Welcome back, sweet friends! I’m on to piece number two of my brand new Fabulous 50 Fall Haul today sharing what looks to me like a washstand cabinet makeover.
I found this piece at the thrift store for $14.99:
Doesn’t it kind of look like it could have been a little washstand?
It isn’t quite that old, however, and it appears that it may have been handmade.
It did have a few issues though, like this chewed up corner:
And these areas where they used screws that were too long to attach the hinges:
The back is rough plywood, and it’s one of the parts that made me believe it was handmade:
And then here is the top:
Lots of things to work out here.
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Sand to smooth
I thought the top could be sanded smooth, so I tried that first, using my Corner Cat sander with 220 grit sandpaper:
Clean
A good cleaning was next. I cleaned everything with White Lightning, adding one TBSP to my tub with a half gallon of warm water.
I used a terrycloth applicator pad for this step. Then, I swapped out the water for clean water and wiped everything down once more. Gloves are recommended.
Still Rough
The surface still felt pretty rough, so I decided to use Dixie Mud in white to fill any uneven areas instead:
The body of this piece had a ton of gouges and scratches as well. Here is one side after filling with Dixie Mud sanding with 220 grit sandpaper:
The white areas are where the gouges were…so many! I would love to know the story behind some of the damage. How might that even have happened?
Prime with Bonding BOSS
The drawer had this discoloration coming through:
I figured to be safe I would just give everything a base of Bonding BOSS to prevent that or anything else from coming through the paint.
I applied that with my favorite brush for painting furniture…
To give it enough time to do its thing, I let it cure for 24 hours.
Paint
For this piece, I chose to paint it in a 50/50 mix of Vintage Duck Egg Blue and Cotton:
I absolutely love this color lightened up! It’s good idea to have a larger jar of white paint on hand as so many colors can be lightened for a softer hue.
The coverage is excellent and I actually stopped at one coat, hoping that would allow some of the white to show through when sanding.
Sand
Sanding was next to smooth everything out. I did that with 220 grit sandpaper.
Seal
To seal, I used my favorite sealer, Clear Coat in satin, using the blue sponge applicator:
If one coat leaves your piece a bit streaky, the second coat will even everything out!
And as you can see above, I did remove the door and hardware to paint as I had planned to keep the hardware as is. Except, I didn’t love it lol. I just wanted it to disappear, so I spray primed with Rustoleum’s white primer:
Then, I painted them as well as the original hardware, in the Duck Egg/Cotton mix as well:
They got sealed with the satin Clear Coat as well.
I assembled everything back together, and this piece was complete!
Washstand Table Makeover Reveal
Here is how this needy piece looks all fixed up!
How cute is this now??
Wait, what happened to the original hardware?
Oh yeah.. I did not love the cup pull and handle after all, so I mixed some Amazing Casting Resin into the Lavish Swirls Mould to create a pretty backdrop for my glass knob:
This resin is so easy to use!
Simply mix Part A and Part B in equal amounts and pour. In 10-15 minutes you have a perfectly cast piece!
See all the moulds available in my Etsy Shop HERE!
I painted it in the same color mix and sealed the same way as well:
Then, I attached it with Titebond Quick & Thick glue, using spring clamps to secure it until it was dry:
It’s just prettier and mimics the dainty curves at the back of the top a bit.
This piece at the back is really what drew me to this cabinet:
The inside
And here is the interior, painted in the same color mix:
The little bun feet are so cute on this piece too…
The Drawer
The drawer got a little fancy also:
I had some leftover Mystic Blue Florals decoupage paper from this Vintage Side Table Redo, and luckily, there was enough to do this drawer. I used my rotary cutting set to get perfectly straight cuts:
Then I applied a coat of Redesign’s Decoupage Gel in matte to the drawer bottom and added the paper. Once I had the paper smoothed out, I applied another coat on top with a 2″ Foam N Dandy brush:
Decoupage papers are often limited time only, so items may no longer be available in my Etsy shop if you are visiting this post long after the posting date. See all the papers I have in stock HERE.
I do love to add transfers, etc to my furniture pieces, but when it has cute details like the curved piece at the back, I think a simple paint job works better as not to detract from that.
