Nightstand Makeover Before & After

I just love it when we have a need for a piece and find something we can use that has a family history and costs us nothing more that the price of paint.  With all eyes on Cora’s room, we found the prefect opportunity when she needed a nightstand for her newly (in progress) big girl room makeover.

Sometimes you never know what parents have held onto, but I called my mother asking if there was anything she didn’t need that we could use as a nightstand for Cora’s room, she send me a photo of my own former nightstand.  It’s a nice piece from Ethan Allan in the 1980’s, but it was showing it’s age with a damaged finish and honey-toned stain.

Since it was a well-loved piece, I cleaned it with a soft cloth and mineral spirits before prepping for paint.

I drilled holes for some new hardware I picked up at Hobby Lobby & primed.  I used Rustoleum 2X paint for the main coats, but in my experience, that “paint + primer in one” is always a lie… nothing works as well as primer as primer, especially on a piece that’s had it’s share of Pledge showers.  After primer, I lightly sanded with a high grit sanding sponge (easy to hold & has corners to get into the detailed crevices) to smooth out any imperfections and sprayed 2-3 light coats in a fun color to brighten up Cora’s room.

After the main coats dried, I sprayed a protective clear coat on top.  It helps give spray painted pieces that finished look.

Cora wanted to use her favorite colors in her room:  purple & blue.  I went bright since the dominant lavender shades were getting a little bland and I wanted a bright pop of color for a fun little girl’s room.  The new hardware brings the butterfly motif back into another area of the room.

The doors got flower hardware to fit the motif as well.

We are ALL loving this beautiful new direction that Cora’s room is taking.  🙂