Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop for January hosted by Erlene from My Pinterventures. I am so excited to be joining such a talented group! Each month, my blogging friends and I get together to challenge ourselves to each complete a project or recipe that we’ve pinned on Pinterest and we encourage you to do so as well! It’s always fun to see what my friends have created! This challenge is all about organization! I am sharing my DIY workshop organization project today.
It’s that time of the year again. A new year means time to get organized! My workshop was in dire need of some organization. I swear I have things buried in every little hole I can find. My husband was so sweet to build me this workshop table. See the bottom? That is where most of my items get stored! Therefore, it was time for workshop organization to happen.
Table of Contents
DIY Workshop Organization Project
A few months ago, I repurposed this old television cabinet into a shabby chic storage cabinet. You can see the full tutorial HERE.
It was cute but did not really work for me. For example, hanging tools on the back. I would have to bend down to remove a tool from the pegboard and risk hitting my head! As a result, I needed more shelving space as compared to drawer space. It looked cluttered all the time. Cabinets would be the logical fix to my clutter! The drawers on the cabinet were very shallow which did not allow for lots of storage.
While scrolling through Pinterest, I saw this fantastic workshop cabinet idea. It was long and had lots of storage. You can see the original pin HERE.
I showed the Hubs, and he measured and figured out how long the cabinet table needed to be to center with the wall. We needed several sets of cabinets that would equal 8′ in length. We visited our local salvage store, and unfortunately, the cabinets were just WAY to expensive and not in our budget.
The Amazing Find
Then, two days later, something amazing happened! The Hubs and I visit our local thrift store regularly, at least two times a week. The first section we head for is the furniture section. As I approached the aisle, I could see two sets of cabinets, and I started to get excited! They were a matching set.
To my dismay, there were only two. Well, at least that’s what we thought. After deciding to leave the cabinets because there were not enough to make the 8’ length that we needed, we walked to another aisle that was blocked by large sofas and other items. And, BAM there they were. Two more sets. I am not sure why the thrift store split them up, but at that point, it didn’t matter.
Three of the cabinet sets were marked at $9.99, while one was marked at $6.99. I assume this one was cheaper because it did not have a back.
The tops of the cabinets were flat. This would make it easy to attach a piece of wood to the tops for the work surface.
We loaded them up into two separate carts. To tell you I was excited would be a TOTAL understatement. TheThrift Gods knew precisely what I needed and placed them there for the Hubs and me to find. And, not only did we find cabinets, they would be the perfect length once put together!
The total length of the cabinets once put together would be 8’. This would be perfect for the blank wall I had in my shop and give me more top space to work with.
Attaching the Cabinets Together
The Hubs attached the cabinets together using screws to make one long section.
We purchased a piece of shelving board that was precut from Lowe’s. He attached the wood top using wood screws.
After he attached the cabinets together and added the top, I cleaned them inside and out with my vinegar and water solution (one-part water, one part vinegar), including the shelves that were inside the cabinets. I was not concerned with the cabinet that did not have a back. There would be no back needed since it was up against the wall.
The Painting Process
Since I was using Dixie Belle Chalk Paint, no sanding was required. The cabinets were not real wood, they were laminate. Chalk Paint adheres great to almost any surface.
I decided to use the paint color Caviar by Dixie Belle Paint. I wanted a darker finish that would not show dirty fingerprints and scuffs that I knew would show on a lighter color. Don’t you just love my grungy paint jar haha!
I painted the entire set of cabinets. It only took two coats of paint to cover nicely.
While the paint dried, I gave the wood top one coat of English Chestnut stain.
I allowed the top to dry for 24 hours and then sealed the wood with one coat of Polycrylic.
I sealed the painted surface with Dixie Belle Dark Wax.
Adding More Storage
We added three shelves above the cabinets on the wall for more storage. We purchased three 1×6’s and shelf brackets. The wood was purchased from Lowes, and the brackets were purchased from Amazon. The length of the 1×6’s was perfect, so we did not need to cut them. All I did was add one coat of the English Chestnut stain to both sides of the wood pieces.
