The Breathtaking Way She Decides to Use an Old Kitchen Cabinet

5 Materials
$50
2 Hours
Medium

As you all know, I am on Facebook Marketplace daily. Scoping out deals and freebies! Just a few weeks ago, I spotted this custom made kitchen cabinet. It was all wood and in great condition and the asking price was $20.00. The sellers were converting to open shelving and had the original cabinets for sale. This was the last one! There was storage space inside, so I knew it would make a great functional piece, in just about any room of the home. It just needed a few minor adjustments.

For starters, the cabinet needed height. I had these four furniture feet in my stash that I had found at the Thrift Store for $1.00 each, and they were unfinished. They would be perfect for my project.


The Hubs drilled a hole in each corner of the bottom of the cabinet. He then screwed the feet into place. It was a solid wood piece so it would hold the feet nicely without any wobbling.

I chose the paint color Drop Cloth from Dixie Belle. I have fallen in love with this color! My walls in the dining room are camel colored which would coordinate well. 

The only prep work that was needed for my repurposed kitchen cabinet was giving it a good cleaning. I used my vinegar and water solution to clean the cabinet thoroughly. Half vinegar and half water proportions. I did not remove the doors. I normally do, but I wanted the hardware to be painted so that it could be distressed later. 


After the cabinet dried, I applied the first coat of paint using my Wooster silvertip paintbrush. I also painted the feet. I had the hubs help me place the cabinet on my workshop table. It was easier to paint that way instead of having to work low on the floor.

After allowing the cabinet to dry for about 3 hours, I then applied the second coat. It only took two coats of the Drop Cloth for full coverage. 

The next day, (I started late afternoon on this project) I took my 220-grit sandpaper and distressed around the edges, heavily! I wanted a worn, chippy look. After distressing, I also sanded the entire piece lightly to achieve a smooth finish.

I felt the doors needed some help. They were plain. I had this Americana Décor stencil that I had purchased off Amazon a while back. I have always been afraid of stenciling, but I thought, heck why not give it a try. If I goof, I can paint over it. 

I used brown craft paint for the stencil. To apply the paint to the stencil, I used a makeup sponge. I read somewhere they are great to stencil with so I thought I would give it a try. I used a paper plate and squeezed out a quarter size amount. The sponge was dabbed into the paint and then dabbed a few times on a clean area of my plate until any excess paint was removed.

Then, I just simply dabbed ever so lightly up and down. Almost like a light pounding. I then went back over and dapped with my sponge just to make sure there were not any areas with too much paint. 

I removed the stencil once I had it all filled in. A big sigh of relief! It didn’t look too bad!

I did the other door using the same method. Just be sure to use a ruler and line everything up so you don’t have one wonky stencil!


Once the stencil paint dried COMPLETELY, I used a piece of 220-grit sandpaper to sand lightly over the stenciled area. Remember, I was going for the worn look.


I sealed the entire piece with one coat of Dixie Belle’s Best Dang Wax.


The cabinet did not have the hardware. I found these two wood knobs in my stash that had a few dings! They would be perfect!

I loved the way my repurposed kitchen cabinet turned out! And for less than $30 bucks because I had the hardware and feet on hand.


Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Lucie - Oh my sander
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 12 questions
  • Debra Dusseau Debra Dusseau on Jun 20, 2020

    Did you add a top on this cabinet ? I have not seen one with solid top.

  • Del Penn Del Penn on Jun 20, 2020

    I have a vent pipe in the middle of the wall that may be to expensive to move so I need som ideas to cover it

  • Erin Erin on Aug 09, 2021

    That is gorgeous!

    For the life of me, I don’t know why anyone wants open shelving in their kitchens. Who has time for all that dusting?!

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 102 comments
Next