I'm Feeling Blue. . .

  

Holy Bajeeeebers. . .This post is wuh-ay overdue.  I've been talking about these projects that I've had in the works for what feels like forever.  Oh, you think this is the big bathroom reveal?  No sweetie, that one's not quite done yet.  Just a little while longer. . .please run down to your local big box store and purchase a small amount of patience.  And then throw some my way, cuz I could really use an extra dose of patience after how long that bathroom is taking me to finish.  It is certainly slow in coming along.  No, this post is about the nightstand that I was refinishing for Tyler's bedroom.  That project is the one we're talking about now.  That's what I've finally gotten finished. 

Above, is the sad little nightstand that I picked up from Goodwill several months ago.  I paid a whopping $10 for it and trust me when I tell you this squat little dude is HEAVY!  I think it's technically categorized as "crate style" furniture and it matches the style that the Little Man already has in his bedroom.  It just needed to be refinished to match the color.  So, after sitting in my garage and getting comfy for a few months, I decided to give it the makeover so that it could finally become a part of the family in Ty's room. 

In case there are any other aspiring nightstand re-doers out there, I remembered to take some step by step pictures along the way but not enough to be considered a tutorial by any means.  Therefore, I hope this post will help someone, but if you need more detailed instructions, I would suggest you check out Sherry & John's projects page over on their blog Young House Love (if you don't already read their blog, it is a MUST ADD to your blogroll!) as that's where I got most of the information that I used to finish this project.

First, I started off by removing the drawer hardware, removing the drawer, and giving the entire piece a nice wipe down with a wet rag.  You can even see in the picture above that some dust had moved in.  I had to give that dust and cobwebbies their eviction papers.   Time to move, Fellas. . .I've got some refinishing to do! 

 As you can see, the top of the piece had some dents, dings, and scratches.  So, in order to get a nice smooth surface that was going to take well to painting, I needed to sand down the entire piece focusing special attention on the top to try to level everything out.  Pay no attention to that screwdriver on top.  It had no part in this production and was simply stopping to take a rest on its way to another project.  Not sure how it snuck its way into the picture.  On top of that, I am now realizing that I got no pictures of the piece after I had sanded it all down.  Sorry about that!  Clearly, I was a little too excited to move onto the next step which was. . . .

Breaking out the primer and cute little foam roller.  Once everything was all sanded down and smooth, it was time to prep the surface with a good latex based primer.  The dude at Home Depot recommended this stuff

Glidden GRIPPER in grey (HD guy said that since I was painting the nightstand a dark blue, the primer would do better if tinted so as not to show through the paint as white).  To apply the primer, I picked up this little Touch UP & Trim Kit which I think cost me about $2.00 total.  It came with the roller and a very convenient little tray.  The size of this roller was perfect for the little nooks and crannies in the nighstand.  A little bit small for the larger surfaces (like the top, sides and back) but I made it work just by working in smaller sections on those areas.  Here are some pics of Getting all Gripper with it

Here's one with the whole piece covered in primer.  In total, I put two coats of primer on just to make sure that everything was nice and covered. 

This is where the lack of pictures will probably do the most damage.  Once I actually started painting, I was just on a roll and didn't even come up for air, let alone to take a picture.  Actually, I had to switch the positioning of the piece so many times in order to paint a different side/angle, I didn't have any time to take pictures.  I was too busy moving, painting, moving again, painting again, etc.  It was a painful rinse & repeat process.  Although, the paint that I used was Valspar Ultra Premium semi gloss in Royal Navy.  This is the same paint (as in, same can of paint--it was leftover!) that the rest of Tyler's bedroom furniture is painted in so I knew it was going to be an exact match.  Plus, it meant I didn't have to buy more paint.  Score!  As for a brush, I used one of my Purdy paintbrushes.  These are the only paintbrushes that I use.  They are more expensive than other brushes, but they are high quality and really produce an excellent finish.  I say that like I have a ton of experience in painting but I don't.  I just copy from those that do and Sherry & John over at YHL certainly qualify as professionals (in my book, at least) in the furniture painting department.  They recommended Purdy so that's what I use! 

After the entire piece was painted, the question of what to do about drawer hardware needed to be addressed.  Initially, I was going to replace the drawer pull and put something else on.  But, as I got the piece painted, I actually kind of liked the lines of the handle that came with it.  That, and reusing the original handle was going to save me from filling in the screw holes left behind if I had decided to use a different handle.  However, something definitely needed to be done with the color.  



I decided to go with a rich brown since Tyler's room has some brown sprinkled througout and I figured a brown handle would tie right into his room.  I also just happened to have a can of glossy brown spray paint in my arsenal so it saved me from the cost of buying a new handle and new spray paint.  I'm all about keeping it cheap!  

Sorry about the sideways picture. 

Two quick coats of spray paint on the handle and it we were ready to put everything back together.  Are you ready for the big reveal? 

TA-DA!!!!  I'll be honest, I'm not toally sold on the brown handle.  I don't think I love it.  It doesn't tie into the lamp and the rest of the room like I thought it would so I'm considering pulling it off and painting it another color.  Maybe red?  Brushed Nickel?  What do you think?  But, I do like the nightstand!  It matches the rest of Tyler's furniture very well and he LOVES having somewhere to put the remote to his TV and his cup of water at night.  Since I have yet to ever highlight Tyler's room, here are a few total package pictures so that you can get a feel for what his room looks like--

Tyler also has a bookshelf on the other side of the room which is the same color as well as a dresser along the wall (you can kind of see the shadow of it in the whole room shot) that is also the same color.  This is probably the one room in my entire house that is as finished as it's going to get with the exception of getting his TV hung on the wall--I can't seem to find the right wall mount for the TV.  Boo! 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my first little furniture makeover post.  All in all, here's about what I spent to finish the project:

Nighstand: $10 at Goodwill
primer: $11 at Home Depot
foam roller kit for primer: $2

The rest of the items used for the project I already owned so there was no additional expense there.  So, overall, I only spent $23 to get a new piece of funiture in my son's room that totally rounds out the room!