So I don't really have a great "before" picture, but this was the picture shown on Craig's List that made me think "hmmmmm, this looks an awful lot like the nightstand I just refinished...I could have a 'matching' pair!"
so I started sanding off just the really deep scratches with a sander using 80 grit sandpaper...
and I removed the old hardware and sanded it as well, then filled in the holes with wood putty, as I was planning on using a 3" pull from Anthro...
so here it is all puttied and primed...
I used Kilz odor blocking spray primer on the whole nightstand after cleaning it thoroughly
and I really should have used one of the multitude of tarps I had lying around instead of painting directly on the cement...but awwwwwhhhhhh, the joys of renting! But poor grass...
I applied the first coat of paint with a sponge roller and ignored all of the cracks and crevices that still needed to be filled in until my second coat
and again...more paint on the cement...oops!
On the second coat I filled in all the crevices, but didn't really get the feet until the third coat, when I finally got out a tarp (I figured I could be a little nice to the cement)
and so I finished up the painting and moved on to the next step which is adding 2-3 coats of Verathane brand water-based sealant ( I got this tip from
Holly's amazing blog!)
so here if the shelf insert drying in my kitchen...upside down on a fruit bowl (and yes, that is a Hello Kitty toaster in the background)
and tada....look how pretty and shiny...I just love it!
and yes, that is the Lord of the Rings trilogy book...because why wouldn't that be on one of my nightstands!!!
Doesn't it look nice? I feel like my bedroom looks balanced now!