I’m loving all the pins of farmhouse/rustic decor and I have been wanting to try painting some furniture with chalk paint and this nightstand was the perfect starting piece. My plan was to paint it and then sell it but of course I fell in love with it so decided to put it in my family room as an end table. I am slowly converting my family room decor and turning a nightstand into farmhouse style to add to it makes the room feel a little more homey.
This is what the nightstand looked like before. It was in good shape just outdated. It also had some red marker stains and chips but nothing paint wouldn’t cover!
DIY Rustic Farmhouse End Table
First I cleaned it with wet wipes. I didn’t even use any heavy duty TSP or anything, just wipes. I let it dry and lightly sanded the whole thing with sandpaper. I dusted it off and then used a foam brush to add my first coat of chalk paint. I used FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Furniture Paint in Sheepskin.
It doesn’t look all that pretty after one coat but don’t fret! It will get better soon!
Let it dry and another coat. I did three coats on this piece of furniture.
After letting the third coat dry, I distressed the piece with a sanding block. Just gently sand all the edges you want worn looking. There is no right or wrong to this part. It’s up to your individual style. You can do a lot or a little. I did all the corners and edges.
For the top, I didn’t really like the white so I applied General Finishes Java Gel Stain Pint on top. I added a little onto a old cotton t-shirt and just rubbed it around the top until I liked what it looked like. I love this stuff, it is amazing! I refinished my cabinets in both my bathrooms with it and it’s so easy to use. You can check out my master bath by clicking here and the kids bathroom by clicking here. Then after it dried I sealed it with General Finishes PTHS High Performance Water Based Topcoat. Again just used an old cotton shirt and rubbed the topcoat in.
I love how the gel stain looks on top of the white paint! What do you think?
I also added a new handle and it is now used to store my blankets!