The Hubs added the brackets.
PIN for Later!
The shelves were then attached to the wall.
For storage inside the cabinets, I purchased cheap baskets from Walmart. They came in a set of 2 for 96 cents!
I found these two pretty baskets at my local Dollar General for $1.00 each.
I also purchased this cute valance off of Amazon!
Similar Items I Use
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To sum up, the total cabinet build was less than $50.00 ($37.00 for the cabinets and $13.00 for the sheet of wood on top). I saved a lot of money by not buying new ones! I now have a functional workshop table/cabinet with lots of storage. Scroll down to see more great organization projects from other bloggers!
For more Pinterest inspired projects from this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts, check out the links below ↓
My Pinterventures • Domestic Deadline • Elle Marie Home Cookies Coffee and Crafts • Across the Boulevard • Slices of Life Teadoddles • Farm Girl Reformed • Purple Hues and Me Decorate and More with Tip • Sew Crafty Crochet • Life Beyond Kitchen Mom Home Guide • Intelligent Domestications • Lulu & Celeste Love My Little Cottage • Eye Love Knots • My Family Thyme • Create with Cynthia • Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After • Christina Faye Repurposed • Coastal Bohemian
Now, let’s see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓
I can’t get over what an awesome find this was! And your makeover is perfect. I love the look.
Thank you Emily!
What a great find! The whole project looks custom made, imo. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Thank you so much! ❤️❤️
Wow, wow, wow! That was an awesome find and transformation. I would love to do something like this in our garage for the hubby. I’ll have to share this with him. Pinned.
Thank you! It was a lucky find for sure 🙂
Oh, good gravy woman!! Your project takes the cake. Are you available for hire? What a beautiful finished project your repurposed units are. Love the chunky wood across the top and the black bases. And they are narrow so could fit in lots of places. Well done, my friend!
Thank you so much Leslie! Such sweet words 🙂 My grandmother use to say “good gravy” so it brought back memories!
This is such a great idea for extra storage. And they turned out beautifully!
Thank you Michelle ❤️❤️
I absolutely love your new space, and I’m glad you were able to find the perfect cabinets. I love when that happens! I am definitely pinning this for if I ever have my own workspace!
Thank you Cherryl! Sometimes we luck up and find that perfect item! 🙂
Your workshop looks amazing! The cabinets are a beautiful color and look brand new. I love your sign I love junk! Enjoy!
Thank you Jenny! I actually purchased the I Love Junk sign off of Etsy 🙂
Those cabinets were great finds and the way you’ve updated them for your workshop is fabulous. Your work space looks wonderful.
Thank you Beverly! Now to keep it looking pretty, that is the challenge lol!
I love the rustic glam look of your new cabinets! They look awesome!
Thank you Lauren! 🙂
That’s the prettiest wood shop I’ve ever seen in my life. The checked valance and shelves with decor provide a great finishing touch to those gorgeous $37 cabinets and stained wood work surface!
Awww thank you! I am really happy with the way it turned out!
You would never know these were same cabinets I am such a fan of yours. Love everything you RE-do.
Thank you Kim! ❤️❤️
That is beautiful!! What a lucky find and a great makeover. Pinned.
Thank you so much!
Such a great job! Everything looks like it was custom made for your space. You’d never guess they were thrift store finds. Love it!
Thank you Mandy! I love thrifting 🙂
What a cute room you two created. A lot of storage and for the little amount you paid how awesome is that?!! Love the stain on the counters and the pretty valance. So cute!
Thank you Terrie! Lots of storage for me to junk up haha! 🙂
Christina you did a fabulous job on these cabinets they look like they are brand new and using the chalk paint makes him right in style!
I would love for you to share your project on my Wonderful Wednesday, so others can see you’re a great blog!
Hi Karen! Thank you so much. I would be homered to share it! 🙂