DIY: Freebie Nightstand Refreshers

These are two nightstand refreshers that Dave and I completed. Both were freebies, proving yet again that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I’m kicking myself for not taking a before photo of this project, but I spotted this table at a neighbor’s yard sale. I liked the circular shape. When I initially saw it, I envisioned it in a deep purple color at the end of a hallway with a vase of bright yellow flowers sitting on top. But, we were broke, and I needed to stick with supplies I had on hand. Dave suggested a more neutral paint color. While I tend to prefer bolder looks for smaller pieces, he was right on. In order to get the metal feet back to their original look, we took the advice of my cousin Tom and used vinegar. Dave had a spare brass knob that we also wiped down with vinegar. The brass really popped against the neutral greige color of the table.

The best thing about this project was how easy and inexpensive it was. Because we got the table for free and used only materials we had on hand, we were able to get a pretty sweet nightstand for free. And, the labor wasn’t bad. We sanded the piece and leveled it out (it was a little wobbly), painted it, and changed the knob. All in all, it was a major win.

My husband Dave found this table on the side of the road. He wasn’t sure we could do anything with it, but it was in decent condition, and he didn’t want to see it go to waste. The ornate metal legs immediately made me think girly. I could not think of a place for it in our house, but I remembered my sister in law talking about rearranging and redecorating her girls’ room to fit with their new home. Since the youngest, Alaina, who just happens to be Dave’s goddaughter, had a birthday coming up, we decided to scrape it down, paint it, and gift it to her.

First, we used spray cleaner and a scraper to remove the collage of pictures that were glued to the top. We also scraped off the adhesive felt pads on the bottom of the table’s feet because they were no longer level. We took off the knob and the metal legs. Dave spray painted the legs a bright pink color that I had leftover from a folding chair refresh. The original knob was really dated, but Dave had a simple, round, wooden knob that we also painted pink to match the legs. We sanded the table top and drawer and painted them white, which contrasted nicely with the bright pink. Overall, it was a thoughtful, homemade gift, and the best part is that it literally cost us nothing.