Easy Vintage Washstand Makeover

Don’t you love furniture that can do more than one thing? Serve more than one purpose? I love it even more if the furniture in question started life as something different than what it was intended to be, and even better if it was falling apart and bound for the trash.

Vintage Washstand Before

My Vintage Washstand Makeover was all those things. It was in bad condition, with the wood veneer peeling off and all bumpy. The top of the washstand looked like it had been through a military training exercise or had been someone’s work table mistake. It was deeply scratched and dried out, and most people would not have given this thing a second look. Luckily for the old washstand, I have a “thing” for the rejects of the furniture world; come to think of it, I like my dogs this way, too. Something about things so broken down, sad, and forgotten melts my h heartstrings, and I feel called to rescue them. When you show these discarded things some love, they reward you by shining brightly and becoming something they never dreamed that could be.

This was my Vintage Washstand before. Sad, sad, sad. I cleaned it thoroughly with a mixture of water and my favorite Humble Suds all-natural cleaner in a continuous mister. The smell is refreshing, and one little jar goes a long, long way. After thoroughly cleaning, I turned on my sander, put on my earphones, protective eyewear, and a mask, and set about sanding for the next hour. I created a significant duststorm at the end of my cul de sac, but it was worth the effort as the wood on the top of this Vintage Washstand rewarded me with this gorgeous wood grain.

Once everything was cleaned, sanded, and ready, I turned the piece over and coated it with one coat of DIY Paint Salvation Solution. Salvation Solution is a Stain Blocker, like a lacquer. It blocks any oil stains that could come through your paint and compromise your finish. Old pieces with yucky varnish leftover often have “bleeding” issues, and Salvation Solution is a game changer.

Once the Salvation Solution was dry, it was time to paint! Believe it or not, this was the easiest part. I used the teeniest amount of DIY Paint in Black Velvet. It’s a soft Black, perfect for Vintage Pieces. All DIY Paint is highly pigmented, but the Blacks are SUPER pigmented. I only had to paint one coat and used very little to cover the entire piece. I used the DIY Paintbrush “The Multitasker” to paint the entire thing; you can see in my video why it’s so important to have a really good brush. Here is another example of how gorgeous DIY Paint Black Paints are here. I used it on my stairs!

Please hop on over to my latest YouTube video, where I show all the steps, plus some essential insider tips I only share in my videos that will make painting your next project super easy.

Once the painting was completed, I turned my attention to the top; I knew I wanted to show off that gorgeous stain. I only use DIY Paint Dark & Decrepit Patina for my stains. It is also 100% Natural and can easily be thinned and layered to build the right look. You can also combine it with DIY Paint Old & Grey to get a more weathered look or add a little drop of paint in red or black to change the color slightly. I share how easy it is to use DIY Paint Dark & Decrepit in my video. Once you try it, you will never want to return to your stinky stain again. Why would you? You can use Dark & Decrepit inside, and clean up is so easy, just like paint. Once the Decrepit was dry, I added one more layer of protection to the whole Washstand, DIY Paint Clear Wax; in my video, you can see how easy it is to use this and why you want to use this as an extra layer of waterproof protection on tops.

I wanted this Vintage Washstand to serve multiple purposes, so I added some little casters to the bottom of the legs. My Vintage Washstand in Black Velvet and Dark Patina is ready to do hard-core service wherever it is placed. The Vintage Washstand would be great as a rolling Kitchen Island or small Buffet for extra storage. I love putting casters on furniture whenever I can, I even wrote an entire post on how adding wheels makes old furniture so versatile. 

I hope I inspired you to makeover your old stuff. Ready to get started? There is still plenty of time before the holidays! Do you need supplies? Head over to my online shop, and we would love to ship to you whatever you need, or if you are local to me, shop at Rancho Coop for all DIY Paint and IOD Needs.

Do you want to take this piece home with you? It’s available on my website now! Thanks for hanging out with me here; what will you paint next? Leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!