4 the love of wood: HOW TO MAKE A NIGHTSTAND TALLER

I added 3.5 inches to this nightstands without adding legs. Let me show you how ...

Years ago when we upgraded to a new mattress our
nightstands got lost. Guess what ... all vintage bedside
cabinets were too short, some were 25 inches but most were
shorter than that. I knew if I could figure out away to
add at least a few inches they would be more comfortably
to use again with our now taller bed.

Well over time I have written several articles about adding
legs to nightstands, it's the easiest solution to consider. But
what about other option? Not everyone can find or afford a
set of legs, and maybe like this bedside cabinet it already has nice legs.

My idea this time around was to add a bit of
height at the top, or just under the top.

I took the drawers out and turned the piece upside down on
the work bench. I used a flash light to find the screw heads
that held the top on. They were inside the cabinet body
going up thru the edge frame into the underneath of the
surface board. Did you follow all that?

Once that was removed I started to design and then
construct the extension. I used wide trim molding for the
front and sides, some 2x2, and plywood for attaching it all
to the existing frame.

TIP
Be sure to use wood glue and always make strong joints.

Every vintage nightstand is going to be a little different so
every step I used on this piece won't be the same as another.
But the new frame must be solid and it must have new places
to drive screws thru to attach the original top back on. I used
the 2x2's extending across to re-attach the surface.

CAUTION
Do not drive your screws all the way through the top and
break the surface.