Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bathroom Remodel: Trash to Treasure Bathroom Cabinet

Lit and Laundry
Finished for Friday is hosted by the very crafty lady at Lit and Laundry's Blog. She always has something wonderful to show that she has finished in time to post on Fridays. I am going to participate this week, it is my first post for Finished for Friday...and if you are wondering why that is...it is very simple...I don't finish much around here these days! There.. I said it.

Many of you have been following along with our bathroom remodel....and no...we are not finished. But I did want to show you a project I have been working on and did finish for today.

I knew I did not want to purchase a new cabinet to install in the bathroom. A new cabinet just did not have the look or charm I was looking for. I have been searching online for older, wooden cabinets, vintage cabinets, or something that would fit in our new decor for the bathroom.

Oh, believe me when I say I found plenty of cabinets that fit the bill....however...the bill was just more than I was willing to pay. Remember, I am cheap. I was not willing to pay the steep cost of getting "old, vintage, charming, unusual"... even for the one cabinet I did not think I could live without. But once the builder emailed me the price of $385.00 for the dimensions I provided, the price was way out of my budget. Now, granted I am sure some of you think that might not be a bad price, and believe me, it was a real hard thing not to go ahead and purchase the cabinet but something just would not let me do it.

Little did I know, the perfect...well almost perfect cabinet was waiting for me to discover it just a couple of weeks ago.


I was at a local estate sale two weeks ago and stumbled upon this beige colored cabinet sitting in a hall at the sale. There was no tag, so I figured this was either sold, or was more than I was willing to pay.

The cabinet was old...just like I wanted.

The size was so close to being the size I was looking for.....it was ironic.

This was most likely handmade...although, really not my style at first glance.

This had vintage hardware......just what I wanted....and it was in perfect working order.

The price....$20.00......SOLD.

Now, on the drive home, I questioned my purchase and was worried this was not going to work out....thinking I should have just spent the $385.00 on the cabinet I wanted originally. I was worried that I might not be able to make-over this cabinet to my liking. And I knew I would have to hear about it from my husband. He has little faith as it is. When I showed him the cabinet, as you can expect...he just looked at me and shook his head. I was scared to even start the project. The cabinet sat in the spare bedroom for two days. Untouched.

Then, one afternoon I was looking at a candle holder we purchased at Canton last summer and that was it...the look I wanted for my new cabinet.....Perfect.

I know you are thinking how cute these little doggies are...they are salt and pepper shakers and look just like Sophie and Dora. OK sorry...back to the cabinet.

The first thing I did was remove all the old hardware and carefully put it away. Next I sanded the whole cabinet with a hand sander. I kept the original paint just sanded it down to the original wood in some places to rough it up.

Next, I applied a coat of Valspar Woodlawn Charm Blue paint from Lowe's. Let dry. Sanded. Then painted with a coat of Valspar Homestead Resort Moss paint from Lowe's. Let dry. Sanded.

I sanded at the edges, corners, and behind the hardware areas. Remember, I was looking for a rustic finish, so there really is no right or wrong in the process.

The final coat was Valspar Waverly Classics paint in a Bangkik Rust color. I painted the inside solid and distressed the outer perimeters with sanding and dry brush painting the blue and green and red again in layers.

To give this the aged look I was after, I brushed on a coat of Black Valspar Antiquing Glaze. Brush on, and wipe off with an old t-shirt or um....an old pair of your husbands undies....sorry, that is what I used. Let completely dry. Finally, I sealed this with three coats of a matte finish polyurethane.

Here is a close up of the front of the cabinet. What do you think?....does this look old to you or freshly painted? Truth.... please.....you won't hurt my feelings. If too many of you think it does not look old....I will just have to buy the one my heart was set on to begin with....not really. I know some will not care for this look...my daughter is one of those people...and that is OK. You will have to see the big picture of everything together and then, you will understand what I was looking for in this old cabinet. But I am happy with the way it turned out and the price, even if some folks I know say I should have purchased a new one.

Here is a look of the inside before I painted the final interior coat of paint and sealed it.

Here is a close-up of the wonderful vintage hardware. I just love this about the cabinet. It works wonderfully, and I love the look.

Yes, I finished this by today so I could show it off. Imagine...going from this candle holder to the cabinet below. I think it is a close resemblance and I like how it turned out.


Total cost for the cabinet:

$20.00 for cabinet at estate sale
$15.00 for paint and glaze
$ 6.50 for sealer
Total: $41.50

Hope you enjoyed my Finished for Friday post....check back Monday for more of the final stages of the remodel..we are almost done...promise! I will show you what we did for the mirror, and how this cabinet looks with the mirror and lighting.

Be sure and visit Lit and Laundry for more great items Finished for Friday.

24 comments:

  1. oh I LOVE IT! you did a great job! I think it looks old...totally looks like something that has been used by several different generations, all with their own choice of paint color!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can not believe you painted this and it came out the way it did. It looks old and wonderfully charming! I need help at my house, are you available?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I cannot believe you spent only $41on that gorgeous cabinet...unbelievable! You did a super job with it, Suzanne...I LOVE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're an inspiration!
    That was a tutorial too.
    Great post, and what fun for you.
    Girl, you're something!

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW!! you did an awesome job on that girl..and I love the way it looks..of course I love anyhting thats looks old..and girl when I had all prims in my house I paid top dollars for pieces like this..great redo...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! You could go into business and sell something like this! I think it looks perfect.

    This was a great tutorial too, thanks for telling us every step, and thanks for joining in!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think it's fantastic!!! I love anything vintage and with character. If I think it can 'tell' a story, it's my taste and that cabinet is just awesome! Right up my alley! You know, it doesn't matter if "others" say you should have bought the new one, YOU did what you knew would work for you and your bathroom and I think the choice was the right one.
    PS I get it. I kept my original kitchen cab's when everyone else has said to "gut" the kitchen. Uh, NO!
    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You give the word talented a whole new name! I LOVE that cabinet!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the vintage hardware! It can't be beat! My most hated painting job is cabinet interiors....It makes my neck and wrists hurt just thinking about it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm glad that you finished it in time for this post. Good bargain!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This definitely looks old...not freshly painted at all!!!! I am so impressed. WTG!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I enjoyed your post -- and your wonderfully finished project!

    I love the idea "Finished by Friday"...because, as you mentioned, some weeks I don't get a lot done! his would be a good incentive to tackle one item and then proudly post it, just as you've done!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I adore it and you did a good job. I will note this if I ever want to distress something as I love how it turned out.

    Have a great weekend from
    Roberta Anne

    ReplyDelete
  14. You did a great job! and the vintage hardware is the finishing touch!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think you could go into the business of refinishing! This looks spectacular! And you're right, that hardware on that cabinet was worth the $20.00! What a find! It was meant to be. laurie

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Suzanne...that woman's intuition of yours is priceless...it nagged you into not buying the new $385 cabinet, because it knew something better was waiting for you! Bravo!!
    ;-) Bo

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am going to wait for the "big piture".

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think your cabinet looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You have a gift of seeing the end result or big picture ---you always make something beautiful out of something not so pretty----doing a great job---anxious to see the completed room.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love love love the detail of the hardware. Finishes it off so perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  21. congrats! keep up the good work/this is a great presentation.
    bathroom cabinets

    ReplyDelete

Sometimes someone says something really small, and it's like it fits into this empty space in your heart!

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts here, they really mean a lot to me!

Suzanne

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...