Thrift Store Hutch Makeover

I love the thrift store for two reasons. First of all, and I'll come right out and say it, I'm cheap. Second, I hate to see things get thrown away that just need a little TLC to make them awesome again.

I've been searching for months for the perfect cabinet to display some antique dishes I recently got. I had a very specific idea for the measurements I wanted. I finally found the perfect cabinet, but I would have to build it. It's a jelly cupboard and Ana White has a beautiful design with easy to follow instructions. I priced out the lumber and supplies, it came to a little over $100. OK, more than I prefer to spend, but worth it for a solid wood piece that's exactly what I want.

I was all set to go for it until I wandered into Goodwill and spotted a glass door cabinet that's similar dimensions. Uh oh, what to do. This was on a Monday and that weekend was going to be a 50% off sale. I decided if I went back on Saturday morning and it was still there, it was meant to be....I am now the owner of the top portion of a cheap particle board hutch for the bargain price of $12.50

This is a little easier than building from scratch, but there's still work to be done to get this how I want it. First of all, like I said, this is the top portion of a 2 piece hutch. No idea where the bottom half went to and this is not really designed to stand by itself on the floor. The next problem is the dimensions, It's about 4" deeper than I wanted. Lastly, the particle board is covered in this wood grain...paper? I thought it was laminate but while taking it apart, I found the edge of it and it peels right off. Not sure about painting over this...

Well, as usual, I dropped the ball on before photos. I was so excited to jump in, I started taking this apart before I could snap a proper one. Good thing I had a couple on my phone!

Why don't I just paint this and call it day? Yup, that would definitely be easier than deciding to disassemble and cut off 4" from the back side, but then I couldn't live with myself. I'd get mad every time I walked by and saw it sticking out too far from the wall and throwing off the flow in my dining room. 

The plan is to add molding around the top and bottom, then add feet to raise it off the floor. Like I said, this isn't really laminate, it's more of a wood grain printed paper covering the particle board. I figured it was safe to skip the primer. 

After giving it a good scrub to get the gunk off, I painted the main part of the cabinet antique white. I did a little sanding and scraping to give it a distressed look then rubbed a brown glaze over the white. I used Valspar Translucent Color Glaze. I've used this glaze on a bunch of projects around my house and a little goes a long way. I've actually had this container of glaze forever and I'm not sure if they even make it any more!

For the doors and shelves I did two coats of PolyShades(stain+polyurethane). I kept the original hardware and just spray painted it.

before and after PolyShades

improvising to find a way to attach "feet"

Turned wood feet were pretty pricey! I cut blocks of wood instead. I'm actually happier with these. They have a lower profile and a wider base for more stability.

Before now, I didn't really have a need for a china cabinet. I have a few things I've collected and with the addition of the new green dishes, this cabinet is the perfect size! I don't know much about these green dishes. If anyone recognizes them and knows any history, I'm all ears! In addition to the dishes, I've also inherited these awesome portraits in the original frames. My husband calls them the Transylvania pictures! Yeah, these ladies are a little scary and I can only hope I age better than these two.

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