New Life for an Old Armoir
by
Cari
7 Materials
$75
4 Days
Easy
I have had this armoire for over 20 years and it was definitely showing the wear. There were scratches on it because it doesn't matter how many scratching posts you get your cat they like the furniture better. One of the drawers was broken and so it wouldn't open or close correctly. And it was just a light colored oak that looked a little 80's and really didn't go with anything anymore. I decided I wanted to add some color to brighten up my living room and update it.
This is a photo of my armoir. I didn't think to take a picture in process because to be honest with you I didn't think it would turn out as well as it did.
I started by just hand sanding lightly any rough spots, then I removed the drawers and the knobs on the drawers.
It is pretty but just blah.
I started to cover the cat scratches but decided I wouldn't even use this drawer, so it was out.
I used a roller and painted the entire outside with Krylon Ultimate coverage in Barn Red. This covers really well and it only took 1 coat.
I let that dry over night and then I came back with a glaze I made with 1 part Rust-oleum and 2 parts McCloskey translucent color glaze. I brushed this on the inside of the cabinet doors and then aged the outside a little by just lightly brushing the high points of the armoire. The red looks really bright in this photo but it is a pretty barn red.
Anyplace that might be worn by age I ran across with a large stiff paint brush and the glaze mixture. If you get too much in one spot just wipe it with a rag and start again. I let that dry overnight.
The next day I covered the entire thing in a Rust-oleum polyurethane.
I used the glaze, stain mixture to brush the inside doors. I just wanted them to have a little texture and age to them.
I ordered wall decals from Wayfair.com, very inexpensive. I wasn't sure if I would like them or not. It's hard to see but these are the decals on the inside of the cabinet doors
I ordered wall decals from Wayfair.com. I wasn't sure if I would like them or not. The decal on the inside of the cabinet doors. The wall decal from Wayfair was very easy to put on and take off if you don't like it. After I got it where I wanted it and decided I liked it I put a poly coat on it.
3 baskets perfectly fit in place of the broken drawer. Got them on sale at Target.com
New handles from Hobby Lobby
The finished piece - I love it, I should have done it years ago
This is it and I couldn't be happier with it. It was very easy, took me 2 weekends. I did it in my living room, I just put down plastic so I wouldn't ruin the wood floors.
The lighting in my living room is dark so it's hard to get a good picture of this red. This is lightened a little so maybe you can see the aging a little better.
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3 comments
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Oh I love this new look!
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Thanks
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