Bedroom Makeover: The Nightstand

I decided to experiment on my nightstand and repaint it. I liked the dark brown/black look, but it didn't really go with my new room decor. So a makeover it is!

My experiment was successful and I love it. Which is nice, because I was coming off a fail (the tall bookcases) and a little frustrated. 

I don't have a sander anymore (boo hoo!) so I was going to borrow my brother-in-law's to sand down the stain (paint?) on the nightstand. Then I remembered about Chalk Paint. I've never used it before. It sounds intriguing and totally awesome.

(This is the experimenting part.)

I've been curious if it really would be as awesome as I've heard. And I've seen tutorials on pinterest advertising "Make Your Own Chalk Paint!" Well considering that a tiny jar at a craft store is almost $20, I was all about making my own.

And I did. And it was fantastic!

I did a lot of research online for recipes and reviews. Since I already had baking soda (vs. plaster of paris or unsanded grout), I settled to try that one.

I picked up my two colors of paint (Vintage by Valspar and Gem Turquoise by Behr). I'm a fan of the Behr Premium Plus (primer & paint in one!) so I picked up the sample size at Home Depot and they matched the two colors.

I wasn't too sure what I was doing as far as making the actual "Chalk Paint" so I wanted to make a small batch first of the cream paint. Its a good thing I did because didn't need as much paint as I thought I would.

So I mixed up a 1/2 cup of paint and 4 tablespoons of Baking Soda (mixed one tablespoon at a time). Some recipes suggested adding water, but I liked the thickness of the paint since I was covering up a dark color with a light color. I only had 1" sponge brushes handy so I used that, although a smaller brush would have been nicer for the small spots.

Then I started painting with no prep of the nightstand (other than cleaning it). I did two coats. I was a little surprised at how obvious the paint strokes were (maybe I shouldn't have been?) but after two coats it wasn't quite as obvious. The paint covered well and was nice and thick. It dried quickly too, which was really nice. I was able to get the nightstand completed in just a few hours!

After it dried, it was gritty (as expected) and so I did a light sanding and it smoothed out beautifully. I pressed a little hard on the edges and accidentally distressed it, but I liked the dark color peaking through so I rolled with it and did a light distressing along the edges.

I had made my own stencil with my cameo for the backs of my bookcases (hello frustrating project fail!) and so I decided to use it on the nightstand--just so it wouldn't go to waste. 

I made a little chalk paint for the blue (1/4 cup paint and 2 tablespoons of baking soda). That was way too much paint, but oh well. I then began painting with the stencil. I was too excited and forgot pictures of this part. :) The stencil worked pretty well. There was some leakage underneath, but I just painted the cream over the top to cover it up.

Once the paint was dry, I distressed the top to give it some character. For the finish, I waxed it with some paste wax I had left over from a different project.  I let it sit overnight in my garage to help the smell from the wax dissipate before I put it in my room. I finished it off with a fun knob I've had for a couple of years in the drawer and declared the work done.

I love it in my room. I love the pretty blue and it looks awesome with my glass lamp I made--coming soon!

I was actually pretty nervous since I've never made or used chalk paint before. And since I had a rough time with the stencil before, I was worried it wouldn't look very good here. Glad I was brave and did it anyway.

Best part? The whole thing only cost me $6.00 for the paint. And I have lots of paint left over. (hmmm...what to do with it?!) I think Chalk Paint (baking soda paint?) might be my new best friend!

Winning!