apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Big improvement from such a simple change. I like.

Looks like he did more hacking than just the paint; very creative.

8 coats?!

ditto: 8 COATS!!!

major improvement..but i'm with everyone else.. 8 coats.. really? whoa.

Yeah -- this is two pieces, minus the inner legs. I wonder where the support is coming from. Also, the metal legs are much better than the standard traby wooden legs.

This is good looking and quite creative, but I'm confused:

I thought a "hack" was where you took something and completely changed it's appearance and function to create an entirely unique new thing. ie: taking parts from a bookcase and making it into a desk (or vice versa): That would be a "hack".

But taking two cabinets, swapping their legs and painting them? IMO, that's not a "hack" - That's just a painted cabinet on different legs...

Yes I know 8 coats was a little much but the wood grain veneer texture was very heavy and I was going for a very smooth and glossy look. I had to use that much paint to fill all the wood grain texture.

The two cabinets are bolted together along with flat brackets on the bottom.

Yes I guess I would not call this a true "hack" more of an assemblage, is that even a word? Thanks for the comments!

Great looking piece!

I have a question. I'm thinking about painting over my TRABY shelfing as well, but I've never painted a piece of furniture before, so here goes: Did you take it a part and painted each pieces or just painted right over the joints?

Thanks!

mimihu, I probably should have painted it before I put it together, it would have been easier. I did just paint over the joints, the 8 coats helped fill them quite well. You may be able to cut down on the amount of paint if you use a good spray primer before you paint.

plastolux, Thanks! I'll remember about the spray primer!
I will definitely give this a try when it stops raining here in Vancover. =)

You absolutely need to use a primer if you are painting over veneer! It needs to be one that bonds to all surfaces (glass, plastic, tiles etc). This isn't just to reduce the number of coats of paint needed. Without the primer it doesn't matter how many coats of paint are used, the paint hasn't bonded to the surface. This means it will come off if it gets chipped or scratched. Sorry.

This looks a lot like IKEA's Bonde sideboard. I wonder if you could just get a Bonde in white, have doors cut at Home Despot or Lowes, and use a veneer of the same wood for the interior. Might be more sturdy, and it would save having to paint.