Nightstand Turned VW Bus Makeover

I love transforming furniture into cool, unexpected things, and this nightstand makeover was no exception! My client’s son has a car themed room, so taking his nightstand and making it look like an old VW bus quickly became the plan.

Below is a list of supplies I used for this look. These are affiliate links; they don’t cost you anything extra, but I do earn a small commission if you click and buy through them.

Supply List

• Green EZ Furniture Strip and Clean Finishing Cleaner
• Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint Kashmir
• Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint Charleston Green
• Wise Owl Paint Heavy Metals Metallic in Mercury
• Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint Sea Salt
• Matte Varnish by Wise Owl Paint
• Wise Owl Stain Eliminating Primer (Gray)
• Quality Paint Brushes, such as Cling On or Wise Owl Paint Premium Brushes
• Painters Tape
• Surf Prep Sander (Use Code BELLARENOVARE10 for 10% off)

It is always important to clean your furniture thoroughly before doing anything else. I used the GREENEZ Finishing Cleaner for this. This cleaner can either be put in a bucket and diluted with water, it can be used full strength (but be careful, this stuff is strong and can remove finishes and paint), or you can dilute some in a water bottle as I did here. Generally, I use it diluted in a water bottle for less dirty jobs. I also always rinse the furniture off with clean water and a clean rag to get all the residual cleaner off.  Once rinsed and completely dry, I scuff-sanded to give the surface grip; some people like to refer to this as “tooth” or “bite”. As a result, this allows the paint to grip the surface, increasing adhesion and durability.

I also primed this nightstand with Wise Owl Paint's  Stain Eliminating Primer in Gray. I used a few lighter paint colors on this project, so I wanted to ensure the best surface possible for this nightstand makeover!

Now it’s time to start making it look like a VW Bus! My first step was to paint the top of the nightstand. Generally, VW Bus’s have roofs that are a lighter color, so I used Kashmir Chalk Synthesis Paint by Wise Owl Paint. Kashmir is a beautiful, warm white color.

All VW Buses have a V shape on the front. Painter’s Tape helped me get the perfect lines for this. I also wanted to create a metallic accent stripe to really make this unique. Wise Owl Paint’s Heavy Metals Metallics line was the perfect choice! I used Mercury, a silver metallic, and it only took two coats!

Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint in Charleston Green was the perfect dark green for the bottom of this nightstand makeover.

Creating windows was the final detail to complete the VW look. I used Wise Owl Chalk Synthesis Paint in Sea Salt to create two little windows at the top of this nightstand makeover. After I finished painting the bottom and once everything was dry, I sealed the entire piece with 2 coats of Wise Owl Paint’s Matte Varnish. The result is a super durable finish that my client’s son can enjoy for many years!