re-invented nightstands

I purchased these nightstands at a garage sale for $15 each. They were in dreadful shape needing repair and too many hours of sanding to count! I was inspired by this project and decided to try the finishing techniques out myself. I made the hardware myself out of angle aluminum and used the aluminum posts used to bind corporate booklets. Since I wanted to use the existing holes for the original hardware, the shorter nightstand has 2" pulls/handles and the taller has 4.5" pulls/handles. I really like how they turned out!

Estimated Time Investment

Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Finish Used

on the nightstands, I first painted 2 coats of KILN brand white primer, then did 3 coats of BEHR high-gloss white paint. On the drawers I used Minwax gray stain (LOVE LOVE LOVE this!), Minwax walnut stain, and a dry paintbrush technique where i painted on a VERY light coat wiping as much paint off of a dry brush as I could and then VERY lightly sanding to get some of the grain to show through. I then hand rubbed 3 coats of Tung Oil on all 3 drawers (even though the can said it wouldn't work on paint, it worked great and left a super soft, shiny surface!)

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner