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    Home » Furniture Makeovers

    Bedrooms, Budget Decor, Furniture Makeovers, Kids, Thrifting/Craigslist

    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!}.

    Facebook Photo151110

    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.

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover160423-5

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover160423-6

    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.

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover160426-5

    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.

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover160426-7

    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!

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover160426

    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.

    Campaign Nightstand Makeover
    Boys Room Makeover160501-16

    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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    *This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy here*

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

    More Furniture Makeovers

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    • Dingy To Dark and Lovely Coffee Bar Update (video)
    • $15 Faux Bamboo Mirror Makeover
    • Faux Bamboo Sideboard Makeover Using a Homeright Sprayer

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary-the boondocks blog says

      June 03, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      Linda I love your furniture makeover. That is such a rich color and the brass makes a nice contrast to it. Thanks for the great tip on how to tell if its brass or not. I can always stand to learn new tricks. There is nothing like a bit of paint to transform a tired piece of furniture. I'm so glad you stopped by and gave us some sweet inspiration.

      Reply
    2. Alaya says

      May 26, 2016 at 1:02 am

      Linda,

      What a great post! I actually just considered getting one of those sprayers and spray painting a nightstand. I think im going to go ahead and get it. Thanks for the inspo!

      Reply
      • Linda P. says

        May 26, 2016 at 5:16 pm

        Alaya, we are friends and I wouldn't lie to you LOL, that sprayer handle IS A GAME CHANGER! Get one ASAP! Glad you stopped by today !

        Reply

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