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Before & After: Aged Steel-Look IKEA Cabinet

published Oct 17, 2012
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Tricia from Simplicity in the South loved the vintage industrial look of Restoration Hardware’s steel cabinets, though their prices were not in the budget. She had an idea that with a little paint and some upholstery tacks, she could transform an old IKEA PS cabinet into something a little less schoolyard and a little more industrial chic.

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

It just required some sanding to un-shiny the surface, some dry-brushed chalkboard paint, and a bit of silver craft paint and dark wax to give it that dark, aged-looking patina. Admittedly, it seems like a lot of work, but the payoff is significant, and at least the work is not particularly painstaking.

“The good thing about this paint project is that it doesn’t have to look perfect,” Tricia writes.

Check out the complete instructions on her blog. And for a demonstration on how to fake steel rivets with upholstery tacks, check out her tutorial here.