The Hubs and I have been doing a few projects around the house on his days off. Like repurposing this old television cabinet you can see HERE. We also gave our small entryway a makeover HERE. As I was at my desktop finishing up computer work, I couldn’t help but notice my ugly file cabinet. It had seen better days. Read on for the DIY File Cabinet Makeover.
Table of Contents
DIY File Cabinet Makeover
I have been concentrating on so many other projects, I had never noticed how shabby and neglected my file cabinet looked. I had purchased it from an auction a few months back and had planned on painting it. But, as you can see, that never happened.
The file cabinet was boring. It needed some pizazz! The Hubs had a few scrap pieces of decorative trim he used from a previous project. I knew it would be perfect for outlining the drawers and breaking up the boxy look. You can get this decorative trim at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
The Hubs measured the area around the drawers where he would place the trim. He cut four (4) pieces, two long pieces for the vertical sides, and two short pieces for the horizontal sides. On the ends, he used a 45-degree angle cut to form the rounded corners. This allowed the trim to fit perfectly together on the corners.
File Cabinet Prep
I removed the hardware, including the “L” corner brackets.
I found this beautiful bronze pull on Amazon that I will be using.
Next, I lightly sanded the entire cabinet with 220-grit sandpaper to rough it up. I did not need to remove the existing paint layer. The drawers were left in the file cabinet because they were too complicated to remove!
Adding Trim
Before I started painting, the trim was attached to the drawer faces using wood glue and a nail gun.
Staining Trim
The first task was to stain the décor trim pieces. (Note: I should have stained the trim before attaching it to the cabinet. However, the Hubs had to work that night, so he wanted his portion completed, and we didn’t think about staining it first).
My stain choice was Dixie Belle’s Voodoo Gel Stain in Tobacco Road. It is a beautiful brown.
I used a small chip brush and applied the stain, using a cloth to wipe off any excess.
I allowed the stain to dry overnight. I knew I would have to tape off the trim so I would not get paint on top of the stain so it needed to dry completely.
The next day, I taped off the trim.
Painting Process
I surveyed the paint colors that I had in my stash when I came across Dixie Belle’s Spanish Moss. I wanted the file cabinet to be a tad bit brighter, so I mixed Dixie Belle’s Cotton and Farmhouse Green into the Spanish Moss. You can get your Dixie Belle paint HERE.
The file cabinet took two coats of paint to achieve full coverage.
After the paint dried overnight, I hand sanded the painted surface with a piece of 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface.
Finishing Touches
Using my tack cloth, I removed any sanding dust. The final step was to apply the wax. I used one coat of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax making sure to apply it to the trim as well. Simply follow the directions on the back of the can.
Gold Office Decor
Lastly, the Hubs added the new bronze hardware. He had to drill a new hole because the new hardware was shorter than the original hardware.
I love the way the file cabinet turned out. The green is calm and relaxing. I can’t wait to get it into my home office. What once was a $10.00 ugly duckling is now a stylish and classy piece.
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Supplies the File Cabinet Makeover
It will be a great addition to my home office. Now to finish up a few other office projects.
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“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it will be.”
Christina
It’s so lovely now.
Thank you! 🙂
Wondering if it might have been easier to paint the cabinet first, stain the trim second, then attach the trim after it had been stained? Might have saved some time taping and possible touch-up.
Your probably right but sometimes things do not go as planned 🙂 I even made a note in the post as to why it happened like it did.
Well done. It’s encouraging to see how I can take something ugly and office-looking and make attractive furniture with it. I appreciate that you put so may pictures of the progress along with your description.
Good morning thank you so much! I am glad my tutorials are easy to follow 🙂
I was thinking “oh no not another filing cabinet makeover”, but I humbly eat my words. This is one of the best makeovers I have seen. Great job, absolutely stunning.
Thank you for your kind words! You made my day! 🙂
An award winning makeover for sure. Loved it
Awww thank you so sweet!
This is beautiful! The trim really added something special. It looks like a brand new piece!
Thank you Michelle! It was in need of some paint haha
Was wondering what you did to eliminate the lock on top drawer ?
Hi Phyllis! I just removed it it was two screws 🙂
You did a fantastic job. I love the colour in the trim. A little tip on getting hardware. I put an advert up on my local facebook marketplace looking for free broken furniture. I strip off all the hardware and clean them up. I now have a drawer full of handles and hinges for free. ??
Thank you! Oh my gosh what an awesome idea! Thank you for sharing that tip 🙂 I am going to try it.
Amazing what a few well placed details can do!
Thank you Kim! So very true 😉
Love it….. I have never been a fan of greens, but now I am going to use it instead of blues and pinks. Picking up the greens in my throw rugs and drapes. Now another question. Can you redo pieces that has wax on them?? Was told no!! I haven’t used wax on my last pieces.
You can use chalk paint and paint right over the wax! I would recommend lightly sanding by hand with a low grit sandpaper just to scuff it up 🙂
Amazing, as always!! You are extremely talented.
Thank you Beth for your kind words and for your support! ❤️
Did the new hardware cover the old holes?
Hello yes it did! 🙂
Excellent! Absolutely Beautiful!!!
Thank you Jody! ❤️
Wow, what a difference the paint made. Love that color. Thank you for sharing
Thank you and your welcome! ❤️
that is awesome !!!!
Thank you Leslie!