Rustic Farmhouse White Nightstand

The last few times that I've worked at Morgantown Market, customers and vendors have all asked if I have any nightstands in my stash. Unfortunately, at the time they asked, nothing was ready yet, but I recently acquired a rustic hand-made nightstand with 3 drawers that moved its way into the "next to be painted" slot.

It came with glass knobs but the original poly sealer had been spilled all over it and yellowed from age. I tried scrubbing them but they were toast.

The original finish was very red and I envisioned this piece in a chippy white. White paint combined with worn and reddish stain is a recipe for bleed-through. To start this makeover, I gave this piece a good wipe down with odorless mineral spirits, vacuumed out the drawers, and applied 2 coats of Miss Mustard Seed's Tough Coat.

Photo Credit: Anna Alexander Photography

Tough Coat is the perfect product to use if you need a primer/sealer but don't want to use one that's tinted white.

Photo Credit: Anna Alexander Photography

It comes in a matte finish, which is ideal if you're working on rustic pieces like mine.

Photo Credit: Anna Alexander Photography

After 2 coats, it was all sealed up and ready to be painted. The finish was pretty worn and icky.

I mixed up half a cup of Farmhouse White and applied three coats total.

Tough Coat came through like a champ. I watched each coat like a hawk, looking for a place where the white would discolor.

It was all good in the hood!

As the Milk Paint dried out on my balcony, an interesting effect began to take shape.

Natural crackling rippled its way across each drawer and in select spots on the top and sides. This happens when you paint outside in the sun, or even if it's a hot day. The weather outside wasn't terribly humid and I kept the piece in the shade, so I was surprised that the Milk Paint crackled but it wasn't an unwelcome surprise. This is part of working with Milk Paint - it's beautifully unpredictable!

My cat, Jake, thoroughly enjoyed himself while I worked. He didn't mind the sun one bit.

I used 120 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface and distress the edges.

I just love these little handles!

To protect the piece, I rubbed it down with Hemp Oil.

Hemp Oil doesn't necessarily change the color of Milk Paint, but rather deepens it and makes it a tad richer. It's not as noticeable with light colors, like Farmhouse White, but you can really see it on dark colors like Artissimo and Typewriter.

The left side has Hemp Oil on top and the right side doesn't.

I picked these oil rubbed bronze knobs to compliment the dark wood that was peeking through my distressing and the crackling.

Oh yeah. That's the stuff.

The piece isn't perfect. One of the drawers is bowed in the front, so it doesn't sit completely flush. Some of the other drawers are a bit wonky, but they're all sturdy and I like the rustic look of it.

So here it is, in all of it's crackly and rustic charm.

I staged this little guy with a vintage fan I picked up from an antique store right up the road. For a little while, I used it in my bedroom as my actual fan. The chalkboard is actually glass. I painted it with the custom vintage chalkboard mix (3 parts Boxwood, 2 parts Artissimo) with Bonding Agent mixed in. I installed some eye screws on each end and hung it with some jute twine.

I just love how this piece turned out.

Like I said, it's not perfect but it's adorable.

It's a far cry from where it started, isn't it?

If you'd like to get this look on one of your pieces, here's a list of the products that I used. You can shop for Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint products in my space at Morgantown Market or at Painted Table Designs!

Crackled Farmhouse White Finish: