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Upcycled Nightstand with Repurposed Window (door)

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This might have been the ugliest piece of furniture I’ve ever dragged into the shop, but that just made the transformation even sweeter. With a bit of vision (and a whole lot of chalky paint), this sad old nightstand got a brand-new look, featuring a charming window door and a reclaimed wood backing. You won’t believe the before and after on this one!

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How to Make a Cabinet With an Upcycled Nightstand

ugly green beat up nightstand

I curbed this nightstand so many years ago. Maybe someone used it for a trash bin because there were hinges on the bottom front. For the first five years, this ugly green cabinet resided in my garage, providing extra storage by utilizing the inside of the cabinet and the top to store paint and other items.

I posted this on my Facebook page while cleaning out the garage, and I asked if I should “keep” or “toss” it. The consensus was to keep it, and there were many great ideas on how to utilize it.

Add a Shelf to the Upcycled Nightstand

add shelf to repurposed nightstand

The very first thing I did was to give it a quick coat of primer to take away all the ugly, but I couldn’t find a picture before adding the shelf.

The shelf was a simple addition using Kreg Jig pocket holes and screws. You can see that in a bit while it is getting ready for paint.

I took the measurements of the cabinet and searched through my stash to find this window that would make the perfect door! So, after choosing this window, I then knew where to add the shelf (shown above).

Paint the Old Nightstand

Finish Max paints old nightstand

Off it goes to the paint booth. I took the easy road and used my HomeRight Finish Max.

white cabinet on a pallet ready to be painted

Whenever I use my HomeRight Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer , I always start by spraying the underside of my pieces. In this picture, you can see I added a shelf to my upcycled nightstand using pocket hole screws.

four pane window freshly painted with overspray on the glass

This is the window after I brushed on some white DIY chalk paint primer—it’s ready for the Finish Max treatment.

Use a Paint Sprayer to Paint the Repurposed Window

sprayed-window

This is after the Finish Max. Don’t be misled by overspray. The Finish Max has very little overspray, but I knew it would be easier to scrape the paint off if it were thicker. The paint is True Value’s  Easy Care (Sugar Sweet), the same I used on the recent kitchen cabinet makeover.

Add Hinges to the Window to Make a Nightstand Cabinet Door

install hinges on the window door

I attached my hinges to the cabinet, then laid the cabinet on its side (raised up with some 2x4s) to attach the hinges to the window. I must say that this was the easiest time I’ve ever had installing hinges.

Secure Reclaimed Wood to the Back of the Window Cabinet

upcycled nightstand with reclaimed wood for the back

I used some old fencing to enclose the back. If you look closely, you’ll see that the nails used from my nail gun caused some splitting/chipping of the wood at the top. I ended up cutting a small piece of plywood, painting it, and using it to cover this mess. Worked fabulously!

Do you love the charm that the rustic wood adds?

scrape paint on window repurposed nightstand cabinet

I used a razor blade to scrape off the paint from the window. You can see that the layer of paint easily scraped (peeled) off the window.

closeup of upcycled window cabinet

The paint is all gone, and I’m in love with this project!

Paint and Secure the Handle to the Window

repurposed window cabinet made from old nightstand and window

I have some handles I got at the restore that are a golden bronze. Oil-rubbed bronze spray paint gave it a quick update, making the upcycled nightstand cabinet look great!

upcycled window cupboard

I initially decided to add the rustic fence to help give the back some weight, so that opening the window/door wouldn’t allow it to tip over. However, that wasn’t an issue—the door worked fine without the added weight on the back, but I had already decided the rustic touch would look great.

supplies for using a Finish Max

Now that I’ve shown you my latest project, I’d like to share with you the tools I use when using my Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer to spray paint.

  • Bowl/bucket for water
  • Super Finish Max Extra
  • Extra paint cup
  • Paint stirrer
  • Veggie scrub brush
  • Cheap Chip Brush (for runs)
  • Soup ladle for scooping out paint instead of pouring it.
  • Mesh Paint Strainer (not shown)
  • Respirator (not shown)

How to clean a paint sprayer

I use the bowl of water to dilute my latex paint and to soak my brushes, etc. As soon as I finish painting, I add water to the extra paint cup to flow clean water through my Finish Max. Usually, I store any leftover paint for touch-ups in a small container with a lid. I use the veggie scrub brush to clean the Finish Max. (see below)    The soup ladle is excellent for measuring the paint and adding water to the paint cup for diluting. If my paint is old, I use the mesh paint strainer to make sure I don’t have any lumps in my paint. I always wear a respirator when using my Finish Max in an enclosed area.

how to clean a finish max

This veggie scrubber does a great job of getting the paint from the rim of the Finish Max. I should have used it on my fingers too!

