Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Radio Chest Revamp

Who wouldn't fall in love with this adorable little neglected (and gutted) radio chest?


Well, I couldn't resist.  I had, in my defense, been looking for something to go in front of that window for a couple of plants (also, some much-needed storage).   So I paid $20 to the nice lady at the secondhand and loaded it up into my car; again, with some help from the nice lady.

And then I tore it apart...


First I took off the rail along the back and sides of the top.  They dated and limited the piece, and so they hit the trash.  I then filled all the holes from that trim and any other nicks with hardening wood filler.  Then I sanded it down to give me a silky smooth top.


I took off the front "moulding" which happened to be made of the great 20th century discovery...plastic.  Easy peasy to remove.  And I proceeded to replace the fabric on the panels.



Using my good friend hot glue, I replaced the brown fabric with a cute daisy print. 

And then I painted...
Note:  When I spray paint, I wear chemical-resistant gloves and a paint respirator with particle filter inserts.  I would highly recommend that, if you do not have a good outside area to paint, you invest in one of these babies.  Spray paint fumes can be very carcinogenic, and cancer is no one's friend.   And you look like a cool alien, so who wouldn't love that?

First, I primed with white.  Spray primer for the quick and dirty job.


 I wanted to use the technique that I saw here at CentsationalGirl. It's a way to get that painted french country look, quick and easy.  I wanted the chest to be white, with blue showing through on the edges.  So here's how I did that.

First, I spray painted all edges blue and let that dry.


Next, with a rag in hand, I spray painted the chest white one area at a time.  While it was still wet, I wiped along the edges with the rag, wiping off the white and revealing the blue underneath.

I put it all back together, replacing the hardware with a couple of new pulls from Ace Hardware, which I painted blue with a spritz of metallic blue spray, the same combo I used here.

The reveal:
There it is!  Along with a carafe of wildflowers I swiped from a weed patch by the railroad tracks...

Also note the lamp that used to be brass n' glass, but I painted the brass white, with some of that metallic I'm addicted to.   Yes, my friends, you can paint brass.  So keep your eyes open.  A few spritzes can give you beautiful things...

And in case you noticed, the shade on that lamp needs a small shift in color...I already did it but it's not quite done...that's coming...sometime.

**A big "Thank You" to Lindsay at Better After for featuring this post!  See it here and check out her other fantastic "Before & After" features!

I'm linking up to: 

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 This post was Featured on Salt and Pepper Makers!

10 comments:

  1. I love old-school furniture like that. Way to be creative!

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  2. My goodness Becky!! You can take somethin and make it beautiful!!!

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  3. It's beautiful just like you!

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  4. Dude. That is amazing. Per usual, I am in awe of your talents! Keep it up!

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  5. Oh this turned out really pretty! I think it'd make a great TV-table to put a tv on top of! Nice work!

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  6. I love what you've done with this radio chest, it looks great! I love the lamp too! Thanks for sharing! ~ Alicia

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  7. It makes me SO MAD that I've turned a cold shoulder to these old stereo cabinets in the past! This is just AWESOME!!! I'd also love it if you'd share this over at Trash 2 Treasure Tuesdays on the Korner: http://kammyskorner.blogspot.com/2011/11/trash-2-treasure-tuesdays-6.html

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  8. It looks wonderful! I bet the people at the thrift store thought you were nuts. They were at mine!
    I have 2 of these sitting in my shop....I love the look of them but am stuck on how to turn them in to storage too. (I don't want to have to take all the stuff off the top to slide the lid or lift it on the other!) Any ideas? I think I am just a chicken to try to make the front a door. lol.
    Both mine have the radio/record players in them still and they work...I'm actually using my "little" one as a radio for now. lol.

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  9. I think you did an awesome job! I just blogged about your piece here: http://saltandpeppermakers.blogspot.com/2011/12/transformation-tuesday.html

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  10. I saw your tutor ail and made something similar. I gutted the cabinet and took out the middle section to make room for my cable box and dvd player and turned it into a tv stand.

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/buckeyestar05/100_0774.jpg

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