The Adored Abode

Are you big into Valentine’s Day? We don’t usually do much – we have plans to make a nice dinner at home and spend the evening together. As I was taking the pictures of the finished cabinet I couldn’t help but notice the unity sand from our wedding is on the top shelf. Such a good reminder of where we started and how much we have grown as a couple – and fitting for Valentine’s Day.

I am still  catching up on writing the smaller DIY posts from our office that we completed as part of the fall One Room Challenge. The reveal was back in November! I can’t believe it’s already halfway through February, where has time gone?

Two weeks ago I shared the  DIY pinboards I created for the office (follow me on Pinterest if you don’t already – I share lots of ideas that are inspiring current and future projects!). Today I am here to share how I revamped a thrift store cabinet with paint and new hardware.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, see my disclosures here. 

The Before

Flashback to 4 years ago when we lived in our previous home – I was just starting to get into thrifting. We didn’t have a ton of storage space in our house and I wanted a cabinet to store barware and serving pieces in. The problem was I needed specific dimensions to fit on the wall we wanted the cabinet to go on.  I lucked out and found a secretary style cabinet with the perfect dimensions at a local thrift store for $30. It needed a lot of work. Nathan thought I was crazy for buying this piece, but he knew I had a vision.

I purchased this cabinet right at the beginning of when I realized I had love for interior design, home décor, and DIY. I liked (and still do enjoy) experimenting in my home, testing my limits, and figuring out what I like. Our previous home was a brand-new build, fitted with everything beige and dark wood. It was pretty, but after a year of living there I started realizing I was a bit tired of our house looking like everyone else’s, so we started making a few minor changes here and there. When I purchased this cabinet, I knew I wanted to refinish it with a bold color to break up all the beige, dark brown, and almond colored trim. I (with the help of Nathan – the man really loves color) selected a dark turquoise-y blue, in a flat wall paint and did not seal it – rookie mistake. Keep in mind this was one of the first pieces of furniture I had ever painted, I was a very green DIYer.

We loved how the cabinet turned out! I loved how it fit in with our old house and looking back at pictures of how it used to look brings back good memories.

The only issue with the newly refinished cabinet was the flat paint I painted it with. It showed every scuff and scratch. When we moved it got even more scuffed up during the move. Since our new house has much more storage, including a built in wet-bar, we didn’t need this cabinet for a bar cabinet, but I intended to repurpose it to hold office supplies in our new office (that was finished 2.5 years after we moved in). Almost 4 years later my style has really evolved, and I knew the color of the cabinet would not fit with the plan I had for the office space where I wanted it to live. Knowing the paint was so scuffed and chipping I knew this would be a perfect candidate to refinish again – especially now that I know a thing or two about refinishing furniture and cabinets.

SUPPLIES FOR REFINISHING A CABINET

This is an easy DIY! You only need a few items, but it does take some time between painting and letting each coat dry. I completed this over the course of  a weekend.

• Cabinet (or piece of furniture you are refinishing – I use the same approach for bathroom vanities and kitchen cabinets too!)
• Primer (my go-to primer – love that it is zero VOC)
• Paint (self-leveling paint is amazing! – I chose the satin finish in Simply White )
• Paint brush
• Paint roller & tray
• New cabinet hardware (if necessary)

The Process

Prep the cabinet for paint

I always start by sanding any rough areas and patching any holes (I was not replacing the hardware this time, but if I was I would have patched the holes if they did not fit with the new hardware). After sanding, wipe down the surface with a damp cloth and let it dry.

If necessary, place a tarp under the piece you are refinishing. I don’t normally do this, but since I decided to do the painting in our upstairs hallway on the wood floor I knew it would be a good idea.

PRIMING

Start by priming the piece. Priming is very important and a step you don’t want to skip! The primer ensures the paint will bond with the surface and not chip as easily. I used a combination of paint brush to cut-in the corners/hard to reach areas and used a small roller for larger areas. I applied two coats of primer waiting about two hours between coats. Going over such a dark color I thought two coats would be enough.

PAINTING

I selected to use the same paint as we used for all our trim and kitchen cabinets – the Benjamin Moore Advance line. I know it is durable and I wanted this cabinet to have durable finish.

After the second coat of primer dried I applied three coats of paint using the same technique as the primer, but I allowed it to dry 4-6 hours between coats. I am impatient and do not like the wait the “full” dry times between coats as recommended by the paint can – so to be safe you can always follow the instructions on the paint can. I thought I would only need two coats of paint, but three was necessary to completely cover all the shadows of the old blue paint showing through. Since the paint I used is self-leveling I did not really worry about smoothing brush streaks.

Once the paint dries completely – I have learned my lesson of this one and always allow at least 24 hours for the paint to cure – you can reattach or add the new hardware.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

Now it’s time to move the piece into place and bask in the “new” piece of furniture. The power of paint is truly amazing. I liked the cabinet blue, but having the cabinet white now really allows what is on the top shelves to shine.

This cabinet now holds important personal items and some of our favorite books on the top shelves and office supplies (printer, paper, folders, etc.) behind the cabinet doors. This cabinet was the perfect bar cabinet and now it’s the perfect office cabinet! I love having pieces in our home that can be used for multiple purposes should our needs change in the future.