One Room Challenge | Spring 2022 | Week 3

Hey-Oh! Week 3 of the One Room Challenge already?! How can it be?

This is my third time participating in ORC and I’m so excited to be back at it! Check out my previous projects over here.

Last week I went BOLD on the ceiling and painted our master bedroom a dark and dreamy color. See the photos here. I’m trying to decide if the crown molding should be painted to match the ceiling or leave it white. What are your thoughts?

While I debate on that detail, I have been working on making over a nightstand as a trial run. When in doubt, pick the smallest piece of furniture and makeover that one before jumping into the bigger project.

My goal is to refresh our bedroom furniture as this is a budget-friendly makeover. I chose the smallest nightstand (and cheapest) to start with. This was a HomeGoods find. It look very similar to our matching nightstand and dresser.

Here is the updated look on the left and original on the right. Not too shabby for some elbow grease and paint and stain we already had on hand.

Nightstand makeover refresh. Light gray paint and early american wood stain

Here is a quick run down of the steps I took to refinish:

  1. Wipe down all surfaces

  2. Remove back of nightstand to get to drawer slides

  3. There was a plastic stopper on the bottom of each drawer- remove each one to pull drawers out

  4. Remove hardware

  5. Sanding trial & error - I used 60 Grit on a Dewalt Palm Sander. I also used 80 gift and 120. The variety in sandpaper grit helped remove the finish.

  6. I attempted liquid sandpaper and would not recommend if you need bare wood for staining. It might be best for painting purposes only as it does remove the top coat.

  7. Sand until your arms fall off

  8. Painted the frame in Behr’s Chalk paint - Fossil Gray

  9. Stained top and drawer details in Varathane Early American

  10. I still need to add clear coat to the top and possibly add wax to painted areas. Will update once I do these steps.

  11. Install drawer stops & hardware.

  12. Add back to nightstand & Enjoy!

I am loving the way this turned out, but the real question is do I have enough energy to do a giant dresser and second nightstand? LOL - Send Help!

Stay tuned for more updates next week once I really get rolling on this project. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for behind the scenes videos and photos on my stories.

Be sure to check out all of the other ORC Guest Participant projects here.