Vintage Bassett China Cabinet Gets a New LIfe

I discovered this very beaten up china cabinet at a thrift store and really liked the lines. The piece is Bassett furniture and quality built. It was a huge project to undertake but well worth the effort! This and more Before and Afters on my site - www.thepainteddrawer.com!
It was in terrible shape with deep scratches, broken glass, missing shelves, a broken door and the back was coming off. The glass that wasn't broken was absolutely filthy.
Not to mention it was near impossible to get home and almost gave me a heart attack when I had to drive with it tied in string to the top of my minivan!
First I pulled out all of the old staples and nails and re-adhered the broken piece to the door so it was flush and fit properly. I also fixed the hinges that were hanging.
Next was the top of the bottom piece. I was initially going to paint it and added wood filler to create a smooth finish for the paint. However, as I sanded back the lovely grain appeared and instead of painting it, I sanded it way back and applied a weathered gray stain.
Here is a pic of the finished bottom piece.
Another huge difference was replacing the heavy pulls with new glass pulls that add sparkle and complement the pale blue and gray.
The cabinet was missing its shelves and the glass panels on its sides were broken. I popped out the grilles and carefully measured the openings. I had new glass shelves and panels cut at my local glass shop. The two original glass panels that I was able to salvage were so dirty that I actually had to use a razor blade to scrape off the dirt. After a lot of elbow grease, they came out sparkling clean :)
Here is the finished china cabinet! The paint is General Finishes milk paint in the color Persian Blue with the interior painted in Seagull Gray. I highlighted the details in their Winter White glaze. The wood stain is Minwax Weathered Gray.
The new glass shelves and side panels fit like a glove and are clean and beautiful! I left the old grilles off as I like the more modern, clean look. I am including them with the shipment to its new owner in NY. They are easily popped back in again. She told me that she prefers them off too but they will remain with the piece.
The new glass pulls - love!
The highlighted detail pops now.
The gray top ties in nicely with the paint.
It was a huge project and I am so happy with the result!
The Painted Drawer by Suzanne Bagheri
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Cindy Cindy on May 09, 2016
    How did you remove the grilles? My china cabinet looks like I'd have to cut the grilles to get them out. Same with the stationary side glass fronts behind the grilles - I don't see how to remove it so I can paint the interior front of the wood shelves next to the glass front. There are screws that seem to help keep the glass fronts in place, but when I loosen the screws the glass & grilles still can't come out. Thanks
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  • Scheryl Shai Scheryl Shai on Jan 05, 2020

    Beautiful

  • Kris Kris on Jul 14, 2020

    Beautiful! I have a china cabinet similar to this one, only the doors on mine are molded plastic. Do you know if these can painted the same way? Is there a different way I need to prep them for paint?

    I would also like to know if you used a sprayer or brush.

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