Furniture Transfer Updates Ugly Nightstand

Have you ever tried furniture transfers? I have had a Prima Redesign transfer for a few years, but I've always been too afraid to try it. It's huge.

I got this old nightstand from my cousin Terry, and it was the perfect size for my Dark Floral Prima Transfer. My aunt's dog had chewed it up, and it needed a lot of repairs.

See the bottom of this post for all the details on how I fixed it.

Repaired Nightstand Ready For Paint

Here's the damaged nightstand after I repaired it. Now it's ready for paint and the perfect furniture transfer.

How To Paint Furniture Drawers

How do I paint furniture drawers? I find the best way is on a work table. I removed all of the nightstand drawers and gathered my supplies.

Prep Drawer For Painting

I used HTP Surface Prep and a chip brush to ready the drawers for paint. It cleans and deglosses all in one easy step. Brush it on and wipe it off with a rag.

I did the rest of the nightstand the same way, using caution where I had patched the wood.

Painting Furniture With a Paint Roller

With paint on a styrofoam plate, my small sponge roller made this paint job quick and easy.

The roller was perfect for all of the nightstand. I used a small paintbrush for a touchup in tight spaces.

I hope the Iron Gate (black) will work with my furniture transfer.

It's hard to believe it's the same piece of furniture I got from Terry.

Placing a Rub-on Furniture Transfer

I think the Prima Dark Floral transfer is supposed to go the other way. But it looks good this way, so I'm going with that. I have done furniture transfers on a smaller scale. Check out my blue bar stools.

Taping the transfer in place with painter's tape, I worked my way down the sheet. I did this by pulling the white paper down as I worked. I'm not sure if that's the way other people do it, but it was so large I didn't want to mess it up.

Some tutorials refer to "rubbing" the transfer in beveled areas. However, this nightstand has grooves and lots of drawers.

On the left, you see my tools. The wooden stick is included with the furniture transfer. In addition, I used a cheap exacto knife. These are the tools that made this project relatively easy.

The middle image shows how I cut both the plastic and the transfer at the same time. This was done in all the cracks of the drawers and the grooves in each drawer.

Lastly, I used the wooden stick to rub the furniture transfer in place.

None of the transfer was removed; it's pressed in place down in the grooves.

I used the entire three sheets of the furniture transfer, which fit perfectly.

This is how the nightstand looks, with all of the drawers removed. If you've ever wanted to try this, don't wait years like I did!

Old Nightstand Makeover With Furniture Transfer

I replaced the original hardware, leaving off the small fake keyholes.

Black Nightstand With Prima Dark Floral Furniture Transfer

In some photos, the nightstand appears blue and looks very pretty with the furniture transfer. So, I think a navy blue would definitely be an option for the dark floral transfer.

So, are you ready to see the projects from the very talented Furniture Fixer Upper team?

But before you go, you can find all the details of the original nightstand and how I repaired the damaged wood.

Beautiful Furniture Makeovers

• Brother Sewing Machine Cabinet Makeover
• Painted Furniture with a Layered Dixie Belle Chalk Finish
• Furniture Transfer Updates Ugly Nightstand (You are here, thank you)
• Chalk Painted Thrift Store Desk/Hutch