painting the bookcase...

A few people have asked how I went about painting my 'very inexpensive' sewing room/office bookcases. These had been purchased at Target and assembled at home. (We needed something quick and cheap for homeschooling, and these worked out great.) They are MDF with some kind of woodgrain-look finish. As you can see, the backing is a sheet of cardboard...

I decided that I wanted to paint them for a new look, and add some beaded board plywood to the backs. I painted a small, similar-type cabinet several years ago, and that paint job has held up perfectly. This is what I did:

~sand surfaces lightly...I use a small electric palm sander, which makes the job much easier.

~wipe it all down with Klean Strip Easy Liquid Sander (this product can be used instead of sanding, but I do both to guarantee the paint will stick!)

~prime surfaces with Zinsser Bull's Eye 1.2.3 Interior/Exterior Water Base Primer

~paint with 2 coats of a satin or semi-gloss latex paint

Then I painted a piece of beaded board plywood that was cut to fit and attached it to the back...

On the window, is the Scandinavian blind -- yes, it's finally finished -- a project from Katrin Cargill's book Simple Soft Furnishings.