China Cabinet Makeover

Desiree G
by Desiree G
2 Materials
$50
5 Hours
Medium
We recently inherited my husband's grandmother's china cabinet and the before was heavy and dark! I knew I wanted a chippy white look for it but not too white.

Fusion Mineral Paint is my favorite paint right now and I chose the color Champlain but I didn't want my Rae Dunn collection to blend in with the color, so I painted the back wall a soft blue.
I was planning on priming the hutch first since the wood is so dark and I was afraid of the wood bleeding through but I took a chance and painted a section to see if it was going to bleed through the paint. Nope!


I did clean the whole piece with TSP first to remove all dirt and oils. If you don't want this much distressing I recommend that you prime first if the surface is shinny or really slick.
I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Champlain for the body and Rust-Oleum in Serenity Blue for the back wall.
It took 3 coats to cover completely.
I started sanding it a couple hours after the paint dried so it would be easier to sand in a chippy look. I used a coarse grade, 120 grit sanding disk since already have a lot of them for my sander. Using pressure with one finger in the areas I wanted to chip away. After you have your desired look, go over it with a fine (220 grit) sanding block to get a smooth finish.
I wanted a chippy look to it and since the finish on the hutch was shinny/slick when I started sanding it the paint came off in larger sections & I LOVE it!


By pressing hard with one finger in areas it took the paint off in large sections, achieving that chippy look.


I wasn't sure if I wanted to take the top doors off or not so I took one side off to see what it looked like without them. The glass panes would reflect the sunlight making it hard to see inside the hutch. I loved the look with the window panes, so I just took the glass out of the doors.


Don't be afraid of trying something to see if you like it first.


I painted over the hinges and distressed them. It gives a soft look with the hardware just blending in with the piece. 
To keep with the rustic feel of this makeover I decided to do a very soft dry brush over the blue with the same color of the body of the china cabinet. You can see the difference in the top photo. The upper shelf area doesn't have the dry brush or distressing.
Isn't it beautiful?!
The light blue on the back wall makes the white china stand out!
I love how bright and light this space is now!
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Desiree G
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 5 questions
  • Dl.5660408 Dl.5660408 on Mar 18, 2018

    Love, love love it! The soft blue is awesome. I wondered, is there a difference between mineral and chalk paint?

  • Sally Sally on Dec 04, 2019

    I may have missed it in the direction but did you sand the cabinet down any so the paint will stick to it?

  • Shelli Claussen Shelli Claussen on Nov 24, 2020

    What was the color of blue you used on the back? I love it.


Comments
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2 of 108 comments
  • Jaswan Jaswan on Nov 24, 2020

    I think you should take the doors off for a less busy look. Don't discard them just try without

  • Anita Fix Anita Fix on Nov 24, 2020

    Beautiful, your dining room is so nice. Thank you so much for sharing. I love it.

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