A few years ago, my friend's mom passed away and I was given her little 16 drawer cabinet by her daughter. She had used it for her sauce packets and tea bags. It took me along time to figure out what I wanted to do with it, how to redesign it and for what purpose.
The it hit me. I could use it for my random tools and furniture parts that were scattered all over my workshop. Ah ha!
So I got busy and designed each drawer differently to not only show my own personality, but to also showcase some different furniture redesign techniques on a teeny tiny scale.
The BEFORE:
To prepare a piece for paint, DH and I first needed to clean, sand and prime:
- Remove the Colonial looking top part.
- Cleaned with Krud Kutter and scuff sand.
- Shore up the drawers so they fit well.
- Spray prime it with oil-based primer.
The piece is rustic, so I didn't feel like I had to make it perfect. Sometimes the blemishes make it more charming, and in this case, it only added to the look.
The AFTER:
I paired it with an end table that I had in my inventory. I originally considered just adding legs, but this was a much easier solution. I painted it Gothic Gray to match the body of the cabinet, stenciled on the front of the drawer with Silver Metallic from the Royal Collection, and added matching hardware. I didn't use poly because the topcoat is built right in the Ultratique paint.
PRODUCTS USED
Ultratique Gothic Gray
Royal Collection Silver Leaf Metallic
Since I designed all the drawers differently, I'll start out by showing four at a time, close up, describing the process and listing the products. I'll list links to my store and Amazon where you can find them. Many are affiliate links, but no worries, it won't cost you a cent to support my store. Next post, I'll do four more till all 16 are detailed.
Here's the Deets
I numbered the drawers before I took them out so I'd know which ones fit in that particular spot. Handcrafted pieces can be irregular and this one was not exception. These are #1, 2, 5 & 6.
Drawer #1 - Metal Corners
This has Retique It Light Wood as the base and after it was dry, I painted Dark Wood on top of that. This is a paint that is called Liquid Wood because it's 60% wood. It goes on just like regular paint and is stainable.
I used a graining tool with teeth (not the typical graining tool that creates a wood grain look) to make squiggles in the dark wood before it dried and then stained it with Barnwood Glaze and Stain, three coats. I painted on three coats and let it dry. I didn't wipe any of the coats off. I sealed with Polyacrylic and tacked on corner trim that I got from Temu.
PRODUCTS USED (All Retique It)
Light Liquid Wood
Dark Liquid Wood
Barnwood Glaze & Stain
Polyacrylic - Satin
Graining Tool
Wonder Brush
Drawer #2 - Love Coffee
The base color is Ultratique Gothic Gray blended with CrystaLac Midnight Blue and glazed with Charcoal Gel Stain. The coffee mug and hearts, along with the streaks on the base color is done with black acrylic stencil paint. I used gloss Polyacrylic to seal.
PRODUCTS USED
Retique it Ultratique Gothic Gray
CrystaLac Flip'N Awesome Midnight Blue
Retique It Charcoal Gel Stain
Retique It Polyacrylic - Gloss
Drawer #5 - Kitty
The base color is first painted with Ultratique Gothic Gray with Charcoal Wood'n Stain added on top (quiggles in the Wood'n Stain were made by a foam brush while it was still wet). The kitty is stenciled with Gothic Gray and the bee is a charm from Michaels. It's sealed with white wax.
PRODUCTS USED
Retique it Ultratique Gothic Gray
Retique It Wood'n Stain - CharcoalÂ
Drawer #6 - Be-YOU-tiful
The base color is Ultratique Alabaster glazed with Walnut Gel stain. Stenciling is done with Ultratique Spiced Cider, and the wood applique is painted in Spiced Cider as well, glued on with Alene's Craft Glue. Drawer front is sealed with Matte Polyacrylic.
PRODUCTS USED
Ultratique Alabaster & Spiced Cider
Black Walnut Gel Stain
Retique It Polyacrylic - Matte
Next up: Drawers 3, 4, 7 & 8. Most of the products used on this piece came from FurnitureFlippingMarket.com. I looked for years for a company with excellent products owned by trustworthy and honest people. Retique It fit the bill and now I have a website that features those products. Come take a look and try some products. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks for visiting,
