Railroad Shipping Crate to Coffee Table.
3 Materials
$40
1 Hour
Easy
About a month ago, while browsing at an antique mall, I came across an old railroad shipping crate from Railway Express Agency. It was dried out, sad, neglected and It was begging to be brought back to life!
Without hesitation I brought it home and set it in my living room, where it rested for a few weeks. When inspiration struck one day, I immediately brought it out into my workshop and got to work on bringing it back life!
This project only took me a little under 2 hours to complete. It also helped that I worked on this on a warm day, which allowed the shellac I used to dry at a better rate!
The first thing I did, was cleaned the crate gently with a wet rag, let it dry, then I I added two coats of clear Zinsser Shellac with a paint brush over the entire exterior, interior and lid of the crate. Once the two coats were dried, I applied caster wheels to the bottom with screws, and topped it off with adding vintage styled pulls to the lid, so it would be easier to open!
I love the transformation that happens to wood when you just add a clear coat of shellac! It brings out the details, history and unique markings, all while sealing it up!
With a little bit of work, an hour or two of time, I have refreshed this piece of history into a one of a kind piece of multi functional furniture!
I just love working on projects like this, and finding pieces like this that have been forgotten about and then showing others how easy it is to save a piece of amazing history.
See more over at http://endlessacresfarmtiques.com/2017/08/21/from-railroad-shipping-crate-to-unique-coffee-table/
This is what the crate looked liked before I added the clear shellac.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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