Another project

So I got these 2 night stands and they are solid wood of sorts and I was going to sand em down and paint them black and stain the fronts of the drawers and tops. Is that good idea or meh?

 

very useful tables in need of TLC ...

 

That actually sounds good. They arent super high quality but still better than the crap today. Perfect candidates for a makeover.

 

Maybe not worth all the effort of refinishing part. Maybe just paint. Could still contrast by doing two-tone.

 

Absolutely agree with @verybrad.
Just paint!

 

I know I say this often, but my grandparents had very similar night tables in their apt and they were an antique white ivory color.

 

The French White bedroom sets were popular for years. I could see that treatment on these.

 

I like your idea @jeffreyhull84 of using a combination of stain and paint. However, sanding the top might remove too much of the veneer, so I would suggest doing a distressed finish. I recently read that the shabby chic or distressed French country look is making a comeback (but not to the extremes of the 1990s).

Howard Restor-a-Finish (ebony brown) on the top and drawers would minimize the existing stains/scratches. Before painting the rest, sand lightly overall, and more on the edges to remove the white paint. Then after painting, sand through the edges again to expose some of the natural wood. Rub some Howard Restor-a-Finish (ebony brown) over the painted parts to darken the exposed wood. Then wax the whole piece.

The photo below is a bookcase I painted charcoal gray and distressed the edges, then waxed the whole thing with dark brown shoe polish. It took a while for the shoe polish to completely harden, but it gave the paint kind of an aged soft glow.

 

Whatever...