Campaign Nightstand Makeover

Hey everyone! Today I'm sharing with you how I made over the thrifted campaign nightstand for Jaden's big boy room makeover. If you're not familiar with campaign furniture, Up With Furniture website gives a very succinct explanation of their history in this post.

Painted campaign furniture has been a "hot" trend in the decor world for a few years now, and I've fallen hard for them! Especially when they're painted in a fun bold colors with shiny brass hardware {insert all the heart eyes emojis}!

When I stumbled upon this piece back in December for $20 while thrifting, I snatched it right up! Knowing it would work great for Jaden's room since he did not have a proper nightstand at the time. Plus I love the extra storage having those two drawers would provide {you can never have too much storage in a kids room!}.

Painted Campaign Nightstand Makeover

Remove Hardware

Using an old butter knife, I carefully slid the tip under the corner hardware and gently pushing the knife against the underside of the hardware piece as I went. If a spot felt tight, I wiggled and jiggled {yes wiggled and jiggled LOL} the knife until it felt loose enough to continued on.

I was expecting removal of the corner hardware to be harder than it was.  As you can see all the corner pieces came off using the butter knife with no additional damage to the wood. The drawer pulls were easily removed by just unscrewing them.

Clean Hardware

Next, I went about the task of shining up the hardware. Before you can begin cleaning your hardware you need to figure out if it's solid brass or just brass plated. The easiest way to do that is to use a magnet. Magnets will stick to hardware that is brass plated but will not stick to solid brass.

If you're dealing with solid brass, you can use my cleaning method below. If your hardware is brass plated, I suggest using only mild soap and water to clean it, so you don't strip the brass plating off.

To clean my hardware that's solid brass, I simply dipped my pieces in clean water, laid them out on a paper towel, and sprinkled them with Barkeeper's Friend. Then, using an old toothbrush I gently scrubbed them clean. I rinsed and dried them promptly.

Look at the difference!!!

Sand and Prime

Once I was done with the hardware, I moved the nightstand down to the garage and got to work! I did some light sanding with a medium grit sanding sponge to smooth down a few rough patches. I then wiped down the whole thing with a slightly damp clean cloth. Once dry, I wiped it down again with a tack cloth to get rid off any remaining dust and followed that up with two thin coats of Rustoleum primer {remember to always wear a mask when spray painting and sanding}.

*Side note: This spray handle has literally saved my fingers! Get one and you can thank me later when you can still feel your fingers after a spray painting session LOL! 

Paint

Now onto the painting! I sprayed the nightstand with three even thin coats of Rustoleum gloss navy blue spray paint {I also painted my entryway table this same color, I just love it}. I was sure to let each coat dry before moving on to the next. Before spraying my last coat of paint, I sanded the nightstand with an extra fine sanding sponge to make sure I had a smooth finish.

Now you will notice the paint looks blotchy. I experienced the same thing when I painted my entryway table with this same gloss blue color, and found that applying a top coat like polycrylic {see the next step} will help remedy this issue.

I've not had this issue when using flat spray paint, but I like the more "glossy" look so the extra step of applying a top coat is worth it to me!

Top Coat

Once my last coat of paint was completely dry {I let it dry overnight}, I used inexpensive foam brushes to apply two thin coats of polycrylic {sanding lightly in between coats}. This top coat will help protect the paint job and gives it a more even look {a huge lifesaver when dealing with blotchy spray paint syndrome}. I let my last coat of polycrylic dry overnight before putting my hardware back on.

Re-attach Hardware

Now just put your hardware back on and you're done! The hardware went back in very easily because of the original holes were still visible since I did not fill them in or anything before painting. Remember to be gentle when hammering the corner pieces back in {I would suggest wrapping a small piece of fabric around your hammer using a rubber band to hold it in place}, so you don't mess up your shiny new hardware or paint job.

I have to say I'm very pleased with how it turned out! It's by far my favorite piece in Jaden's big boy room makeover. I'm still holding out hope that I will find a campaign dresser one day, so wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time!

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Linking up with: Dazzle While Frazzled | The Handmade Hangout | The Cottage Market |  Friday's Furniture Fix | Sweet Inspiration Link Party #8