Nightstand Makeover

All Within the Home
by All Within the Home
5 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

This outdated $5 thrift store nightstand gets a makeover that makes it look so sweet!

I was lucky enough to collaborate with American Paint Company and try out their paint and wax. I had to find a furniture piece to paint ASAP. I went to my favorite thrift store and stumbled upon this cute little nightstand for only $5!! I loaded it up and went to work immediately.

I didn't even open up the paint can to see what color "Uncle Sam" was until after I bought this furniture piece and set it outside to start painting. It turns out it was white! I assumed it was going to be red but so glad it was white because I had purchased some project paper on clearance at Joann's Fabric that I was wanting to use.

Ok, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am an amateur painter. I only starting painting furniture maybe 6 months ago. I started out spray painting everything. Then I came across chalk paint and experimented with different brands and different techniques. Then, this American Paint Company comes in the mail and it is a Clay/Chalk/Mineral paint! It turned out to be a different texture than what I was accustom to. Plus, painting furniture white is very difficult no matter what brand you use.

To be honest, I was pretty frustrated with how this paint went on at first. It was super thick, did not go on as smooth as the chalk paint that I was use, and it was not as fast drying as the other paints I was use to. I tried watering down the paint, changing out my brush, and even trying different strokes.

I was not use to the paint going on so blotchy and uneven. Out of frustration, I ended up contacting American Paint Company and their customer service was EXCELLENT. They gave me some tips and advice and explained because it has Clay in it, the first coat does look like a young child painted it. They also advised keeping water near by to keep wetting down my brush as I brushed in long, even strokes. I waited for it to dry before applying the second coat. They were right - the second coat covered and it came out more even.

The product they sent me that I LOVED the most was the wax. Again, this was a different type of wax than what I was use to. I usually use the Valspar Sealing Wax but I love American Paint Company Wax's final finish. The Valspar Sealing wax is like painting on mayonnaise type texture wax that still leaves your wood piece looking matte. The Vintage Sealing Wax I used was like applying a Vaseline texture wax. I buffed it on with a lint free rag and once it was dry the finish was so smooth and silky and had more of a sheen. To me, the antique wax has more of a finished feel than the Valspar wax.

I used the project paper on the back since it was a thin piece of particle board that was not painting well so I decided to finally make use of the project paper I had in my stash and taking off the back and used spray adhesive to get it to lay smooth.


I ended up spray painting the original hardware with a brass spray paint I had in my cabinets. I did end up distressing the cabinet before I applied the vintage wax and it really made the wood tone pop.

I ended up using the project paper to line the sides of the drawers too.

The final product. This doesn't look like a $5 thrift store night stand anymore! Doesn't it look so sweet?! I just love how this turned out.

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  • Dpbeee2 Dpbeee2 on Nov 03, 2019
    You did a nice job and a very good tutorial too. Thank you.
  • Ida9464 Ida9464 on Nov 03, 2019
    Love this! The drawer touch sets it apart! Great for our environment as well to recycle and upcycle!
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