While browsing Goodwill during his lunch hour, Mr. Frugalista sent me a text asking if I could do anything with a very plain two-drawer pine bedside table. Heck ya and how soon can you get it home?

Easy Pine Bedside Table Makeover

What do you do during those moments when life gets too crazy and you just want to crawl into a hole to escape? For me, that hole is in my basement workshop. Nothing tunes out the chaos better than cranking up some music, grabbing a paintbrush, and escaping into the creative zone for a few hours.

When the need to escape arose, I got busy and within just a few short hours, this stunning greek key pine bedside table makeover emerged. I couldn't be happier with the before and after transformation!

How can I make my bedside table look nice?

In the photo below you'll get an idea of what the rather plain pine bedside table looked like before the makeover. Being solid wood and unfinished (other than the clear top coat), it's the perfect candidate for a makeover that will not only look nice but be a one-of-a-kind piece you can be proud of.

Here is that same bedside table after the makeover. What a difference, right?

What You'll Need To Make It

My chalk-style paint of choice for this furniture makeover is from the Country Chic paint line. Listed below are the supplies you'll need for the pine bedside table makeover. Please note that if you use all-in-one paint you will not need the clear wax to protect the paint finish.

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Supply List

Wood Bedside Table (thrift store)
Simplicity Chalk Style Paint
Elegance Chalk Style Paint
Greek Key Border Stencil (alternatives)
2 Green Glass Furniture Knob (optional)
Clear Wax (optional)
Brown Antique Wax
150-grit Sandpaper

Bedside Table Makeover Before and After

This is the most important step of the makeover. For a lasting finish, it is imperative that you prep the furniture first for paint as outlined in my how to prep furniture for paint tutorial.

How Do You Paint An Old Bedside Table?

Now that the bedside table has been prepped for paint, let's move on to the fun part; how to paint your old bedside table!

I painted both sides of the pine bedside table and the drawer rails first with two coats of creamy white Vanilla Frosting chalk-style paint.

Next, I painted the skirt, tabletop, and drawer fronts with two coats of a pretty soft blue-green Elegance color chalk-style paint. It's one of my favorite colors and I used it for this small decorative trunk makeover too.

Adding A Greek Key Bedside Table Stenciled Border

The bedside table looked so pretty and fresh with just a few coats of paint but I wanted to add some personality.

Of course, this step is completely optional but I stenciled the bedside table with a Greek Key Stencil and the same Simplicity White color. Unfortunately, the greek key stencil I used on this makeover is no longer available so I've included a link to some other options in the supply list above.

Less is more when it comes to stenciling so be sure to offload the paint by dabbing your brush on a paper towel first. The key to not getting paint bleed under the stencil is to have an almost dry stencil brush.

I essentially stenciled a pretty greek key border along the top of the painted bedside table and the drawer fronts. I'm so glad I decided to add the stencil detail because I'm thrilled with the results. What do you think?

If you are using an all-in-one paint that doesn't require a topcoat, then you will not need to protect the paint first before moving on to the next step.

However, if you used chalk paint that requires a topcoat, then you'll need to either apply clear wax over the painted surfaces or a non-yellowing clear coat first.

Adding An Antiqued Finish To The Painted Bedside Table

If you love the nice clean look of the painted and stenciled bedside table, then go ahead and skip this step. I wanted a time-worn patina and so I aged the paint finish with a brown wax.

To deepen the color and give the bedside table a timeworn look, I used a wax brush to apply a thin coat of brown wax on the drawer fronts, skirt, and tabletop. Then with a lint-free rag, remove the excess wax.

You can see in the photo below how I applied more wax along the bottom of the skirt and around the knobs where it would naturally show wear over time.

Adding Some Bling To The Painted Bedside Table

Oftentimes after a furniture makeover, the original knobs no longer work with the piece. I felt like the stunning greek key bedside table needed some bling. In my stash, I had the perfect green glass furniture knobs that worked beautifully with the new Elegance paint color.

Of course, I kept the old wooden knobs for future furniture makeover potential. Nothing goes to waste around here!

I'm so glad I decided to escape into the workshop for some creative therapy. This furniture makeover certainly helped improve my spirits and turn the pine table from blah to ooh la la!

I'm happy to report that this greek key table sold very quickly along with a vintage headboard makeover painted the same Elegance color to go in a client's guest bedroom.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this pine bedside table makeover.

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