I have been looking for a credenza to house the flat screen T.V. that we didn't yet own for a long time. Travis texted me a picture of this nasty old thing that he found at D.I. In the picture he texted me it looked like real wood. When he got it home I realized it wasn't. It was a veneer, and a pretty crappy one at that. There were many times throughout this process that I cursed myself for even trying to refinish something that should have been in the dump. But I had a vision and couldn't stop. Now I am happy I tried because I am pleased with the outcome and now I know that if I can make a piece of junk functional that I am excited to try on some real wood.
I followed a few different tutorials online. Basically Travis lightly sanded the veneer. Just enough to take off the shine.
Then we primed the entire outside. We didn't even bother with the inside, because, frankly, this credenza isn't going to last long.
Then I painted a couple coats of Behr Ultra with Primer. The color is Behr Darkest Grape. We used the finish that is in between Semi-gloss and Flat. What is that? Satin?
These pictures DO NOT do it justice. This is looking almost dark lavender. The piece, while certainly purple, is deeper than this.