Free Painted Furniture

This small cabinet was absolutely free.   I found it out on the curb with the trash in front of a house in my neighborhood.   Yes, I parked my car and hauled this and one other piece of furniture (an oak pedestal table!) out of the trash and over to my garage where they’ve sat for a couple of months.

I think it’s supposed to be a night table.  But I’m using it in my dining room to store napkins and tablecloths and other small serving items.   It’s actually a great size because our dining room is small (and square at 12×12).

It wasn’t in bad shape before I painted it.  It’s solid and sturdy and was sporting a creamy, distressed finish.   When I finally brought it into the house after a few months of sitting in the garage I put in the corner of the dining room to see how it would fit.   I liked the fit, but no longer liked the corner shelves  on the wall.

So, I took those down and patched and repainted the wall too.  Those shelves made a little more sense when the bar cart (now in the kitchen) was parked in that corner, at a diagnonal.

To paint the cabinet, I first wiped it down with a wet cloth to clean up the dirt and grime.  Then I sanded lightly and wiped it down with a dry cloth.   I also wiped it down with a liquid deglosser.  After that dried, I painted.  I already had the paint from painting the wine rack on the other side of the room.   The color is Behr’s Teal Zeal.   I used a brush on the cabinet but went over the top with a roller so you don’t see brush strokes.   I still want to take an extra step to seal and protect.  Maybe wax?

I also added two faux crystal knobs that I already had on hand (from Michael’s) to the drawers.  The louvered doors are not my favorite and I’ve thought about taking the slats out.   For now though, it totally serves a useful purpose and it cleaned up nicely.

As for the items styled on the surface, I shopped the house.  The lamp is borrowed from the desk in the living room (with the shade borrowed from an office lamp).  The silver bowl, a Goodwill find, moves around and was most recently on my bedside table.   The bottle of sherry usually resides on the bar cart but together with a small silver platter and two glasses it’s ready for serving.   As my friends say, not bad for $free.99.

Have you had any trash to treasure experiences lately?
-J

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