DIY Mid-Century Nightstand

Dylan Dauenhauer
by Dylan Dauenhauer
8 Materials
$70
4 Hours
Advanced
This nightstand has always been an obsession of mine. I see them all the time at stores and they cost over $400 or so! This is perfect for those on a tight budget and in need of the "mid-century vibe" feeling.
To begin you will need 2) half inches thick of MDF that is 4 by 6 feet long.
Make these exact cut markings onto the the first MDF. Next, it's time to cut them out. I’m using a circular saw, but really any kind of electric saw would work fine.
Now make the same marking from the diagram onto the second piece of MDF. And then just cut them out again.
Next for the drawer face, I’m using a half inch thick piece of oak wood. Then I just cut that out as well to 8 inches tall by 7 inches long.
Once all of the pieces are cut, take the MDF, and paint everyone white. I went and painted the tops on each one and then let them dry and painted the back along with the sides. If it's not perfect, it's okay since you can go over it again once it's all put together.
While you let those dry, start sanding down the oak wood with sand paper. Then I applied a Dark Walnut Danish Oil all over the wood. Then I covered it with two coats to make it extra dark. Also apply the wood stain to the four legs by using the same technique.
Now it's time to start putting everything together. I connected the two sides onto the bottom with 1 inch screws in each corner. But before I screwed them in, I made sure to pre-drill holes into the wood so it wouldn’t split. Then I screwed the backside piece into each side and also through through the bottom. And then I picked up the whole thing and moved it out of the way.
It's time to start on the drawer, so connect the bottom drawer to the side drawer pieces with screws. Then add the backside as well.
To attach the oak wood, I used these flat metal rings. And then I placed one on top of the the oak and MDF so it was in the middle of the two. Then I drilled two screws into each ring until the screws were holding the ring into place. Repeat this step in the three other corners, top and bottom. *This is to hide any visible screws from the face of the drawer*
Now flip the drawer onto its side. Take the drawer slider piece that hooks onto to the drawer and place it on the bottom and then drill it on. Repeat this to the other side.
Then measure 8.5 inches down from the box you made earlier. These are where the other parts of the drawers’ sliders will go. So then just mark them up with the line you just made and drill them into place.
Afterwards, drill a hole in the middle of the oak wood and place a knob through it.
Next, drill in the top piece of MDF. Then flip it over and screw in the metal plates for the legs in each corner.
And then lastly twist the legs into the plates and attach the drawer. After that, I just went over and re-painted all of the MDF white again for a second coat and then you’re all finished!
Suggested materials:
  • 2) 4 x 6 ft MDF (1/2 thick)   (Home Depot)
  • Oak Wood   (Home Depot)
  • White Paint   (Home Depot)
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  • Darlene Darlene on Feb 16, 2017
    Good job, Dylan! looks like you had fun making this too:)
  • Geri Geri on Mar 07, 2017

    Love the design, great job! Check out Kreg screws for joining drawer front to box ... very easy math, still no visible hardware, but may be more sturdy than the washers.

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