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DIY Rustic Nightstand Makeover

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An easy and inexpensive DIY rustic nightstand makeover for a thrifted piece of furniture.

white wood nightstand with rustic sticks on the side and a flower vase on top

We just started a guest bedroom makeover which includes bold new paint and a few new furniture pieces. One of the new acquisitions for this space was going to be a nightstand from West Elm.

After starting the redo and assessing my needs and wants for the room, I decided to stick with what I had and to try to give our old nightstand a new look.

gap in seam on side of white wood nightstand

I bought this piece years ago at a thrift store. It was really inexpensive but the problem was that you could tell.

How do you revamp a nightstand?

Although it’s made of wood there was a big gap on both sides that I wanted to try to disguise with trim. Instead of trim though, I came up with another idea.

I decided to try to use paint sticks that I got from the paint store to give it a different look and to cover up the gaps.

Because I love the look of planked walls, I thought I would try that idea but on a much smaller scale (and on an old nightstand).

I figured that I had nothing to lose by trying and dove right in.

Supplies for DIY rustic nightstand makeover

paint sticks and can of wood stain

First, I laid a few of the paint sticks on the nightstand so I could see where the seams would lay.

Once I had an idea of what I wanted, I used the utility knife to cut the notched handle off, so that I had straight pieces.

Next, the rough edges were lightly sanded smooth. Since one stick wasn’t long enough to fill a whole row, I ended up using a small piece of another stick.

I also staggered the seams to keep the rustic feel.

side of white nightstand half covered in stained paint sticks

Next, I used a paper towel and rubbed dark walnut wood stain on each paint stick.

The paint sticks I got were all made from different wood, so that really added to the rustic look. I wasn’t sure if I would like it but I really loved the differences in the wood tones.

staining paint sticks

After they were dry, which didn’t take long, I glued each piece to the side of the nightstand with wood glue.

To ensure that my sticks stuck, I ended up using a heavy weight and some canned beans to weigh them down until they dried.

Once I finished one side of the nightstand, I flipped it over and glued down the other side.

That’s it.

This project really was so easy but it did take me take me some time to complete because I had to let the glue dry before I could remove the weights and move on to the next row.

You can really see the difference in the wood tones in this pic.

stained paint sticks on the side of a white wood nightstand

To add to the rustic look, I also replaced the glass knobs with oil-rubbed bronze knobs that I already had.

So what do you think? Is this nightstand makeover something you would try? I like that it was practically free to do.

I already had the glue and the stain on hand and the paint sticks were free. There’s nothing better than free!

Now I have a more modern nightstand that has a rustic twist.  

A DIY nightstand with stained wood sticks on the side next to a bed

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Looking for more DIY nightstand ideas?  

DIY Industrial Nightstand

DIY Nightstand from a Thrifted Stool