A few of you wanted to see this one done next, so I hope you like what I did with it!
That’s piece number TWO complete!
See the first piece, a vintage mahogany dresser, HERE if you missed it!
See what else I used this pretty mould on HERE. It totally made that whole piece!
I’ll be back on Thursday with my Halloween display! Woohoo!!
UPDATE: No need to wait, see my outdoor display now HERE!
And if Halloween isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll still stop by and visit! Then I’ll be back to regular programming next week with this wooden storage box:
UPDATE: See how pretty this storage box is HERE now!!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
EMAIL * INSTAGRAM * FACEBOOK * PINTEREST
Mary Kaiser says
Oh it is Beautiful now! The color is perfect and it is so soft! Of course I love the surprise inside the drawer, so pretty with that color! What a sweet little piece this is now!
Christy says
Thank you, my friend! The color really does soften it. Wish I had a spot for it! XOXO
Janice Redden says
Christy, you never disappoint – I knew (was hoping) you would do something special – moulds, prettier knobs) to glam up this cutie! I, too, have those “I wonder how did this piece get so battered” moments. If these pieces could talk.
This turned out to be such a charmer – she won’t be in your shop for long!
Hope your back is feeling better, too! See
Ya Thursday!!!!
Christy says
Aww thank you, my friend! I am always so amazed at how badly some of these pieces get! My back is much better, thank you!! XOXO
Mother Deer says
Wow what a difference! Thank you for tackling this piece early in the haul 🙂
Christy says
My pleasure! I was really looking forward to playing with this sweet piece! Thank you, Mother Deer! XOXO
Jackie C says
I love this!
Have a great week, my friend.
Christy says
Thank you, Jackie! Enjoy your week as well!! XOXO
Millie Mosley says
I love it! The color is perfect and so is the hardware. ❤️
Christy says
Thank you, Millie! I thought I would love the cup pull, but it just wasn’t fancy enough ha ha! XOXO
Nana Diana says
That looks really great! I think the color is perfect and it is actually a cute little piece. It looks to me like the owners might have had dogs and I had a door that looked like that with one of our dogs. It could have even been used to keep their dog food inside. Just a thought~
Have a wonderful week. xo Diana
Christy says
Thank you so much, Diana! I too believe a furry friend had its way with that corner, and yes it may have even held all the treats! Enjoy your week as well, my friend! XOXO
Cecilia says
Oh yes, much better! Now its cuteness shows up. Love the swirly knob back. Definitely has more character than the cup pull. And the drawer? Lovely surprise! That paper is gorgeous. Great makeover, Christy!
😊Cecilia
Christy says
Thank you, Cecilia! That back piece really sold me on this one… I love details like that! And I was so glad to enough of that paper left for the drawer! XOXO
Gloria Rauch says
This little piece looks so cute now. Love the new fixtures. They make a real difference. Did you paint the back? I always wonder.
Christy says
Thank you, Gloria! Yes, I did paint the back lol. If it is ugly, I usually do, and this one sure was ugly ha ha! XOXO
Cyndi says
It’s absolutely darling! The mould and knob are perfect touches for this. (And thanks for the tip about a second coat of Clear Coat if the first one is streaky.) 🙂
Christy says
Thank you, Cyndi! I’m so glad I ended up swapping out the hardware. And yes, the second coat of Clear Coat is like magic ha ha! XOXO
Mary C King says
One of my favorites from the haul. It looks great!! So sweet.
Christy says
Aww yay! Thank you, Mary! I was excited to give this piece some love! XOXO
Fran Blunt says
Sweet perfect little cabinet. I love what you did with it!
Christy says
I’m so glad you like how it turned out, Fran, thank you!! XOXO
Darla says
Oh my stars! I so love what you did with this piece! It is perfect! You are the very best at what you do, Christy! You are always the one email I am anxious to receive every week!
Christy says
Aww yay! I’m so glad you like it, Darla, thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your very kind words!! Thank you for following along with me! XOXO
Suzann Law says
I love your work. The colors you use are perfect.
