Antique Trunk Makeover - Great for Storage

3 Materials
$25
8 Hours
Easy
I found this trunk at the Salvation Army for $20. It’s incredibly solid but, as you can see, in really rough shape. I hesitated for a minute on whether or not to get it…LOL, no I didn’t. Who doesn’t need more storage, am I right?? Plus, I love a challenge.

First things first, it needed a really good cleaning. I wiped the whole thing down, inside and out with half bleach and half water. Unfortunately, that didn’t get rid of the smell totally. I threw in the baking soda and let that sit for a few hours in the sun. That worked pretty well but after I cleaned out the baking soda I gave it a good spray of half water and half vinegar. That did the trick.
First things first, it needed a really good cleaning. I wiped the whole thing down, inside and out with half bleach and half water. Unfortunately, that didn’t get rid of the smell totally. I threw in the baking soda and let that sit for a few hours in the sun.  That worked pretty well but after I cleaned out the baking soda I gave it a good spray of half water and half vinegar. That did the trick.
The outside of the trunk had a lot of wholes and divots in it. I filled them in with a lot of spackle. I used a putty knife to smooth it out. It took a few coats with sanding in between each to get it smooth.
Once I had it all sanded and wiped down, it was on to paint. I used homemade chalk paint with plaster of Paris mixed with Creamy White paint. It took three coats to really cover.
I really wanted to line the inside but didn’t want to spend a ton of money so I picked up this shelf liner at the dollar store. I love the color! It’s so clean and happy :).
Blogger error here. I didn’t take any pic’s of installing this. I basically opened up the roll and cut it to length with scissors and then placed it inside. I lined it up, bent it along the side I was working on, creased it nd was able to use an X-acto knife to cut along the edge. I removed the handles on the ends to get it smooth on the inside.  Then we added bun feet to give it a bit of height.
Here’s how it came out. I’m using it in my Master Bedroom Closet for additional linen storage. We recently did a whole closet makeover which you can see on the blog.
For more information on this project and more like it, visit my blog at  http://mylifeonkayderosscreek.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lifeonkayderosscreek/.
Suggested materials:
  • Chalk paint   (Homemade)
  • Drawer Liner   (The Dollar Store)
  • Spackle   (Home Depot)
Colleen@lifeonkayderosscreek
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 8 questions
  • Kim Vander Ploeg Kim Vander Ploeg on Jul 28, 2017

    Love it! Where did you get the pillows?

  • Sue Sue on Aug 14, 2017

    Homemade chalk paint, how?


  • Smythy0539 Smythy0539 on Aug 22, 2017

    The smell you said the trunk had, was it a musty smell? I have a cedar trunk that I want to redo but not sure I can get that musty smell out. Do you know if sanding the inside will release new cedar smell after I try cleaning it like you did? Love your project and it has inspired me to try mine.

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