Our Hopeful Home: How To Paint Thomasville French Provincial Louis XV Style Vintage Nightstand

white painted French provincial nightstand

I love barn sale season. So far this year I scored, among other things, a Thomasville French provincial Louis XV-style vintage nightstand. I sorely needed a new nightstand, and this three-drawer chest was just the ticket. But of course, I had to put my own painted spin on it. Continue reading to see the before and after as well as the how-to. I'm in love.

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I'm writing this post as part of my participation in the Do It Over Designers bloggers' group. It's our second get-together, and I'm very excited to be a part of this very talented group. So be sure to check out all their projects at the end of this post!

mahogany nightstand three drawer leaf drawer pull

Treasure number one is this Thomasville French Provincial Louis XV Style vintage nightstand. (Treasure number two will be shared in another post, so stay tuned.) It was sitting in a corner of one of the horse stalls with other furniture stacked on top of it. My husband cleared out the debris and got his hands on it for me. We inspected it and for $25 we said yes right away.

I was thrilled that it had the quintessential, scrolly, French provincial leaf drawer pulls.

It was not without its flaws -- there were deep gouges that needed to be filled.

But I wasn't deterred in my mission to bring it home.

Thomasville French Provincial Louis XV Style

Vintage Nightstands (Ebay)

Upon a bit of research it didn't take long to find these two beauties on Ebay -- for the lovely asking price of $635! They were exactly the same as my barn sale find! (Minus the flaws, of course, which I believe are the best thing about it.)

Thomasville French provincial dresser

And I found this lovely Thomasville French provincial dresser/buffet on sale for $599.00. Wow, would I love to find this in a barn stall! Luckily I already have a thrift store French provincial dresser that I restored.

Here she is after one coat of Kilz primer. I knew that with the dark stain it would need at least one coat of primer before painting.I ended up doing two coats in order to be reasonably confident that the dark wood and/or wood tannins would not seep through. When you're painting over dark wood with white paint you can't be too careful!

Thomasville French provincial Louis XV Style vintage nightstand

Here it is after two coats of Kilz primer and two coats of Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte paint in Linen White. It's like night and day compared to the original piece.

white painted nightstand porcelain pumpkin vase fall flowers mantel faux brick

Here's a sneak peek of it in the master bedroom. More photos of it styled, along with my fall mantel, can be found near the end of this post.

The detailed leaf drawer pulls add a romantic French flair to the table.

The detailed feet also lend a romantic air to the piece.

How To Paint A French Provincial Nightstand

Materials:

1. paint

2. primer

3. clear wax

4. paint brush (es)

5. drop cloth or Dollar Tree shower curtain liner

6. Magic Erasers or TSP
7. liquid Barkeeper's Friend (optional for hardware)
8. cotton lint-free cloth (for wax) -- I use old white T-shirts
9. medium grit sandpaper (optional for sanding wood filler or distressing)
10. hand vacuum
11. wood filler (optional)
*NOTE: Be sure to buy the appropriate color of wood filler, depending on what color the wood is and what color you plan on painting it.
12. painter's tape (optional)
13. zip-lock baggies (optional for hardware)

Step-by-Step Painting Guide

1. Clean the piece thoroughly with Magic Erasers or TSP, lint-free cloth and a hand vacuum.

2. Inspect the piece for any gouges and/or nicks in the wood.

3. Fill gouges and nicks with wood filler. Once dry (or following the brand's instructions), sand the filled areas smooth and vacuum away any dust before painting.

4. Remove all hardware and clean it well with TSP or liquid Barkeeper's Friend then place in well-marked zip-locked bags. If you are going to refinish or paint them, now would be a good time.

5. Tape off any areas you want protected from paint with painter's tape.

9. Prime with either one or two coats as needed.

10. Paint the piece, most likely with two coats, even if using chalk paint.

11. Once it's completely dry, apply wax and buff (per wax instructions) as desired.

12. Reattach hardware.

white painted vintage nightstand white birch logs basket striped throw

Those of you who've followed my ever-changing style preferences might have already noticed something here. Yes, I'm going all white in the master bedroom. (Shh, please don't tell my husband.) Eventually I will be able to share the entire room with you but that won't be possible for a while as I'm working on more than a few projects for the room.

fall mantel lanterns pumpkins flowers vintage books fall art

I was absolutely thrilled with the outcome of this Thomasville French provincial Louis XV style vintage nightstand. I think it goes along well with our newly refurbished salvaged mantel.