Before & After: An Old Wicker Chest Becomes a Discreet Litter Box Cover
Charlie’s mother was holding onto her old wicker chest for sentimental reasons, even though it was super damaged. After languishing in storage for a year, Charlie stepped in to give this piece a new, pet-focused purpose.
From Charlie: My mom had this wicker chest for almost 25 years now. It had served as a decorative piece with storage in its glory days (the ’90s!). But as time went by, it had become beaten up and old. My mom used it to store my nephews’ and nieces’ toys and it had become the Play-Doh station (look at those stuck Play-Doh pieces). The door was dysfunctional, the holders broke, it had become a sad piece. Since it was an anniversary gift from my dad, my mom wouldn’t throw it away, so it was kept in the storage room since last year.
I just rescued a little kitten in early July. While my husband and I love the kitten to death, we hate to see his litter box. After browsing through Pinterest, I remembered my mom’s wicker chest and thought it would be a brilliant project!
It was pretty straightforward and took me one whole day to complete the project, but needed 3-4 days for the finishing to cure. Since I mixed my own chalk paint, it cost me next to nothing! I am currently six months pregnant and I did everything by myself. So this is an easy project for anyone to do.
I love the taupe-y gray color. It refreshed the whole thing and bring the ’90s to 2017. My mom saw the refreshed chest and regretted her decision to give it away! If I had to do it differently I would seal the paint in polycrylic for extra durability. But for now, it has hold up well since the only traffic it gets is from my kitten.
Charlie’s words of wisdom: Experiment a lot. Try mixing your own paint, try to seal with other finishes. And go for it!
Thank you, Charlie! You can see more on Charlie’s website The Portly Life.