Everyone has that one room or one piece of furniture that no longer works don't they? As we go through life we fall out of love with something that used to co-ordinate so well with our home as it begins to look tired and dated. As our lives change, we need different storage options to suit whatever we want to keep. Although new furniture and storage solutions are now freely available often at low prices, we often spend hours searching for that perfect item that suits our taste and decor. We spend even longer looking for something we feel confident won't fall apart after a few months.
The good news is though that with some time and patience, the solution can be found at the end of a paintbrush. Today, we will show you how to re-vamp an old filing cabinet into a storage solution that will take pride of place in your office or craft room.
YOU WILL NEED
Storage of your choice
Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Primitive and Everlasting
DecoArt Americana acrylic paint in Lamp Black
DecoArt stencils - we used Paris Street, Old French Script, Fleur de Lys and Brocade.
DecoArt 4" flat brush
DecoArt 1" Angled brush
DecoArt Round Brush
Matte wax
Kitchen towel
Mount Board
Stanley knife
1. To ensure a good finish, before we get started with any painting, you need to remove any handles or plates from the piece you are painting. These will be added back on (or replaced) when you have finished. You will also need to remove all the drawers.
2. At Folk It we just love DecoArt's Chalky Finish paint as it requires no special preparation before you start painting so this was the perfect choice for these metal cabinets. Using the Chalky Finish 4" flat brush, cover the surfaces with two coats of Chalky Finish in Primitive. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying more paint.
DecoArt's Chalky Finish paint is available is a gorgeous range of colours so there are plenty to choose from if you don't like what we have used.
Note: Unless you want a distressed finish, do not sand the piece in-between coats as this will remove the original colour and allow the metal/original colour to show through.
3. Next, place the Paris Street stencil onto the top of the cabinets. Using the Chalky Finish Angle brush, dip it lightly into the Lamp Black paint. Next, rub your brush gently onto the kitchen towel to remove excess paint. Your brush should be almost dry before you begin to apply paint to the stencil to prevent the paint bleeding through the stencil and creating a messy finish. When your brush is ready, apply paint to the stencil using a 'pouncing' action and continue until all areas of the stencil are covered and even before removing it.
Handy hint: Apply paint to a small part of the stencil on practice paper - this can also be a lovely addition to your painting journal.
4. Next, apply the corners of the Fleur de Lys stencil to the corners on the top of the cabinets using the same technique and Lamp Black Americana Acrylics.
5. To add interest to the drawer fronts, place the 'Old French script' stencil across each one and stencil the design on.
Creating a project like this is down to personal taste and at this point you may feel you want to stop there. However, if you do wish to continue...
6. Add the Brocade stencil to the back and side panels of the cabinets.
7. Using the Chalky Finish brush and the Chalky Finish paint in 'Everlasting', dip the 4" Flat brush into the paint and remove the excess paint using kitchen towel to leave you this time with a dry brush. Using long even strokes, brush horizontally over the whole project.
8. Using the plates as a template, cut out rectangular inserts using a Stanley knife.
9. Before adding the hardware, using the 4" brush, apply a layer of Matte Wax to the whole project. Although the Chalky Finish needs no preparation, for an item that will be used a lot, it is invisible and helps to protect the finish.
10. Add your handles and plates back on to enjoy your brand new, beautiful piece of storage. Put it in its new home and admire your handiwork :)
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