Name: Kimberly
Location: Nashville, TN
Time: 2 weekends (including drying time)
Cost: $40. for materials plus $30 for hutch
Kimberly says: "After struggling with out of control cookbooks and exploding piles of plastic containers, I found this hutch on Craigslist for a bargin price, although it left something to be desired in the style category. I managed to live with it in its unimpressive state for almost a year until I finally got motivated to see my vision for this piece through to the end!" - Jump below for all the pics, tools, how-to and VOTING...
BEFORE
Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:
1. All-purpose cleaner and sponge
2. Old towels/rags
3. Handheld sander or sandpaper
4. Thrift store hardback book with interesting font but uninteresting story
5. Elmer's wood glue or glue-all
6. Spray acrylic coating
7. Paper trimmer or scissors
8. Foam brush
9. Low VOC latex paint (I used Olympic Satin inBlack Magic)
10. Paint sprayer
11. Air compressor
12. Screwdrivers, hammer, and drill
MY TOOLS
Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:
1. Wash with mild soap (used furniture is always dirty!) and dry. Remove hardware from drawers and doors, and remove backing board from shelf unit.
2. Lightly sand all exterior surfaces with medium grit sand paper. This hutch had a finish on it that would have prevented the paint from sticking, but was easy to remove with sanding. Dust well!
3. Dilute paint to appropriate thickness for sprayer. Use sprayer to put 3-4 THIN coats on the bottom unit, shelf unit, drawers and doors. Let dry completely between coats. Tip: wear a dust mask and watch how the wind is blowing!
4. In between painting sessions, prep the paper treatment for the backing board. Pull pages out of the book and trim close to text. Lay out pages on board to get an idea of how many pages are needed and how it will look.
5. Slightly thin the glue and use the foam brush to paint on the backing board in small areas. Flatten the book pages down, overlapping edges. Glue edges down and let dry. Finish by spraying with several coats of acrylic coating.
6. Replace backing board on shelf unit. Add new hardware to doors and drawers, and replace hinges. Reassemble bottom unit.
7. Hang shelf unit from wall studs at desired height. Center bottom unit under shelves.
8. Accessorize and relish in the fact that the cookbooks have a new, stylish home!
DURING
AFTER
AFTER
Talk about transforming the ugly duckling!
Anyone else notice that the bottom half of the hutch ends up reading as more "classic" than the top part? That's not a criticism, just a comment on something I hadn't noticed about 1970s "colonial" furniture before.
view wende in phoenix's profile
Amazing!
Wende--I was thinking the same thing--at first, I thought they were 2 different pieces. I actually thought the top was the project, and not the bottom.
view Christine (the one in DC)'s profile
I am underwhelmed.
view watersedgechris's profile
Wait, what? Why is the top piece hovering now?
view Pretentious's profile
I don't think the top piece was ever attached to the bottom piece, Pretentious... looks like it's just sitting on the lower cabinet in that first picture, and she decided to hang it on the wall instead of attaching the two pieces together.
I would have gone with something more colorful for the backing, but otherwise, it looks much better than it did before, for not a lot of cash.
view insanity_pepper's profile
Hanging the top piece was a GREAT idea! It gives you more space and lengthens the whole piece. I think it was a "bargain basement" piece turned into a "classic treasure", and I can't wait to do it in my own home! Excellent job!
view karleenie's profile
I agree. Moving the top up off the bottom is like creating a whole new shelf. I like the book pages idea especially with the black color. Kind of gives a fun sophistication to the piece. Much better than the dry, old hand-me-down look. I bet that took some work painting all that. Very nice!
view jimbojed's profile