Asked on Sep 27, 2014
China cabinet makeover - to paint or re-stain?
by
MC
+17
I have inherited this china cabinet from my mom who passed away in May of this year. Have just repainted my dining room and as you can see by the picture, I have stack of lumber for new flooring to be installed next week. My dining room table is a darker wood with more brown tones - maybe a rich Kona coffee color. I am torn between painting this china cabinet or just restaining it darker to blend better with the table. My walls are painted a greyish color called Ranchwood from Glidden (VERY NEUTRAL) I know all the attributes of chalk paint, but I think I am going to stick with regular paint, that is if I paint it and then put a coat of poly on top. I am not much for the distressed look either. So I am open to any suggestions
What did u do with this piece ?
Sorry for your loss!
If a piece of furniture has a nice finish I love to leave them as is. As for changing the finish of antiques in my mind destroys the value for me
i absolutely do not paints such as milk paint or the distressed look.
The only thing I don't really care for is the hardware but it's your cabinet. I also agree with the other posters. Wait until the room is finished, take a photo, and really look at it. Do you really want to change it? Maybe wallpaper behind the shelves in a grey pattern to coordinate with your wall color? Sorry for your loss. I lost my mom in 1998 and I still miss her very much. Hang onto to that china cabinet and remember her fondly everytime you see it. Maybe put something inside that was hers if possible. Good luck with your project :-)
Nice to have the memory of your Mother. Everything doesn't have to be matchy-matchy. Try eclectic?
It is so special that you have something of your mom's with you...I totally agree with the other comments that you may want to wait until the room is completed before you start working on the hutch...once you start changing it it may be almost impossible to fix if you don't like it...and everything doesn't have to match...it can coordinate....or compliment...
Leave it as is and live with it in the room a while. How about cover a foam board with fabric and put it in the back? You can always paint /stain it later. My mom has been gone 9 years so I understand fully.
Would like to know what you did with the cabinet. I just bought an older home and it has the bottom piece just like yours. My drawers have a curve to them. I want to take drawers and doors off and do something , don't know what yet. I am open to suggestions. There is no top to my cabinet and I have a large mirror hanging above it. I do not like the dark color. Anyone have pictures of something similar I would love to see them. Thank You !
Blessings to your family. I'm sorry for your loss. Maybe if you wait a while, you'll love the piece as is. Being different isn't so bad. Nothing has to match perfectly. Best of luck.
Wondering what you did with this cabinet. I have just inherited the same exact cabinet. It was my great grandmothers and I’m so excited. To get my hands on it. I am not going to paint it. I know I want to keep it as close to the original color as I can. Here’s a picture of mine.
Beautiful cabinet .. I would for sure paint to be a statement in the room
Leave it as it is, it's great!
Second thought, If you really want to do something, why not just use a dark stain on the drawer front panels only to match in with your other furniture.
This is a personal decision. If you have reservations about painting wood, try staining it first. If you don't like it, go with paint.
After my dad passed we had a big house to clean out and it was packed full. He had built a bookcase about a year before he passed. It is wood but not nice looking wood. The paint job really refreshed the piece and it look much nicer now. New hardware will also give you piece a new look.