UPDATE:  I sold this cabinet, check out how cute it is in use!

Upcycled Nightstand Window Cabinet

window cupboard with books behind door and a vase of flowers on top MyRepurposedLife

Save it for later on Pinterest!

See more DIY Repurposed Window Ideas Here.

Related Content: Free Chest of Drawers Makeover

See more nightstand ideas here

60 Comments

  1. Totally charming. As for that “before” headline, “Have you ever seen anything so ugly?” When it comes to castaway furniture, not by a long shot.

    1. hahaha thank you for checking it out! Seeing the after, doesn’t mean much if you don’t know what I started with! heheheh

      I appreciate your time.

      gail

    1. I’m so happy you stopped by to check out this wonderful transformation Becky!

      Thinking outside the box is my favorite pastime. 🙂
      gail

  2. Beautiful! I could use something like this in my front room. I call it a front room instead of a living room since that would imply we might sometimes entertain guests in it, and we do that in the kitchen.

    About using the litter buckets to store stuff. Up until a few years ago, okay, maybe 10 years ago, they didn’t let us put litter buckets in the recycling. I ended up with a ton of empty litter buckets. Now that they allow them to be recycled, I will put my regular recycling in an empty litter bucket until it is full and then I take it outside to the city recycling bin. I can normally get 8 or 12 buckets in the bin. While I might not generate that much of the regular recycling,this way fewer of the small things escape and end up in the street. I can not tell you how many times I’ve had to go out and pick up recycling they just left in the middle of the street.

  3. It’s so cute. There are window mask so you don’t have to scrap windows, but I put a little vasoline or crisco on them. Just a very, very thin layer, with a silicone bowl scraper from the kitchen. Paint and scrap it off with the same scraper. Takes me 2 minutes to put it on and about that long taking it off. I hate taping things off.

    1. There’s something I like about scraping layers of paint off windows (with the right scraper). The same with mirrors. 🙂

      I don’t like taping either.

      I use vaseline for hinges sometimes . . .

      gail

    1. Thank you so much Delores! I appreciate you leaving such a sweet comment! 🙂 There are definitely a LOT of projects to keep you busy reading and perusing. 🙂

      I’m here if you ever need anything.

      gail

  4. Another awesome project Gail! I just love how creative you are with thinking outside the box.
    ps: those kitty litter containers are great to repurpose, aren’t they? I have building blocks for my
    grandchildren in one, legos in another 🙂

  5. Okay! this little cupboard is cuter than all get out!
    I love it. The rustic fence in the back…just makes it that much more charming.
    your friend Catherine–has a keen eye!
    Patricia

  6. You’re just amazing! I would have just tossed it out and look what you did with it. I love how this little piece turned out. Thank you so much for your kindness to me and I appreciate it so very much.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  7. Very cute. You are so great about putting disparate pieces together and making them look great! I also found it interesting that you choose to scrape the paint off windows rather than taping off. Have you found that to be quicker overall than taping, or do you just not enjoy taping? 🙂

  8. I have a pile of windows I need to do something with before the hubby makes them disappear…something like this would be perfect! Love this as I do all your projects.

  9. I Love this Gail! It turned out so great and I also LOVE my Finish Max! I named him Finn 🙂 I also just want to say I am 100% jealous of the fact that you have a stash so awesome that you had the perfect window for this project…I clearly need a better stash 🙂

  10. looks great Gail!! ( I use kitty litter buckets for storing my car cleaning stuff and hand held gardening tools. the height of the bucket helps things fit right in!)

  11. AWESOME job yet again…I love that. I need a workshop…..better yet, I think I need a body that will allow me to work in a workshop! lol …Great job Gail.

  12. The fence on the back is the best part. I’m surprised you haven’t used the command max and/or the finish max to paint the cat litter buckets.

  13. This turned out so cute! Love how you attached the window, completely changes the look!

    I must have missed the orginal post about the “Finish Max”…what is the difference in that and the Command?

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