Two-Tone Nightstand Makeover

A few weekends back, Janimal and I visited a local yard sale. That’s when we came across this bad boy.

This wooden night stand before it's redone looks vintage and dated.
It was sitting out amongst a pile of discarded furniture, and this poor piece looked very sad and lonely. I gave the nightstand a good once-over…pulled out the drawer (smoothly slid right out), looked for any significant damage (nope, nothing too bad)…and decided it was potentially worth bringing home.
This old nightstand cost only $2.
It wasn’t until I found out the price ($2! Say what?!) that I knew this little guy was all mine! It didn’t matter that I didn’t actually have a need for a nightstand, or even a home for the nightstand. Nope, those were insignificant details when it came time to purchase.

I brought the little wooden nightstand home and quickly came up with a gameplan for this makeover. For the past few months, I’ve been salivating over two-tone combos. Bright white paired with deep wood tones…the perfect match in my playbook. 

Luckily, I had everything I needed on hand (my DIY arsenal is building) and I got to work immediately.

The first step in renovating this nightstand is sanding it down.

First up, sanding this beauty down. I used my favorite palm sander to give the entire piece a good once over. Once it was smooth, I washed away the dust, dirt, and grime with a soap and water combo and let the entire piece dry overnight.

Use a roller to apply primer on every surface of the nightstand.

Next, I got to priming. I used a small roller and my favorite Zinsser Bullseye primer to give the entire piece a nice light coat. I used a brush to cover all of the small cracks and details.

Use Minwax wood stain to finish the redone nightstand.

While that dried, I got to staining the drawer front. For this I used a Minwax stain and a soft cloth. I simply dipped the cloth in some stain, and gently rubbed it onto the front. After a few staining mishaps, this is now my go-to method. I can control the color better and there is never a sticky residue left on the surface of the wood. 

Use a homeright paint sprayer and to coat the nightstand.

After staining, it was back to the painting. To ensure a nice, even smooth finish I decided to use my fine finish sprayer (the one I used in my mailbox makeover.) 

Use semi-gloss paint to cover the nightstand.

I poured in this white paint (leftover from my entertainment center makeover) and got going. 3 light coats later and the bones of the nightstand were complete!

Use minwax wipe on poly to keep the renovated nightstand shiny and new.

The only thing left to do was to seal my stained drawer front with Minwax wipe-on poly. This protects the wood and keeps it looking shiny and fabulous.

Use a cloth to wipe down the nightstand.

I applied 3 coats with a soft cloth, and used steel wool to sand it down in between coats. Boom. My two-tone dresser was done over the course of a weekend.

This textured wall adds an interesting decor element to the space.

Casey

The Year of Casey

Hey there!

I’m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m married to Finn & mom to Rory and Ellis. Together we’re creating our dream home in Chicago, one DIY project at a time.