How To Paint Nightstands
If you’re looking to revamp your bedroom, you can start with your bedside tables. We’ll show you how to paint nightstands – updating them with a fresh color can make a huge difference in the overall look and feel of the space.
Plus, with these painted nightstands ideas, you’ll have plenty of inspiration to create beautiful and unique pieces that fit your personal style and home decor. From preparation to finishing touches, you’ll have stylish bedside tables in no time!
If you have a beautiful set of end tables that need a little life, this makeover is for you! Maybe they’re outdated now or just don’t match your style anymore, but it’s easy to turn them into something you actually love.
These cute little Dixie nightstands needed the same attention – they were orange, and we wanted to give them a fresh, new look. We’re also going for a trendy two tone look by keeping the top wood and making the rest white.
This project is great for beginners and experienced DIY-ers alike, plus you’ll save money by repurposing furniture you already have instead of buying new pieces. So, if you’re ready, let’s get started!
Supplies Used to Paint Nightstands
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also may earn from other qualifying purchases with other companies or get free product to review and use. All opinions are my own.
- Krud Kutter
- Bondo
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Citristrip
- Pre Taped Plastic
- Painter’s Tape
- Shop Vac
- Tack Cloth
- Clear Shellac
- Behr Pure White
- Calcium Carbonate Powder
- Paint Filter
- Paint Sprayer
- Minwax Dark Walnut Stain
- Waterbased Polyurethane
- Drill
- Crystal Knobs
Prep the Nightstands
Here’s what we did: First, we took off the old ornate hardware. Then, we cleaned the pieces using Krud Kutter and a damp rag to get rid of all the oils and dirt on them. We always do this step first so that when we sand, we’re not pushing grease and grime deeper into the wood.
After cleaning everything up, we filled the hardware holes with Bondo so we could swap out the bulky hardware for simple knobs. Once the Bondo dried in about an hour, we sanded it down until it was nice and flush with the surrounding wood.
Then, we gave everything else a quick scuff with 220 grit sandpaper. This helps the primer and paint stick better, giving us a longer lasting finish. We just took a small piece of sandpaper, folded it in half, and ran it over everything, including the details.
Remove Old Finish from Tops
We decided to stick with a stained finish for the tops, so we stripped the old orange finish off them. We got them down to bare wood with Citristrip. Here’s a more detailed guide on how to remove paint from wood furniture with this stripper.
Once we finished all the stripping, we gave the tops a light sanding to remove any more residue and get them ready for staining. Then, we cleaned off all of the dust by vacuuming with a shop vac and wiping down the remaining dust with a tack cloth.
We want a nice, smooth surface without any dust since that can make the new finish look rough. After that, we taped off the tops using pre taped plastic and painter’s tape to keep any paint from getting on them.
Then, we sprayed the bottoms of these pieces with two coats of clear shellac. It helps the paint stick better and seals in any stains in the wood, so you don’t have to worry about bleedthrough. Let it dry until the next day! Learn more about how to stop stains from coming through paint by priming here. Check out the best spray paint primer for wood options here, including shellac.
How to Paint Nightstands
We mixed up our homemade chalk paint recipe: Behr latex in Pure White, calcium carbonate powder, and water. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture. Then, we poured it through a filter into our Wagner Double Duty to avoid any clogs.
This sprayer isn’t available anymore, but a great alternative would be the Wagner FLEXiO 590. Here’s my Wagner FLEXiO 590 review for more about this tool.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
We also added in about 20% water to thin out the chalk paint so it would spray on smoother with less texture. Check out our guide on how to thin paint for a sprayer here.
Then, we applied about 3 to 4 coats on the bases, letting each one dry for about 30 minutes to an hour. White needs a lot more coats, whether you’re brushing or spraying, but the latter gets the job done way faster. Here’s a more detailed comparison of spray paint vs brush paint furniture to help you decide between the two methods.
Once the final coat dried, we used 220 grit sandpaper to lightly distress the finish by hand. We just rubbed it all over, focusing a bit more on the details and edges to let a little wood show through. We cleaned off the dust with our shop vac and tack cloth again.
Stain the Tops
We took off the painter’s tape and plastic from the tops, then we used Minwax oil based wood stain in Dark Walnut, but for some reason, it didn’t turn out as dark as I was hoping. The wood veneer just didn’t absorb it very well.
I probably should’ve done another coat or two, but I was feeling impatient, so I just went with the one. Then, we let it sit for 48 hours until the oil based stain was completely dry before adding the waterbased topcoat. Oil based topcoats can leave a yellowish tint, so they’re not the best option for white or lighter finishes.
Topcoat Paint and Stain
Letting the tops dry for 48 hours makes it possible to use the waterbased topcoat over oil based stain. We sealed everything with 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane to protect the finish and make it easier to clean. Check out the best polyurethane for furniture options here, and learn all about sealing painted furniture here.
With the pieces dry for a day, we drilled new holes in the center of the drawers and added some new crystal knobs. Here’s our guide on how to drill new hardware holes, and you can get more tips on how to change hardware on a dresser here.
And look at how cute they look now! This set would definitely add style and charm to your bedroom. Check out these painted bedroom furniture ideas for similar makeovers you can do!
More Before and After Makeovers
See All >
Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.
How To Paint Nightstands
We'll show you how to paint nightstands from preparation to finishing touches, so you'll have stylish bedside tables in no time!
Materials
Tools
Instructions
- Remove the old hardware, then clean the nightstands with Krud Kutter and a damp rag to get rid of all the oils and dirt on them.
- Fill the hardware holes with Bondo. Once it dries after an hour, sand it down until it's nice and flush with the surrounding wood.
- Scuff sand the nightstands with 220 grit sandpaper. Take a small piece of sandpaper, fold it in half, and run it over everything, including the details.
- Remove the old finish from the tops with Citristrip. After stripping, sand them lightly to remove any more residue and get them ready for staining.
- Clean off all of the dust from sanding by vacuuming with a shop vac and wiping down the remaining dust with a tack cloth.
- Tape off the tops using pre taped plastic and painter's tape to keep any coating from getting on them.
- Spray the bottoms of these nightstands with two coats of clear shellac. Let it dry until the next day.
- Mix Behr latex in Pure White, calcium carbonate powder, and water to make homemade chalk paint. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Pour the mixture through a filter into your paint sprayer to avoid any clogs. Add in about 20% water to thin out the chalk paint so it will spray on smoother with less texture.
- Paint the bases with about 3 to 4 coats, letting each one dry for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Once the final coat dries, lightly distress the paint by hand with 220 grit sandpaper. Rub it all over, focusing a bit more on the edges and corners for a more rustic look. Clean off the dust with shop vac and tack cloth.
- Remove the painter's tape and the plastic from the tops. Apply one or two coats of Minwax oil based wood stain in Dark Walnut. Let the stain sit and dry for 48 hours.
- Seal everything with 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane to protect the finish and make it easier to clean. Let the nightstands dry for a day.
- Drill new holes in the center of the drawers and add your new hardware.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
More Painted Furniture Makeovers
- Vintage Nightstands Makeover
- DIY Blue Painted Nightstands
- DIY Boho Nightstands
- Painted Bedroom Furniture Ideas
- DIY White Dresser Makeover
Follow us on YouTube to get more tips for painting furniture. Or share your project with us on our Facebook Group and be part of our community. See you there!