Everyone has their own ideas of how it HAS to be done, that's why you'll find lots of different steps! LOL

Over the years I have painted on quite a lot of surfaces. I have learned that you DO NOT have to strip wood furniture down to bare wood just to paint...so don't do that! LOL Some people will say that you have to sand a surface to get paint to stick...not so, it will stick no matter what. Primer does help out in the long run, though with keeping paint on the item. I have skipped out on primer a time or two, just because I didn't have it and nothing tragic happened, mostly because those pieces either do not get messed with much OR I knew they were going to be touched a lot, so I put a coat of some sort of sealer over top for added protection over time.

If you want paint help, that's tricky. What I think is a pretty creamy white may not be what you want! LOL (I have used SOFT WHITE from Wal-Mart's Color Place line (pre-mixed) for my kitchen cabinets and a few other pieces. But again, it's up to you). Do you have something at your house that you feel is the PEFECT color? You can get swatches and compare to that or take it with you.

I can't help with the glaze. The only thing I have done to distress pieces is to rub gel stain over the paint and wipe it off. I have heard of others using wax and others go regular old glaze.

I don't know if I helped any....hope I did. Good luck with your makeover :)

oh thanks sweets98! I was wondering if anyone was ever over on this section! ha
i'm so back and forth on painting it. i do like the wood it's just that i don't think it's going to look to swell with light oak cabinets across from it. Most people i know are telling me,"oh don't paint it! you'll regret it. blah blah" :) i'm just back and forth. And if i don't end up liking it. Ha well, i guess after some tears i'd be learning how to restain!
Anyhow, i didn't think to use gel stain. that almost sounds easier than all the other stuff i've been reading. I can't believe how different all these sites i'm finding are! They all say different stuff. Think i'm going to make a trip to lowes tomorrow and try to educate myself. Look around and ask questions.
Do you have any pics of your cabinets or anything else you painted with the soft white? I'll be at wal mart tomorrow also!
Thanks!

Hi, Many people think that painting wood is a crime. Not me. I'll paint anything. A lot of older wooden pieces just look dated and don't work anymore. Sanding the wood lightly is probably better than not. It's very easy, since you just have to rough it up slightly. Zinsser Bullseye primer is a good all around primer. It will also stop the old finish or color from bleeding through the new paint. That doesn't always happen, but when it does, you'll wish you started with good primer. Semi gloss or glossy paint works well on furniture. It shouldn't need any sealer. I redid this cabinet several years ago, and wouldn't normally pay $150 for a fixer upper cabinet, but this one had a big plus. It stuck out from the wall just 13 inches and fit in a tight spot in my kitchen. Some parts were removed to make it less stuck in it's time period. I changed the drawer pulls to simpler ones. The old finish did bleed through and that's when I discovered that the primer would block it.

If you have Habitat Restores near you, you can get mis-mixed paint for practically nothing, and sometimes absolutely nothing. Ours have large selections of good quality paints in just about any color or type. It might be from large job ends or a wrong order, or who knows where. HD and Lowes sometimes have good oops paint choices, for about 75% off regular price. Nothing is wrong with the paint. It's usually just mixed the wrong color. Don't forget, if it gets painted the 'wrong' color, it can easily be painted over with a different one. Linda