How do I sand down a dresser and repaint it?

Unless you are sure the paint does not contain any lead, then don't sand it as that airborne dust is dangerous to your health. If the dresser is pre 1978, it probably contains lead paint.

Sanding painted furniture down to the bare wood, depending on how many layers of paint is on the piece, can be a tedious job. Would you consider using paint stripper and a scraper instead?

But, if you must sand, begin using a course sandpaper, say 80 grit. Then use a finer sandpaper. Because you are repainting the dresser, there may be no need to get down to the bare wood. In any event, use a primer before you paint the dresser again.

You may elect to use a 4" roller to prevent brush marks.

You might want to first scrape it with a scraper to get any prominences. Then a vibrating sander. If you want to go down to the wood, a belt sander with caution. At any rate, get it down to a surface you feel is not going anywhere. Then prime it with primer, finely sand that and then the finish coats (two). The most critical thing is to prepare the surface to be perfect. Any dents or bumps will stick out like a sore thumb. You might need to use wood putty. I would use brush or else you would need many spray cans. remove all hardware.

If the surface is in good condition, sand gently to scuff the paint, and then apply new primer and paint.

go to Lowe's or HoDepot and find the paint department manager ... ask that person to help you and suggest the correct materials to do the correct refinishing on your dresser ..... AND .... use oil based enamel for a true lasting job ....

If the existing surface is intact with no peeling, chipping, etc then you might consider using Liquid Sandpaper instead.

Place the furniture in a well ventilated place and wipe the surfaces down following the instruction on the can. Then prime and paint.

I have used this method many times to refinish furniture.

probably do better to use paint/stain stripper before sanding. then your standard hand held 1/4 sheet sander will finish it up for staining, polyurethane or paint

Buy some sand paper and sane.

Buy some paint and paint.

Duh

How old is the dresser? If it was painted prior to the 70's, the existing paint may be lead based. You DON'T want to sand that at all!. Use a paint remover to soften the paint, then a scraper to remove it. After the paint is removed, use medium, then light steel wool to smooth everything.

Lead paint or not, if you're going to *repaint* this....as opposed to a stain or clear finish....you don't really need to remove the original paint. Just do a light sanding with fine grit paper to prep the surface for another coat of paint.

If you don't want to do it by hand, you can look up "sandblasting" places that will place it in a chamber and fire sand at it at high speeds which will also sand it off very nicely.