Angela over at Snag has a knack for thrifting that motivates the masses to keep searching for that diamond in the rough, even in the dingiest of thrift stores. She scored this Cosco bar cart for $3.99 — it was, in her words, "covered in rust, dust, and who knows what else." Lots of elbow grease and some steel wool prepped the cart for a mid-century modern finish that's sure to drop some jaws at Angela's next cocktail party.
According to Angela, the key to refinishing any rusty item is to sand, sand, sand. Even with all that sanding, the entire refinishing project only took about two hours and cost $20. It's hard to believe that this sleek bar cart ever suffered from faux wood finish syndrome. I think it's safe to say I'll be taking a closer look at each rusty, dusty piece I spot on my next thrift outing.
Already have a junked up piece of metal just begging to be made-over? For a materials list, step-by-step instructions, and pictures of Angela's entire project, head on over to Snag.
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I don't quite get the bookends(?) on top, but it's a very cute cart now!
I love the three colors, though I would have put brown on the bottom. Very cool.
Adorable! Absolutely fantastic! I've love to have it in my home :)
How cute is THAT? Great job!
Wowzers! Love it so much!
Creative & simple DIY. What's not to like? You have inspired me to spray paint my own cosco bar cart. I think a mix of earthy greens is in store for mine. We'll see.
Super cute. Love it.
really cute idea
What type of paint did she use? spray paint? I can never find fun colors like that in spray paint!
I've seen those carts reasonably priced; but $3.99 is a real bargain. I'm also stuck on several January Cure projects just because I can't find the right color of spray paint.
Would definitely put that in my house.
sweet! i like the surprise factor of the the colour choices. fun!
I found a cart like this recently and actually painted it the same blue color she did, but painted all three trays blue. It was such an easy project and was such a cheap upgrade for my kitchen, which has little countertop space (my microwave is on it now). Love it!
Very cute!
Rnbnn, I recently discovered that Krylon has a surprising variety of spray paint colors that aren't carried in most stores. Check it out on their website. You can also special order them at Sherwin Williams to avoid paying shipping costs.
What a great idea to paint each shelve a different colour!
Micheal's Craft Store also carries a larger range of spray paint colours
She did however use Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch spray paint
http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=143
steel wool is a super fast way to get rust and junk off metal...
LOVE! Now I am on the hunt for a similar cart. Thanks for the inspiration, and great job!
This is timely. I am now going out to rescue 2 rusty TV tray tables from the recycle pile. Thanks, I think.
Some craft stores have better color selections than hardware stores. I can't say I've made a detailed study, but I remember seeing much nicer colors at Michaels vs Home Depot.
And nobody had an issue with painting over the original (faux) wood? This must be a first.
absolutely beautiful!!! great colors-great job on the before and after!
yay! :)
@Rod Miller- Hilarious!
Very nicely done!
@Rod Miller - too funny!
the cart looks terrific.
Thanks everyone. Yes, we used Rust-Oleum's Painter's Touch spray paint. The color selection was great at our local hardware store. We are so excited to have our project featured here!