Mom's Old Record Cabinet Dances to a New Beat

For anyone who's ever wall-mounted a flat screen TV in their bedroom, perhaps you can relate to my dilemma - what do you do with the cable box? We originally had the option of purchasing a TV console with our bedroom set, but with a price tag around $400 it didn't seem worth it. To save money, I decided to re-purpose my Mom’s old record cabinet that was collecting dust in my basement. As far as I was concerned, this thing was simply outdated and just not functional (Here's a really bad "before" picture).

But the more I thought about it, it actually seemed like it might serve its purpose after all. I was determined to make it work!

After seeing it all over Pinterest, I decided to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Now I'm hooked! It comes in a beautiful 18th-Century color palette that is perfect for restoring antiques. The color I chose for this project is called "French Linen" and it's gorgeous! I was equally impressed by how easy it was to use. There is absolutely no prep work required, such as sanding or priming. It dries in about 15-20 minutes and does not have a strong odor like most latex or oil-based paints - great for indoor use! It's about $39 for a quart but a little goes a long way. I used maybe a quarter of the can on this piece. Before choosing a color, I would suggest trying to find a real-life sample. I thought I wanted to use "Paris Grey" on this project until I saw a sample bureau in the "Old Linen." Isn't it lovely?

After two coats of paint it was time to rough her up a bit. Although I loved the matte finish, the style of the piece called for some light distressing. I was really nervous that I would somehow mess up this process, but the reality is, you can’t go wrong! The paint is designed to make distressing a piece of cake. All you need is some sand paper (I used 120 grit). The key is to focus on the areas that would naturally get scuffed over time like edges and corners. Don't take it too seriously, just have fun with it. If you're not happy with the outcome, you can just paint right over it - yet another endearing quality about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! There are so many great techniques you can do with this paint. I hope to share them with you in future posts.

Finally, to give the piece more of a French Country look, I did some classic stencil work on the top and sides using off-white acrylic paint. I love how this came out! Next, using a dry brush, I added a few strokes of the white paint to the louvres on the cabinet doors. Next time, I would opt for the chalk paint over the acrylic for dry brushing. Chalk paint is great for layering. Anyhow, I'm quite pleased with the result.

Lastly, I finished her off with a coat of Annie Sloan’s Clear Wax and whoala…dilemma solved! My favorite thing about this project is that it didn't cost me a thing! (besides the cost of supplies of course). More inspiration to come...stay tuned!

-Sarah