Two It Yourself: Refinished nightstand in DIY Chalk Paint (Before and After photos)

A few weeks ago I landed this table for the grand ol' price of FREE! She was in great shape and actually not too hard to look at - just not really my style or in line with my bedroom decor. The best part (aside from the price) was I have been needing a nightstand as we only have one - and of course we have two sides of the bed.

You may remember from my master bedroom makeover that I was temporarily using my tiny childhood nightstand borrowed from my mom's house. No more, people, no more!

I am a fan of two tone furniture, as you may remember from my nightstand turned small entry table. So using the same gray wall paint we used to paint our master bedroom walls (Revere Pewter) I mixed up a batch of homemade chalk paint. I also mixed up some white to use for the base. I originally painted the entire base white and just the drawers gray. But I made a rash decision to paint over the white on the side panels to make them gray, too. Um, yeah, I love it!

Don't mind the paint spill on the garage floor (Hubby wasn't too happy about that...oops)

After the paint was completely dry I topped her off with two coats of Minwax semi-gloss polycrylic. This does several things. First, it protects the paint job. Second, it gives the flat chalk paint a little shine. I went with clear semi-gloss because I didn't want too much sheen, but I wanted a little bit of light to bounce off the table. Finally, and most importantly, the polycrylic finish prevents against scratches from things placed on the table.

I went with polycrylic over polyurethane because it does not have a yellowing effect on the paint.

Find me some handles!!!

Finally, I added handles. Honestly this is what sent me to to Home Depot (and nearly the looney bin) more times than I can count. I went to HD without measuring and figured the holes for the hardware were a standard 3". WRONG! They are 2 3/4" - perhaps the most uncommon hardware size e.v.e.r. Therefore, I was very limited on selection. Sure, I could patch and fill the holes and redrill them, but I had already painted the piece and was doing everything in my power not to have to break out the paint again. I wanted something with a little character and something that would blend in with the decor on our master....so this is what she got!

And just because I can't stop starring at my new nightstand...here are a few more pictures of this beauty!

The nightstand is just the latest DIY project to add to the growing list in the master bedroom. It actually wasn't until I styled the nightstand that I realized just how many labors of love are in this one room. Click here for 7 more easy DIY Bedroom Ideas.