So, back in July I posted about a little nightstand that I’d painted white for Zoe’s room. I was pretty happy with how well it matched her dresser, but I just wasn’t a big fan of the scroll detail on the nightstand drawers since the dresser drawers are flat.
Well, I snagged a nightstand from freecycle(from the same freecycler that gave me this nightstand, actually!), and just like with the other nightstand, I picked it up sight unseen. I was hoping it was going to match the black nightstand, but once I saw it, I decided it really wasn’t going to work. It was far too short, and the style wasn’t nearly as classic.
I brought it home anyways, and after looking at it for a few days, it occurred to me that the top drawer looked an awful lot like the top drawer on Zoe’s dresser. And then I noticed that the bottom of it was very similar too!
Of course, the color is all wrong, it’s dirty, and the finish is in pretty bad shape in places, but the nightstand is mostly made of solid wood and wood veneer, so I should be able to do my spray paint/latex paint combo on it and make it match the dresser. I’m excited about this because I’ve gotten a lot of requests for a “How to paint furniture” tutorial, which I would like to do with pictures(naturally). Having not had anything to paint for a while, I haven’t been able to do the tutorial, but now I’m all set.
Unfortunately, it is way too cold here to go outside to do the sanding, and even if I were to brave the cold with my trusty sander, I couldn’t spray the primer on. The primer requires temperatures of at least 50 degrees in order to dry properly, and there’s nothing even close to 50 degrees in my 10 day forecast.
So for now the nightstand is residing in my crawlspace, waiting for warmer days. When there’s a decent break in the cold, though, I’ll get right on the sanding and painting, and this time I’ll document it all with pictures.
In case you’re wondering, Zoe’s current nightstand will go to a good home. I actually got a matching large long dresser along with it last summer, which I sanded, painted and gave to my sister-in-law for her birthday. So, I’ll just give her the matching nightstand, so then she’ll have a matched set, and Zoe will too.
Freecycle rocks. And so does paint.
Erin says
What kind of sander do you recommend? As you can imagine, I am VERY new to the idea of finishing furniture, but would love to learn!
Stacey says
Awesome! Freecycle makes me so happy! By the way, I HATE gold hardware too! I even got white gold wedding rings…
I can’t wait to replace all the gold hinges and doorknobs in my house.
Janeen– I’d highly recommend posting your furniture on FREECYCLE. (*wink wink*)
Janeen says
I too am very excited to see your tutorial on how to paint furniture! I have some nice furniture I should post on freecycle or craiglist. Hmmmmm
Jen says
I can’t wait for the tutorial! Your previous posts on this subject inspired me to refinish an old solid wood desk and a bookcase for our office. The only problem we’re starting to see now is some very light chipping of the paint on the desk’s surface. I’d love a tip on how to prevent this if you have one!
Kristen says
Actually, I’ll buy two drawer pulls, because I’m morally opposed to gold hardware. lol The brushed nickel kind I like are $.99 at Home Depot, so it will set me back a whole $2, which, like you said, is a very decent price for a wooden nightstand.
I think I might have two matching nickel drawer pulls floating around in the toolbox…I’ll have to look. If that’s the case, I won’t have to spend anything on hardware.
Battra92 says
The only problem is you have to buy a drawer pull. Oh well, a quick trip to the hardware store (or a trip to the cabinet hardware section when you buy the paint) is a small price to pay for “free” furniture.
I tried Freecycle but around here I couldn’t get anything. I did find that my old college’s intranet allowed me to give away a lot of my anime VHS tapes very easily.
Broke In America says
I agree, Freecycle rocks. I got an electric stove, a couple of love seats and an ottoman from there. I was also able to give away a bunch of my own stuff like a full size sofa sleeper, my kids’ old clothes, and an entertainment center.
Daisy says
Hooray!! I love a good find. I’m sure it is going to be beautiful.
Frugal Dreamer says
What a great find!!