Oak Be Gone

When Luke and I moved to our current rental, we suddenly had more space than we had furniture for (great problem!).  We had also officially graduated to grown ups: we had room for not one, but TWO nightstands in our bedroom!  Yes, this is the sign that you are grown up in case you didn't know.

So since we were all "grown up" but still had income that was pretty much loan money for educational purposes, I scoured Craigslist and found these beauts.  

Yes they were a pair.  

Yes they were the perfect size.

Yes they were in our very reasonable price range.

No they were not where we lived BUT they were where my parents lived!  I remember them calling from the person's house and my Dad bargaining with the seller.  He was proud he had brought the price down and I was ecstatic it was all working out!  My Mom - well I think she was a little freaked she was in some stranger's house, but hey, she was there for moral support for my Dad!

So I got to work priming, painting, and attaching new handles to get rid of the oak color and dated handles that didn't really jive with our decor.

Ready for the new nightstands?

The handles were purchased through ebay for less than $2/piece and have held up well over the past couple of years! (If you search "brushed nickel cup drawer pull" you can find similar options.) The paint is Painter's Touch (Rustoleum) in Heirloom White and I think Kona Brown (?) with a poly finish on top to protect it.  Had I redone the nightstands now, I would use the ORB - Oil Rubbed Bronze - paint instead of the Kona color (was not available when I originally did this).

We use the nightstands daily and the surface is just now starting to get a little scratched, but they easily wipe down for dusting and have been quite practical for storing books for night reading, sheets for the bed, and other odds and ends.  

 Before and After:

Total for the actual nightstands and refinishing was under $70 (maybe even lower) for the pair.  Not too shabby!