Thursday, April 27, 2017

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.

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple TreeThrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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...

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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!

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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.

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree
before and after PolyShades
Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree
improvising to find a way to attach "feet"
Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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.

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple TreeThrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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.

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

Thrift Store Hutch Makeover by Over The Apple Tree

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10 comments:

  1. Looking good!! Really nice! I love thrift stores too ;-)
    Have a great weekend, Sigrid

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  2. Such a cabinet is a favorite for me as there are many uses for that type of cabinet, but yours is extra special and looks great. :)

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  3. This is so neat! :)

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  4. The poly shades finish really left the wood looking nice. I like the two-tone effect of painting some parts and refinishing other parts of a vintage piece of wooden furniture. Your cabinet great, now.

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  5. ;-D
    I think the Old Ladies are GREAT!! And, they "go" with the GLASS! Which, I don't recognize straight off, but they are rather NICE! The hand-painted gilding style seems Bohemian, Austrian..? Give them a "ping"... If they're more Crystal sounding than glassy, then chances are they're likely European rather than American...
    Whichever, they're still a great FIND!
    :-D
    oh, yeah. Fab redo on the hutch-top!

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  6. Your hutch makeover is charming and you styled it so beautifully. Thank you for sharing it at the Snickerdoodle Create~Bake~Make link party!

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  7. What a beautiful makeover and the fact you got it for so cheap is mind blowing and anyone looking at it now would definitely think it was the real deal. Great job! Thank you for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday! Pinning :)

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  8. That's such a clever transformation. Sounds like a lot of work but totally worth it.

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  9. Wow! This turned out great! I love thrift store finds. It's amazing how you can take something so outdated and make it look new and modern. I love seeing these kinds of transformations!

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  10. I love your makeover of the cupboard it is perfect for hold collectibles

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