Furniture Makeover: Free Nightstands

I’ve been in the furniture makeover business for almost fifteen years, long enough to know that you don’t pass up free nightstands. Do I need nightstands? No, I don’t. But my booth can always use refreshed furniture.

Free Nightstands | Easy Makeover

Many nightstands were available for this haul; it was sort of like a motel closeout. I only brought two sets home because they were cumbersome.

Step One For Any Furniture Makeover

Before you begin any furniture flip, whether it’s for you, a friend, or for resale, you will want to make sure there are no needed repairs. Next, you will want to clean the wooden furniture well. If you purchase your makeover furniture, you will want to inspect it before handing over your hard-earned cash.

There are many options for preparing furniture for painting. These nightstands are old, but being bedroom furniture, they lack the grease and grime that kitchen furniture may have. My main goal was to degloss the shiny wood to allow the paint to adhere well.

Heirloom Traditions All-In-One Surface Prep brushes on with a cheap chip brush and only needs to be wiped off for a simple project like this.

Remove Hardware

Remove the hardware and decide if you will update it with a new option. I am not, so I sanded the handle to remove shine and dirt.

Clean And Prep The Drawers

The surface prep is so much easier than sanding. It cleans and deglosses, leaving your furniture ready for paint.

Related Content: More Nightstand Ideas

Put Down The Paintbrush

Using a foam roller is not only easy, but it gives a very smooth finish.

A styrofoam plate and the foam roller make the perfect combination to make these free nightstands well on their way to a new home.

Small paintbrushes are used in the corners where the foam brush doesn’t reach. The paint used for the free nightstand makeover is HTP All-In-One Iron Gate.

Work Smarter, Not Harder With a Rolling Work Table

Working alone, I have to get creative. On a sunny day, black paint can warm your project. Raising the work table on these rollers allows me to move the project into the shade to dry.

Visit the My Repurposed Life Amazon Store to shop my favorite items.

The small foam roller gives a nice, clean edge, even on the drawer front.

Spray Paint Drawer Handles

The first can of spray paint I grabbed ended up being a brown color. The only black spray paint I had was cheap Walmart spray paint, but it worked great.

Free Nightstands Updated With Black Paint

It’s nearly impossible to get a manufacturer’s finish when flipping furniture. However, following the steps I’ve laid out in this article will net you beautiful results even on a pair of free nightstands needing a quick makeover.

I’ve shared all of my best tips for prepping and painting furniture to get a great finish. My final tip could be the most important. Let your painted furniture projects cure properly before selling them. I did just that, and these free nightstands have already found a new home.
I hope my tips will help you with your next furniture flip, whether it’s your own home or to make a little money on the side.

Green Nightstand Makeover

Let’s see what the rest of the Furniture Fixer Upper Team has “flipped”.

• Painted Table With Flamingo Transfer
• Free Nightstands | Easy Makeover (You are here, thank you)
• Magnolia Painted Desk
• Painted French Provincial Dresser
• Painting A Wooden Dresser