The Power of a Fresh Coat of Paint!

When the ideas for projects to tackle start swirling, it can lead to complex planning and a slew of steps. Or ... not. Sometimes all an item needs is a fresh coat of paint! I was fortunate enough to find two cabinets that a young couple was looking to get rid of before they relocated. As someone that LOVES finding new storage options, I jumped at the chance to add these to my collection!

Office Cabinet Finished 

Craft Cabinet Finished 

Okay, now before we go any further on the simple process behind this, I will remind you that while I love color, please don't be put off by my selection of hues. Everyone has there own style, and if you prefer the more neutral pallet, that's fantastic! I hope only to inspire, not to force my own style preferences. That said, let's get down to the process with how the items looked to begin with: 

As you can see, these pieces were very outdated. However, they ARE solid wood with tons of drawers and storage space. My first step, after taking off the old drawer pulls, was to sand the wood down to remove the gloss of the finish. From there, I used a spray on primer because I love the flawless finish it provides. For the office cabinet, I took off the front cabinet doors, and removed the pull out drawers. Those I spray painted a solid black to contrast the blue chalk finish I intended for the rest of the unit. The craft cabinet was given a sage green chalk paint finish. 

CHALK PAINT TIP: I have found chalk paint gets a more textured, finished look if you sponge it on as opposed to trying to brush paint it. 

Blue chalk paint applied, drawers removed to be spray painted separately. 

After applying color I felt this needed a little something extra.
I had a paint stencil at the house that I used to give the unit
a funky purple border. 

When the painting was complete, I sprayed on my finish coat. (I admit, I love spray painting things at every opportunity I get!) From there, I splurged on drawer pulls that were unique and added a touch of flair. Not only were these projects quick, but also delightfully inexpensive. My all in cost, which included buying the furniture items second hand, was under $150 TOTAL. You couldn't go to a store and buy ONE solid wood storage unit of this quality for that! Plus, I have unique items with my own sense of style! Once more, here are the finished products: 

If you have refurnished projects like these, which benefited from a paint face-lift, I would love to see them!