Before and After: A $7 Thrifted Cabinet Gets a Gorgeous Floral-Themed New Look for $200

There are some nearly-perfect treasures to be found at thrift stores, but there are lots more pieces that need a little extra love and attention to become something great. This cabinet, found by DIYer Hana Sethi (@hanashappyhome), is a prime example. When Hana found it, one of its knobs was broken, its hinges were rusted, and the orangey color of its laminate finish wasn’t doing it any favors. Not to mention, it looked to Hana like it was a wall-mounted cabinet for a bathroom rather than a free-standing furniture piece. But at only $7 at Value Village, it was a steal. “The moment I saw it at the thrift store, I knew it could be something really special,” Hana says.

The cabinet’s small size was actually perfect for a project Hana was working on: turning her main bedroom’s giant closet into a nursery for the daughter she was expecting. “This piece what is the exact right size for a DIY dresser makeover,” Hana says. “Even though it was an ugly old laminate wood finish, I saw potential in it.”

Hana started by flipping the cabinet on its end, positioning the open shelf on top and two doors on the bottom. That switch instantly took it out of “over-the-toilet” territory and into freestanding cabinet territory.

Before painting, Hana sanded the slick laminate surface to help the new color adhere. She also covered the old rattan with two sheets of thin MDF, which she glued in place. Next, Hana primed, then painted the whole cabinet in a sage green (Sherwin-Williams’s Evergreen Fog). A foam roller helped her achieve an ultra smooth finish.

For the bottom, Hana decided on turned legs in a natural wood finish. Adding only two to the front — and then mounting the back of the cabinet to the wall — helped save a few inches. Every square inch is precious in a small space!

Hana took out the old mismatched and broken knobs and instead added delicate handles to the doors, plus installed new non-rusted hinges. But what makes the cabinet a showstopper is the resin flowers that she made herself. After painting them a cream color, she used a bit of gold toned Rub ‘n Buff to accent the centers and edges of the flowers for a little sparkle. She fastened them to the dresser with heavy-duty adhesive.

Now, the once sad-looking thrift store deal looks like it could be sold in high-end stores. Hana loves that it’s a neutral, go-with-anything color but still has a twist. “I love the flowers. It’s a personal touch that you can’t find in stores,” Hana says. “My daughter can cherish this!”

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