Welcome to my happy place of DIY, homemade, homegrown, handmade, nourished & crafted, whole hearted living. Finding magic in the mundane & growing some roots in the process.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I will receive a small commission. For more info, please see my disclosure on my Connect page.
When I was getting ready for Midway Market, I realized I needed a few more pieces to fill out my booth so I headed down to the basement to pick through the hoard. I found a little oak file cabinet with great hardware and a torn map, which gave me an idea.
I pulled out a can of navy blue paint that I had picked up from a clearance sale at a furniture store, grabbed my sprayer, and set to work. On a side note, there are a hundred and one different kinds of paint out there made specifically for furniture. Put away the latex, my friends. You’ll be happier with the end result.
I gave the file cabinet a good cleaning then sanded it down to remove the old finish. After sanding, I vacuumed the piece and wiped it down with a tack cloth to remove the dust. Remember, it’s those little details like tack cloth that make the difference in the end result. Take the time to do it right.
Once it was all prepped, I sprayed the old oak file cabinet with several light coats of navy paint, allowing to dry then lightly sanding between coats. Giving a light sand before adding coats makes the paint nice and smooth.
When the paint was good and dry, I adhered the maps to the drawer fronts. Once the drawers were good and dry I distressed the edges and sprayed the whole piece with my favorite sealer. I cleaned up the dirty brass hardware but I left the patina on the finish for an aged look. That original hardware was so cool I just didn’t want to mess with it too much!
Old Village acrylic paint in Navy Blue
Mod Podge
General Finishes High Performance Top Coat in Satin
Well, there you have it.
I’m loving the result!
Don’t throw away that old file cabinet, all it needs is a little love and imagination… and maybe an old map.