The Nighstands

I'll be honest.  Part of me doesn't like to share these things.  I realize thrifting and redoing old crappy furniture into beautiful pieces isn't a new thing and it's not a secret or anything, but I just keep thinking....the less people I tell, the more junk there is for me out there.


Yes...I am selfish like that.


Then there is the part of me that loves to help people and show everyone how to save time and money and how to have a beautiful home on a budget.


Luckily that's the side of me that is stronger.


Oh...not to mention the side of me that loves attention, and I always get lots of attention with these kind of posts...so yes...I will keep 'em coming.


Was that too honest?

These beauties I got from my mom.  I was so excited to start to work on them I almost forgot the before picture....

They aren't real wood or anything, and by no means am I the "pro" at this.  I'm just showing you how I did mine.


I hate sanding, so I did as little as possible...kinda just enough to rough them up a bit.

I would rather spend the money on a good primer and do it that way....which I did.


Ignore the messy garage...it's where I store my hoard and spray paint crap.

Aaaaand...I forgot to take pictures of painting them black.  I did 2 coats of primer, waited minimum 24 hours and then did as many black coats until I was happy....which I think is normally about 2 or 3.


After the first black coat, I did lightly lightly sand them, but didn't after any others.  I bought special furniture paint so I didn't put any clear protective coat over top...just the primer and paint.  They've held up pretty well and I did them back in September 2011.


Being the drama queen I am, I'm just going to tell you the drawers made me hate life.


My first plan was to stencil the inside in white and silver.  That did not look good.


Then I though...black and white.


That didn't look good either.


Then I went hunting for scrapbook paper since my stencilling skills were not ready to be used on furniture.


I found the perfect damask print which I mod podged onto the drawers.

Since the drawers are right up against each other when they are in the actual nighstand, I put them together to line up the print when modpodging them on and then cut the line across to separate them.

After piecing them all together to keep a steady pattern, I did a couple of coats of mod podge on top.

Spray painted the hardware....which I forgot to take a picture of.  I spray paint it with a primer first, then the paint.  Make sure you do a million little light coats instead of thick ones.  Trust me...it makes a huge difference.

Attach the hardware and voila!   A new nightstand!

Lisa?  Is that dust on the nightstand?


Why yes it is!  Thank you for pointing that out!

original bedroom makeover post here


This post is linked to:


Ginger Snap Crafts
DIY by Design
House Of Hepworths
Momnivore's Dilemma
Lovely Crafty Home
Chic On A Shoestring Decorating
Simply Designing
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest
Embracing Change
Young and Crafty
Tatertots and Jello
Sew Chatty
Under The Table And Dreaming
Craft-O-Maniac 
Hope Studios
Not Just A Housewife
Thrifty Decor Chick
Home Stories A2Z
Tip Junkie 
Chase The Star
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