Nightstand Makeover (from old blog)

Here's a post that I'm transferring over from the old blog (Summer 2011):


So, I wished I would have taken a total "before" picture of my project for you, before I started, but I didn't, so we'll just have to work with what I have! I got this sturdy, little, all-wood, three-drawer night stand at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago for $3.00.

Nothing wrong with its functionality, but a dog or something had chewed the corners a bit. So, me and my thrifty self thought I could repurpose into a night stand for Justin's side of the bed. We don't have nightstands in our room because Justin's going to build them one day. But seeing as how he's been working 15+ hour days for over the last month, I'm not sure when he'll be able to. So, this will work for now!

Here's what I did....I took the drawers out and removed all the hardware and removed the the legs. I used 220 grit sandpaper (actually a little sanding block - $3.00 at Home Depot) and lightly sanded the whole thing down.

I used some cheap spackling we already had in the garage and filled the corners that were chewed and smoothed them out a bit. Then, using some FREE paint that was used on one of the bedrooms in the house we are buying and left behind in the storage shed, I painted a white coat of paint on everything. If I was purchasing paint, I probably would have used a brighter white, but I like the way this one ended up looking.

I let that dry for an hour or so and then added a second coat, let that dry, and then added a third coat. Once that one was dry, I used the same sandpaper (220 grit) and sanded the edges and some of the surface to give it a weathered, rustic look.

Of course, Gauge was outside 'helping' me this afternoon. Here's a quick shot of him. He's a little wet, as he has been sneaking over to the neighbor's yard and playing in their sprinkler.

As I was working this little guy showed up for a visit. I am pretty sure it was the tiniest baby squirrel I've ever seen. He was so cute, but I was afraid he would bite. I don't think he was supposed to be away from his mommy yet, because he could barely walk. So, my neighbor friend and I got him to go into a 5-gallon bucket and gently placed him in a wooded lot near our houses....we hope his mom was there waiting to rescue him.

So, back to my nightstand...basically, I just put it all back together and here's the finished project. Pretty good for a $3.00 project, if I do say so myself!