Curio Cabinet Gets a Much Needed Makeover

Leap of Faith
by Leap of Faith
10 Materials
$30
2 Days
Medium

I love it when a friend picks up a piece of furniture from someone because she is confident that you can make it beautiful again. That's where this makeover begins.

This curio cabinet was very outdated. The mirrored back gave it a hexagon illusion. I knew that was the first thing to go. I gave the cabinet a thorough cleaning using Simple Green, a Scotch Brite sponge and bucket of water for rinsing.

Next, I removed the glass panels, pulls, back panel and mirror. Removing the back panel made it much easier to apply the primer (and paint).

I rolled on two coats of primer using a sponge roller and sponge brush. Next, I gave the cabinet a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper to remove any drips or trash in the primer.

For this project, I chose Dixie Belle Paint in Cotton for the interior and Savannah Mist for the exterior.

I painted the interior with two coats of Cotton first. After the paint dried, I used paint tape to cover any edges close to where I was going to paint with the Savannah Mist. Some paint did seep under the tape so I lightly sanded those spots with 220 grit sandpaper and touched them up.

To highlight the beautiful carved portions, I brushed on some of the Cotton paint. This really made a difference.

I applied Dixie Belle Paint Clear Wax using a wax brush (to get into the crevices) and a lint free cloth. I buffed the wax using a microfiber cloth.

I decided to replace the mirror with wallpaper. I found the perfect paper at Lowes. It is part of the Property Brothers collection.

The paper was almost the same width as the backer board so the only measurement I really needed was the length. I measured the paper and drew a cutting line on the back.

The paper is self-adhesive so first I lined it up even with the end of the backer board. I peeled a corner and then gently peeled back about 2 inches. I laid it even with the top edge

To remove the back off of the paper, I reached under and gently pulled a little at a time. Then I ran my hand across the paper to make sure there were no bubble and it was smooth all the way down.

There was a little bit of overhang. To trim the excess paper, I turned the board over, laid it on my cutting mat, and trimmed it with an exacto knife.

To reattach the back, my hubby used his staple gun but it could be tacked on with small nails.

The cabinet magnetic closures were broken and brown. I found white replacements that were the same size.

After


What a difference paint can make!

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
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Nadene kyle Nadene kyle on Jun 28, 2020


    what color of paint and what company is it. I love it and the paper. Please let me know.


Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 86 comments
  • Angie Angie on Sep 26, 2020

    I have one just like this from an estate sale. It’s old, but it looks awful. Thank you for the inspiration!!

  • Sandy Sandy on Jan 26, 2021

    I am doing this ! I have the same cabinet, it was my mom's so I definitely want to display it. Thanks for the step by step ! I love it

Next