Faux Bamboo Dresser and Nightstands Revamp

I am currently participating in the One Room Challenge for Fall 2022. I am redoing our bedroom. I decided my dresser and nightstands had been sitting in the garage long enough, acquiring new dust and dog hair. It was time to revamp these babes!

My favorite places to shop lately have been at our local resale shops in Beaumont and the surrounding Houston area. Thankfully a few of my favorite stores have a fabulous social media presence and post new items regularly.

Scrolling through Instagram, I saw this picture pop up one evening. There were already soooo many people commenting on them asking how much? sold? I want? etc. Basically all the comments you DON’T want to see under a picture of something you WANT.

Now, I knew this store pretty well and its typically a first come first serve basis on purchases. I knew I’d be there the following morning before the doors opened to check out the condition of the dresser and nightstands.

As you can expect, the set was in great shape. The price tag was even better… all 3 pieces for $250! Now to find the perfect paint color….

Along with a little polling and your feedback on Instagram, I decided on Sherwin Williams Dark Night.

Materials Needed:

microfiber towel
wash rag
Dish soap (Dawn) Any mild dish soap will do
Small bowl (cereal bowl)
Sponge (Scotch-brite)
3-120 Grit Sanding Sponge (3M 120 Grit )
Spray Primer of choice (I used Sherwin Williams Bonding Primer) I used 3 cans
Paint of Choice: I used SW Dark Night All Surface Enamel Paint with Satin Finish
Drop cloth (Trimaco One Tuff)or spray tent (Wagner)
Round sander discs for orbital sander (120 grit)
trim paint brush
mask
Painting Coverall Suit
Gorilla Glue and caulk gun (if anything needs repairs)
(If you are cleaning hardware see Step 6 below for materials)

Tools Needed:

Paint Sprayer (Graco Sprayer) We had this one already.
Orbital Sander (to make life easier)
vacuum with tube attachment
drill with drill bits
clamps

Step 1: Cleaning and Sanding

I got a small bowl of water and added some dish soap to it. I cleaned off the dust and debris with the soap mixture and rag. I used a slightly damp rag. You don’t want this drenched. Allow the dresser and nightstands to full dry before sanding.

I used an orbital sander and 120 grit sanding circles. The top and sides of the dresser and nightstands are a wood veneer. 120 Grit worked great on this surface. I used the 3M 120 grit sanding sponges for the front of the drawers. After everything was sanded, I wiped down all three pieces with a microfiber towel to remove any dust.

Then I removed all the drawers and vacuumed out the dresser and nightstands.

After removing all the drawers, I inspected all the drawers and separated out the ones that needed some TLC and the ones that didn’t.

Step 2: Remove drawer pulls and screws

I removed all the hardware from the drawers using my drill. I always put any items I want to keep in a labeled ziplock bag. This helps me stay organized. Haines really liked helping with this part too.

I repaired a few drawers that were coming loose. I used some clamps and Gorilla wood glue along the edges that were coming apart.

Step 4: Prime

I used a spray tent because it made the most sense for me since I was painting in the garage. The tent couldn’t have been easier to assemble.

I put all the drawers back into their original places. I pulled the drawers out slightly just to be able to prime the edges of the face of the drawer. I also used some painters tape on the inside of each drawer to cover the screw holes. I’m not positive if this is necessary but I didn’t want to have streaks of white on the inside of my drawers.

I sprayed the primer on all three pieces. I used three cans total. This was the primer that Sherwin Williams recommended to me based on the paint I selected. My advice is to research the material you are painting and then decide what primer and paint is best! Make sure you wear your mask when spraying your primer. Mine was pretty strong. I allowed mine to dry overnight.

Step 5: Paint baby paint

Originally, I planned on purchasing a handheld paint sprayer or renting an airless paint sprayer from Home Depot. However, only the Home Depot in Orange had it available the days I needed it. (add that 20 minute drive in to your rental time) Based on my schedule with the boys, I knew I was going to need more than 24 hours with it. In my opinion, it was worth it to purchase a really good sprayer to have myself.

A project on my to-do list is to paint our house. Yes that probably sounds crazy, but I know a legit high quality sprayer will be needed for that.

There are so many great handheld sprayers out there that I really think you can find a great one easily for $50-100. Or even better, I bet you have a neighbor or friend that will lend you theirs!

I did go back to the store after my first coat to purchase a painters coverall suit. I made the mistake on the first coat to not wear this. Getting the paint off was hell. I highly recommend wearing it from the start.

I sprayed all the pieces once and allowed it to fully dry. Then I sanded it down with 120 girt sponges and my dad’s orbital sander. I wiped away any debris and dust. I gave everything a second coat. This took me two days to complete.

I touched up some of the inside edges of the drawers by hand with a brush.

Step 6: Clean up the hardware

I decided to keep the original hardware that came on my dresser and nightstands. These materials are not listed above. My hard was brass plated not real brass. How do I know? An easy test is to see if a magnetic attracts to your hardware. If it doesn’t attract it’s real brass and if it does attract its just brass plated.

I added 6 cups of distilled white vinegar and 6 cups of water into a large pot (enough to cover all the hardware). I let this come to a rapid boil and then added my hardware. I let this boil for about 20-30 minutes to remove any dirt and debris. This gets a little stinky and you can visibly see the gunk coming off the hardware. I removed the hardware with tongs and placed them on paper towels that I laid out on cookie sheets.

I made a putty mixture out of baking soda and fresh lemon juice. I scrubbed each drawer pull with a toothbrush and this mixture. I wiped off any excess with a paper towel. Lastly, I reinstalled the hardware on my furniture.