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File Cabinet ReStyle

Home Decor, Project ReStyle, restore
By Kara Haupt

Newcabinet-6601A few months ago I discovered a giant file cabinet at a thrift store. I had been wanting a file cabinet for a while now and saw a lot of potential in this huge (and heavy!) one. I decided to dress it up with a can of paint and a few whimsical labels. 

Here is the 'before' cabinet. It was dirty and had sticker residue on a few of the drawers. I removed the sticker residue and scrubbed down all the drawers with paper towels and water.Collage1You'll need: File cabinet (duh!), painter's tape, 2-inch paint brush, small paintbrush, black acrylic paint (I used a small tube of acrylic black paint made by Golden), and an All Surface Enamel Acrylic paint (mine is from Sherwin Williams. Ask an associate for a paint recommendation to use on a metal file cabinet if you're unsure).

First, you will need to cover all the hardware with painter's tape. Try to be as accurate as possible, but remember that you can touch up with a small paintbrush later! Then paint 3-5 coats of paint until the color looks perfect to you! Collage2Once the drawers are painted, keep the tape over the hardware and paint the rest of the cabinet. Remove the painter's tape and paint inside the labels. 

Next, sketch out the words on a piece of tracing paper so you can better estimate how to draw the words. Lightly sketch out the words you are labeling your drawers with. I chose Listen (for my roommates sheet music), Create (for cookbooks and other DIY books), Remember (for paperwork), and Share (for odds and ends).Newcabinet-6568With a small paintbrush, slowly go over the lines until they are perfect.

Newcabinet-6618And here is the cabinet all together! 

Collage4xoxo. Kara

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