The nightstand (the original Freecycle piece!)
This is actually the piece of furniture that got me started on my painting spree. I picked it up from a freecycler, sight unseen, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was solid wood (except for the top, which is a sort of formica...or something like that!).
I was unsure of how well it would take paint, but I sanded the whole thing down and gave it a try.
Here's what it looked like when I got it.
And here it is after some paint, and some hardware modification.
I think this is still my most favorite piece of furniture that I've gotten from freecycle...I just love the lines of it. It's not fancy and overdone, but it's not plain and boring either.
The only thing is, I wish I had one more like it. If I did, I'd SO be putting them in my bedroom and getting rid of my particle board nightstands!
I would settle for something that was just similar (I think as long as they were both black with silver hardware, it could work), but nothing has come down the Freecycle pike recently. I can be patient, though. 😉
Edit: This is the method I use to paint my furniture.
Edit the second: I didn't find a match to this piece, but I did find a set of nightstands from Goodwill to go in my bedroom.
And I painted them black because of course. 😉
So, this piece now resides in my living room as a side table.
Update, the third: now that I moved out of my marital home and am in a rental home, this little table is in my new living room.
What a wonderful job you did! You've inspired me to sand down my old dresser and get to work on a winter project. Thanks!
You did an amazing job with that table. I had to show my hubby and he said you did a great job also.
What a transformation. You did a great job. It looks perfect in that hall where you have it.
Love it...this has always been my passion...recycling furniture! Everything in my house came from somewhere other then a store new.
Thanks, everyone! Jill, you should post some pictures of your recycled furniture. 🙂
That is an awesome transformation! It looks like something you paid really big bucks for 🙂
This is great! I have an old dresser I have been meaning to get to. Beautiful job! Thanks for visiting my blog!
I love it. You did a great job! I have a antique buffet that is almost the same color and style. I would like to paint it too. What color and type of paint did you use?
Angie and Inspired Living
WOW! How about a step-by-step tutorial for those of us who have no clue how to go about painting furniture? 🙂
Liz, I've been meaning to do that...except, I don't have any old furniture to paint at the moment, so I can't take any tutorial pictures! lol I could do a text-only tutorial, I guess. Or maybe I will score another item on freecycle soon. 🙂
Angie, I use Painter's Touch semi-gloss black, which is sold in small cans at Home Depot, near the spray paint. Before I brush that on, I prime the wood with gray Painter's Touch spray primer.
How beautiful!!!! Do you sand the furniture down before hand, or do you use a chemical to strip it?? Or do you just prime it and paint!?
FG, I sand it down with an orbital sander. I really need to do a post on this given the rate at which people are asking these kinds of questions!! lol
veneer....I think that's what the top layer of wood is called. You did a beautiful job.
Well, I know that when a thin layer of WOOD is on top, it's called a veneer. This particular piece of furniture had a layer of a formica-like substance on the top, though...definitely not wood! lol Maybe it's called a formica veneer?
I am planning to paint two low wood dressers. Other painters I've read said to use oil base paint for a lasting and superior finish. I see you used Rust-Oleum Painters Touch on your pieces, which are beautiful by the way. I am wondering how well they have stood up to nicks and chips?!!
I have been looking at pieces you painted from your Sept 2008 site. I would appreciate any comments as to paint used in the past and wonder if you have changed your preferences for paints to use on projects like this.
Thanks, sandy
Beautiful!
Frugal Girl,
I have a question for you. I am about to refinish an entire bedroom set (solid wood that I bought for $180). How do you go from having two-holed hardware to hardware with just one hole? Do you use wood filler? I couldn't find that anywhere in your module.
LOVE this!! Your work is so so inspiring! I've recently become slightly obsessed with scouring craigslist, garage sales /estate sales, and Goodwills for cute little vintage pieces of furniture. I have never painted or re-furbished anything, but your work is giving me a LOT of inspiration to do so..thank you! 🙂
Wow, I swear to you, I have the EXACT same side table! It was my mother's from when she was a teenager. She has the matching bed (which was mine growing up) and the side tables and the matching dresser (which I am using now along with this side table). I have long thought that it would look wonderful with a repainting job in black but was unsure of how to do it. Thanks so much!
Does your furniture happen to be Finch's Fine Furniture?! I have a desk that looks JUST like this side table in the original post, its an antique, and have been trying to find it's matches everywhere! In the desk, if I open the drawer and look on the side, it has a small gold thing that says "Finch Fine Furniture". I took the drawer to a furniture store and the guy told me it was very good quality and they don't make furniture that nice anymore. I must know if it has matching pieces somewhere out there!! Haha.