Christy says
I appreciate that so much, Suzann, thank you! XOXO
Donna Wilcoxson says
Just beautiful. I love everything you do. You were and still are the inspiration for me getting into this type of up cycling. Going into my third year having a booth in an antique mall. Keep up the fabulous work.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Donna! I love that! I hope you are finding success with your booth!! XOXO
Catherine says
Love, love, love!!
Christy says
Thank you, Catherine! XOXO
Sherri Sharp says
I am so inspired!!!!!!
God Bless!!!!
Christy says
Aww yay! Thank you, Sherri!! XOXO
Linda says
Pieces like that are so versatile. Love the drawer transfer and glass knobs!
Christy says
They really are! Thank you, Linda! XOXO
ROBIN says
CAN’T WAIT FOR HALLOWEEN, YOU DO A GREAT JOB!!
Christy says
Aww yay!! It’s a soggy, windy mess here today, so I am so glad I took photos during the day over the weekend! It started raining as I was taking my “nightime” photos last night, so I had to switch to my cell phone, but I think I got some good photos! See ya Thursay! XOXO
Michele M. says
Oh she’s awesome now! And she has a wonderful color, too!
Christy says
Thank you, Michele! She’s so happy now! XOXO
Jessica Atchison says
If the person who originally built this piece was anything like my dad, they’d be amazed that something they made was considered worth redoing like this, and then stunned that it could be made so elegant. I have many pieces hand made by my dad over the years and he never understood the value of his work.
Christy says
I bet you are so right! Handmade pieces have unique details that you just don’t see on manufactured pieces. I am so drawn to them and truly appreciate the work involved! XOXO
Lizzy says
It’s gorgeous. I absolutely love it, especially the color & mould.
Christy says
Thank you, Lizzy! I’m so glad I swapped out that cup pull for something prettier!! XOXO
Jewels L says
Always amazed by your ability to see the possibilities in a piece others would throw away. So very fresh and pretty.
Great job!
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Jewels, thank you! This one might have been a bit needy, but it had so much potential! XOXO
Colleen says
I love this makeover! Aqua is one of my favorite colors, so this is right up my alley. The little glass knobs and the paper inside the drawer are fabulous!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Colleen! This is one of my favorite colors to work with! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! XOXO
Darlene Spence says
Oh how precious! So cute! Love, love, love the transfer in the drawer. It’s beautiful. I have those same clamps. I use them to hang old sheets on my back porch in the spring in an attempt to keep the birds out. Let’s not discuss how well that didn’t work. LOL. Keep the inspiration coming. We all love you❤️
Christy says
Aww thank you, Darlene! We used to have a balcony off of our main bedroom at our old house which the birds saw as an open invitation at the crack of dawn every morning, and they would chirp so loud. Someone told us to buy a fake owl and put it out there, so we did, and it actually worked ha ha! I think we found it on Amazon. And I love y’all too!! XOXO
Caye says
Once an ugly swan……now it’s gorgeous Christy! It’ll sell fast, I’m sure. That little extra “spark” in the drawer is an unexpected surprise. Good job!
Question: How did you make a hole in the mould to accommodate the glass pull?
Christy says
Thanks so much, Caye! I’m trying hard to find a home for it here but no luck lol. I used a drill bit to drill a hole in the mould. 🙂 XOXO
Rose LEFEBVRE says
This would be a perfect bedside or chairside table. Love the surprise inside the drawer!
Christy says
It sure would! Thank you, Rose! XOXO
Amanda says
Love this! What a transformation!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Amanda! XOXO
p says
Well, you have saved another tired piece. It’s all fresh and happy now !!
I also thought I liked the cupped pull… but adding some sweet scrolls and sparkly knobs gives it new life and accents the curved back piece. Love it !
The paper in the drawer is gorgeous !
Can’t wait to see your outdoor Halloween deco. So fun.
Christy says
Thank you, P! It is so much happier for sure! And yes, I too liked the pull. I thought it suited this piece, but once I painted it, it just needed something a bit prettier! See ya tomorrow! XOXO
MrsSW says
Perfect!
Christy says
Thank you, Sheila! XOXO