Painted Antique Washstand

Hey everyone! I picked up this beat up old washstand at a garage sale for just $5. It’s super cute with the curvy back and base but needed just a little (OK, a lot of) love.   I wanted to try something new to give her a bit more personality so I’m excited to share this updated, painted antique washstand with you today.

 

 

It’s amazing what you can find at garage sales, right??

I have a favorite one I go to where the people are super nice and they have the best deals. I have gotten several project pieces there including the antique cabinet makeover, piano bench makeover and a chalk board I made from an old crib.

I could just picture this cute little antique washstand with a fresh coat of paint and new knobs but first things first. I started this makeover out like always and gave it a good cleaning with a mix of half water and half vinegar. It didn’t really have a bad smell but just a smell.

Then we removed the doors to make working on the whole thing easier.

 

 

The finish on it was quite shiny and I wanted to make sure the paint would adhere well so I used 100 grit sandpaper with the palm sander to prepare the surface. I also primed it because I wasn’t sure how the white paint would cover all of the darker areas.

Before I could paint, I had to fix all of the wholes and scratches and I decided to use spackle.  I already had it on hand and it’s easy to work with. I probably could have used wood filler but the cracks and holes were not that big.

 

 

 

Once the spackle was dry I sanded it again with a lighter sandpaper in 220 grit to smooth everything out.

 

 

I wiped it all down to remove all of the dust and gave it a coat of primer. While that dried, we decided that we would remove the middle section (flat panel) of the doors and add chicken wire. They were somewhat cracked anyway and I wanted to do something different.

 

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We used an oscillating tool to cut the panel out. An oscillating tool is a multi-functional tool that comes with different attachments to saw, sand, rasp, grind, scrape, cut and polish. It’s handy!

 

 

When the center was cut out, one of the doors was a bit wobbly. I took it apart and used wood glue to connect the pieces again.

 

 

I used the clamps to hold it together while it was drying.

 

 

The edges were a bit rough so I sanded them with the palm sander. I filled in any holes with more spackle.

 

 

While that was drying, I painted the main piece with  2 coats of homemade chalk paint. It needed some touch ups here and there but not a third coat entirely.

 

 

Then it was time for doors. I gave them a coat of paint as well.

 

 

When they were dry, we laid the full piece of chicken wire over the opening of doors and used wire cutters to cut it to size.

 

 

We attached the chicken wire to the back of the doors using a heavy duty staple gun. Here are the doors after we put them back on.

 

 

I picked up some cute knobs at World Market and attached them to the drawer.  I also wanted to  add one to each door so we marked out where they would go using the level to make sure they were even.

 

 

Kev drilled holes and attached the knobs. Here she is all put together. What a transformation!

 

 

I’m not usually drawn to red for handles like this but there is just something about these that I liked. I love how the gold ties in with the bit of rust that is on the chicken wire and gives this painted antique washstand a little bling. 🙂

 

 

 

Super cute and so much personality! I’m not sure where this updated antique washstand will go yet so I may just have to design a space around it. 🙂

 

 

Do you have a favorite furniture makeover you have done?

Happy DIY’ing!

Col

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