Thanks for posting the tutorial. I have never tried painting furniture....always been a little scared of it, but your directions are great and I'm going to attempt it when I find that right little piece for our Florida home. I must say that when I looked at the black nightstand you got from freecycle, I quickly recognized that that nightstand matches an antique bureau I have in Florida. Your upcycle looks terrific!!!
We just spray painted a coffee table with Rustoleum semi-gloss and it was SUPER glossy. I noticed you used semi-gloss in the brush on paint but your furniture pieces don't look very glossy at all. Are they, and the gloss just isn't showing in the photos? We are wanting to paint a headboard/footboard soon and now I'm not sure which sheen to buy. Thanks for any help!
p.s. I love love love your pieces! That dresser w/mirror & this little night stand are SO great!
Hmm. Maybe the difference is that you use spray paint? I use the Rustoleum brush-on paint, and it's not terribly shiny.
Wow you did such a great job. What an inspiration. I too have a night stand I am wanting to paint just like you did here. My question is what kind of paint do you use? Also once you take off the handle on the drawer is there and indent from it? If so how do you make is smooth with the rest of the drawer?
I just filled them with spackle or wood filler, sanded the holes down, and then painted over them.
Check out my how to paint wooden furniture post for complete directions. 🙂
I come from a long line of antique collectors and I am just getting into the whole painting thing, so it has taken some adjustment. But this table above matches my BEAUTIFUL, antique desk. And I admit I did groan a little when I saw the transformation 🙂 But to be fair you did warn me...
I have cherry wood furniture in my room. (Not real cherry wood ,I'm sure) I want to bring the rocking chair into my room that I used to rock my child in. Its a light beige wood. Would I also have to sand that down? and what color would be like cherry wood?
Gorgeous! I love the table.
I've been doing things the hard way, painting with a brush,and sanding everything. Primer too, so it's so smooth! Useing only white primer.I'll post this little table when I'm done.Useing a flat paint then waxing.
What the story on stencils,they add so much charm. Do people free hand?
Your stuff is awesome. Helped me alot. Thanks!
You are so talented!!! All your furniture looks so awesome.
You are crazy awesome! Pardon my French. You have showed me exactly what I am looking to do to this dresser drawer I just bought from a moving couple. I can't wait to start. Thank you
Thank you for sharing your experiences !was nervousness before but now can't wait to get started! Thank you 🙂
very beautiful indeed. looks so different from the previous one. keep it up
hey - in addition to appreciating your tips -- I just wanted to post on the off-chance that you have not to date found an identical night-stand to your original freecycled one. I have one in storage -- great shape but definitely needing a restoration application. Shout if interested...
Oh, that's so lovely of you to offer! But I ended up not using this as a nightstand, so I don't actually need a matching one now.
Hi Brad,
I may be interested! I have the desk that matches this and can't find any matching pieces! How much and do you have any photos?
Years ago a friend dreamed of a wonderful mudroom for kids. Found 4 mismatched antique chairs, seats same height. Sanded, painted, used .79 cent linen remnant to recover seats. Rain boots go under, old fashioned well stocked wooden shoeshine box underneath also. Vintage wooden rack with pegs and shelf high above repainted holds sweaters, umbrellas etc....it was found at a dump. So...she never got her dream mudroom...this was a cheap quick fix and the kids are grown now!!!! Paint less than $5.00 and cloth .79 cents. Two chairs were $3.00 each, 2 were dumpster finds. Rack was free. Elbow grease: free
Aww, that's so great!
Hello! Just stumbled across your blog and made my way from screen time to composting to painting furniture... All great info, so first of all, thank you! And now I have a question: Did you sand the formica-like top on this small table? How much? I have something similar (wood legs but formica-like top) that I have been saving to paint, but just wasn't sure how paint would work on the top. Also, what about sanding in any decorative carving areas (the legs of my table have vertical grooves) - do you sand or just clean and use primer there? I would really appreciate any info you can provide.
P.S. - your small table looks SO much like some furniture that my Nana had, so that made me smile. 🙂
Yep, I sure did! I just sanded it enough to take off the sheen, then primed and painted.
With the crevices and decorative stuff, I try to use a piece of sandpaper to get the sheen off, but it's kind of impossible to do very well! I just do the best I can and then prime and paint. Those areas won't get a lot of use and abuse, so they usually hold up ok even without tons of sanding.