieces like this you need some creative thinking!

      Reply
    14. regina

      July 08, 2014 at 10:58 am

      I LIKE IT!!! Makes me wish I were the lucky young lady who is getting it!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        July 08, 2014 at 9:36 pm

        Thank you Regina!

    15. chris aka monkey

      July 08, 2014 at 10:10 am

      having slept in this am and on my 1st cup of coffee, when i saw it i said whoa, but waited a minute then went to look again and i really like it...i have seen furniture like this and it is usually so drab..you turned it into fab xx

      Reply
    16. Linda

      July 08, 2014 at 9:13 am

      One would never know it's the same cabinet. The color is, yes, a little rousingly shocking, but if the customer likes it and can live with it, more power to her. (If in a bedroom, might cause some sleepless nights. Ha)

      That gripper is such a great product.

      Reply
      • betty

        February 04, 2020 at 11:16 am

        Not taste but may be right for a teen or someone on the wild side. But, I always love your post and beautiful updates.

      • Betty

        February 04, 2020 at 11:17 am

        I meant not my taste

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