Vintage Carved Cabinet Overhaul

 

I got this cabinet from an antiques fair, it was sturdy and had "good bones" although there were a few little issues which I thought would fix easily, the main problem was the missing trim...but it soon became a major overhaul!



 



 

There was sticky vinyl paper stuck on the shelves which peeled off very easily, however it left a sticky residue which turned into a royal pain in the rear.  You can not paint over the stickiness as the paint won't adhere.  I used a product called "HG Sticker Remover" it is a chemical based product, which I don't like to use but I had no option. It dissolved the stickiness to an even stickier mess and I ended up scrubbing the shelves with fairy liquid and a kitchen scourer under the hot tap, thank goodness the shelves were removable! In future I will definitely avoid ANYTHING with sticky vinyl paper - be warned my friends you don't want to go there! 

 





 

For the missing trim issue I decided to try making a mould and cast a replacement using 'Fimo' Although it wasn't perfect it was perfectly fine once painted and I would definitely do this again. The pictures below show the 2 spots where the trim was missing.



 

 

 

 

Here's what I used and what the cast looked like, I made up the actual replacement trim in brown Fimo, and just stuck it in place with wood glue.  Looks a bit messy but once painted...


You'd be hard pushed to notice.

 

 

Issue No. 3 was the top, it was not sitting tightly on the base.  It had just been nailed on, so in my wisdom I thought it would be a 5 minute job to whip it off and re-nail it back on!  Not this time - there were hidden nails, bent nails and nails that went nowhere??? So it was out with my trusty drill and screws, which meant a lot more filling and sanding on the top, but at least I have a nice neatly fitting super strong top now.

 

 

Quite a transformation from the above picture, all thanks to Fusion Mineral Paint! I used Ash on the outside a dark charcoal grey and to contrast I chose Cathedral Taupe, which is a greyish beige, I think they pair together really well, what do you think?

 

I'm very pleased after all the hard work how this turned out, it's such a great piece of furniture and would be perfect for so many rooms in the house.

CJ