How To Create A Boudoir Photography Set For Your Photo Studio

DIY Tutorial On How To Refurbish An Old Thrift Store End Table To An Amazing Piece Of Boudoir Studio Furniture On A Budget

Are you a new boudoir photographer looking for ideas to create sets for your studio? Or maybe someone who wants  a new look in your home, but does not want to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars doing so? Great! This is for you.

Sure, you can go into your local furniture stores or shop online for new furniture to build the perfect set for your boudoir studio, but if you are on a budget like me, I try to find solutions that look equally great at a fraction of the price. You just have to use some imagination and creativity.

This is what I did. 

First, I took a trip to my local thrift store. I love the thrift store because of their super low prices and great looking vintage styles. Usually finding something decent looking that you can refurbish is hit or miss. 

Luckily, on this trip I found my thrift store score, a end table. ​

It was something that most people would pass by and not even take a second look at. The prior owner spray painted the majority of it black, leaving only the top in its natural wood finish. At first glance it was a disaster, however, I saw its inner beauty. 

The end table was an absolute gem. I had to have it!  

Regardless of the price I was going to buy it. I could imagine it as a night stand in my boudoir studio already. 

Sure, It is going to need a little work, but that is where you have to use some imagination and creativity. I did not see it as an old used black spray painted table at a thrift store, I visioned it as a new high-end white nightstand that I will use in one of my boudoir sets. 
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The price was $16.99. Under twenty bucks, awesome! After lugging it through the store I notice a sign near the checkout that say orange tags are 50% off today. Sweet! So the price dropped to ONLY $8.50. 

I purchased it and immediately took it to my studio. I wiped all the dirt and dust off of it with a damp rag. When I removed the drawer I noticed that it was stamped, Thomasville.

Wow! They make some great quality furniture. 

Here is the step-by-step instructions on how I refurbished this old end table into my new boudoir studio nightstand.

First, I had to sand it. Initially, I used regular 120 grit sandpaper.  

It was a major pain in the ass sanding the black spray paint off. After wasting 30 minutes of sanding around the top of the table I said forget this and drove to Home Depot and purchased some sandpaper for the electric Black & Decker “mouse” sander I already own. 

The sandpaper for the mouse costs a little more than regular sandpaper but it was definitely worth every cent in terms of the time and energy saved. 

I sanded down the entire table until most of the black paint was gone. Some of the hard to reach spots were still visible but I sanded then down the best I could. ​

Second, I took the table outside and sprayed it with white Krylon Primer. 

It took one full can to properly cover the table and the front of the drawer. I did not spray the top center of the table because I planned on covering it with white vinyl. ​

I let the primer dry for about 15 minutes. 

Third, I grabbed a can of satin white interior paint and a couple paint brushes. I purchased them at Walmart. I did not want to spend a lot of money on paint so I went with the cheapest can available. It cost about $15. I went with a satin finish because glossy would be too glossy and flat would be too flat. 

After applying one coat of paint, I could still see the wood beneath in certain areas, so I waited about ten minutes for it to dry and then applied a second coat. The paint still did not cover properly, so I applied a third coat of paint. Now it looks great and completely white with no visible wood underneath. 

As I said earlier, I did not paint the center because I am going to cover it with white vinyl. This would give my nightstand a fancy and expensive look. 

The center top of the table has a square area with an indentation around it. Inside this area is where I will place the vinyl.

Next, I used a drywall T-square to measure each side of the indentation. All sides were 23 inches long. I used a T-square because it makes perfect right angles.

I drew out the square on a piece of cardboard and then cut it out with a box cutter. 

I wanted to make sure my measurements and cut on the cardboard fit perfectly inside the square area of the table before I cut the vinyl. 

I placed the square piece of cardboard in the center of the table and the indentation matched up exactly around the edge of all sides.

Next, I laid the cardboard cut-out on the vinyl and traced around the edge of it with a pen. Then I used a pair of scissors and carefully cut along the drawn line. Now I have the final square piece of vinyl that will be used in the center of the table.

To prevent the vinyl from moving around I sprayed the back side of the vinyl with Krylon Easy-Tack spray adhesive and then carefully lined it up in the center.  

It took a few attempts to get it perfectly lined up. Luckily the adhesive is not super sticky so you can peel it off a few times until you get it right. Once the vinyl was set where I wanted it, I used my hand to smooth and remove any air bubbles under the vinyl.

To finalize the look that I wanted, I needed some upholstery tacks. I could not find a store in my area that had a tack with a shiny silver finish, so I ordered them online at Amazon. They cost about $8 for a box of 100. I ordered three boxes just to play it safe. 

You will need a hammer and a pair of needle nose pliers to set the upholstery tacks in place. 

I started in the corner. Hold a tack with the needle nose pliers in indention between the vinyl and the wood. Lightly hammer in the tack and slide out the pliers a little bit with each hit. Once the tack is aligned straight and in the position you want, completely hammer it down. Repeat the tack hammering all the way around the table. 

Try to keep the tacks close together without them overlapping on top of each other. If you notice that they are either too close or too far away, immediately pull the put with the pliers because if you hammer the tack in too far you may scratch up the paint while trying to pry the tack out.

My table took a total of 202 tacks. Good thing I ordered three packs or I would have been short 2 tacks and have an incomplete table top. ​

Lastly, I replaced the old black drawer knob with a new shiny silver one that I purchased at Home Depot for $4. This knob matched perfectly with the upholstery tacks. 

There you have it. A fun and easy DIY project to turn old furniture into an amazing look that you can incorporate into your boudoir photography set.

Please share if you like, and leave any question or comments below.