I recently received a call from one of my “furniture finders” about this television armoire cabinet. Yep, someone actually threw it away. Here is the story of the repurposed television armoire cabinet.
Table of Contents
Dumpster Diving Tactics
With that being said, let me explain my “dumpster diving” tactics. My email inbox is always flooded with questions regarding my furniture finds. This armoire was found in a construction dumpster. Which means no household garbage. Just wood scraps, boxes, or anything else which pertains to a construction site. Possibly a little dirt, but nothing that can’t be cleaned off. Importantly, I DO NOT remove furniture items from household trash dumpsters unless they are on the ground next to it. I am sure some people do, but I choose not too. And trust me, I wish I could. Why, because I LOVE saving thrown out furniture. But it’s just too risky and well just plain gross.
Anyway, back to the repurposed television armoire cabinet makeover. Once we got the call, the Hubs and I immediately showed up on site. Luckily, there was a business located near the dumpster which had a few extra men who were eager to help the Hubs remove it from the dumpster. With that being said, it was solid wood and HEAVY, so I knew I could not be of much help.
Save this project for Later!
I thoroughly inspected it after we got home and unloaded it from the truck before taking it inside. It was surprisingly clean! I did vacuum underneath and inside the cabinet, just to be on the safe side.
1. Brainstorming & Discussion With the Hubs
It sat in my workshop for over a week. For some odd reason, the week we found the piece, I was in a creative slump. I am telling you; no creative juices were flowing. Burnout had crept in. Which is normal, so I didn’t worry. I just simply walked away.
A few days had passed. I decided it was time to have a pow-wow in front of the beast that was torturing me. Enough was enough. I was determined to construct a plan, no matter what. I pulled up a chair and just sat in front of it, brainstorming ideas. Here are a few of my thoughts:
- This size cabinet is hard to sell in my area. As a matter of fact, they very rarely sell. Most people have larger televisions or they prefer smaller more decorative cabinets. Giant TV cabinets are not popular anymore.
- Of course, the entertainment center was not an antique armoire but it was still a good quality piece of furniture.
- The cabinet could be repurposed into an armoire, but that’s the NORM. I am not that type of flipper because I love thinking outside the box.
- I want a unique piece that the Hubs and I could work together on.
After my brainstorming session, I discussed the points that I jotted down with the Hubs. The final decision was to cut the armoire in half. We would repurpose the bottom into a beautiful piece and the top could be repurposed into a cabinet.
2. Prep Work for the Repurposed Cabinet
The Hubs went to work, removing the top using his circular saw.
I saved the two large doors! They can be used for all sorts of neat projects.
Here it is with the top removed.
Our hope was to save the top and create a cabinet, however, it was just too flimsy, and the inside was not worth the time to repair. The Hubs cut the pieces and placed them in our recycle bin for pickup. You can see a hutch top we repurposed and saved HERE.
3. Construct a New Top for the Repurposed Television Armoire Cabinet
The top was damaged in one small area, but Hubs to the rescue! He would construct a planked top.
The Hubs used 1x6x8’s and cut them to the length needed for the top (you can get these from Lowe’s or your local home improvement store). For the trim, he used a 1x2x8.
He sanded all the pieces with 220-grit sandpaper using our favorite orbital sander.
The new top was attached using wood glue and nails. The hubs first glued the strips into place.
He then used his brad nailer and nailed each piece for extra adhesion. He attached the trim using the same method.
Stain the Top of the Repurposed Television Armoire Cabinet
The first order of business was the stain for the top. I chose Dixie Belle’s Voodoo Stain. You can get yours HERE.
I mixed two colors together, Tobacco Road and Up in Smoke. One was a light brown color, and the other was gray.
I used a piece of tack cloth to remove any sanding dust and wiped with a damp cloth. After it dried, I applied a coat of the mixed stain to the top, and I was IN LOVE! How gorgeous is this? And, the Vodoo stain is very easy to use.
4. Adding Accents to the Doors
I had these corner pieces for cabinet doors in my stash. I decided to use these on the doors to give the cabinet a little more depth.
My plan was to distress the cabinet so the pretty wood would peek through. The wood applique was a lighter wood, so I needed to darken it up a bit. I applied one coat of Minwax English Chestnut (it matched the color of the cabinet) to each applique.
After the wood appliques dried overnight, I added them to the corner of the doors using E6000.
Most importantly it is very important to let the E6000 dry overnight.
5. The Paint Process
My color choice was Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth. I would describe it as an antique white.
The next day, I cleaned the entire cabinet with my vinegar and water solution (1 part vinegar, 1 part water). After it dried, I applied one coat of paint to the entire base of the cabinet and the two doors, including the wood appliques. (I did not paint the inside). After about 4 hours of drying time, I applied a second coat. It only took two coats of paint.
After the paint dried overnight, I distressed the cabinet by hand with a piece of 220-grit sandpaper after allowing the paint to dry overnight. After that, the wood appliques were also distressed.
I sanded the entire piece lightly with 220-grit sandpaper to achieve a smooth surface even the doors (by hand). After, I cleaned the sanding dust away with a tack cloth. To seal the piece, I applied one coat of Minwax Finishing Paste. Next, I applied a layer of the wax to the top.
In addition, we added new hardware to the doors which were purchased from Amazon. I was delighted with the quality, and the rusty patina was gorgeous! You can find similar one HERE.
We attached the doors to the cabinet. I left the door hinges black, I did not paint it.
Here is the finished piece. Isn’t the cabinet absolutely a beauty?
See how the distressing gives it a worn look and coordinates with the hardware?
The repurposed giant TV cabinet cabinet became a elegant piece of furniture. But, still it offers decent storage space
Supplies for the Repurposed TV Armoire Cabinet Project
Save this project for later!
Another piece saved from the landfills, by the way! Remember, “It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it will be.”
Stunning!!! My first step is always brain storming with the hubs too. I recently tried to DIY a cabinet to match the professional cabinet painting in Paramus, it wasn’t perfect, but I’m so happy I tried. I hope as I keep finding new things to DIY, I get better! Thanks for sharing!
It’s nothing short of amazing. Wow, gorgeous.
Thank you! ❤️❤️
Absolutely beautiful. Before using the chalk paint you didn’t sand? You used vinegar? Does that make the paint stick? I have always sanded and if I don’t need to that would be great. Totally impressed with this piece. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Gwen! If using chalk paint you do not need to sand. Only if there are major scratches etc. The vinegar is mixed with water and dish detergent just to clean the piece. It is like a degreaser. I allow it to dry completely after cleaning before applying the paint.
I can say only one word. Gorgeous!!!
Awwww thank you Patricia! ????????
Great save.
Thank you! ????
Beautiful piece! Love the color with the darker stained top. The corner pieces you added to the doors for depth was a nice touch. Love it!
Thank you Linda! 🙂
Your transformations always amaze me, Christina!
Aww thank you Kim! ❤️
Well done it looks awesome.
Thank you Anita ❤️
I loved the color of the top. Where do you get the gel stain/ The color looked perfect for my bathroom cabinets. The whole project you did was just gorgeous. Love your blog!
Awww thank you Tess! I purchased it from a local market here. But you can buy it off of the Dixie Belle site! ❤️❤️
Great save! I love DB products. I thought i saw some MDF though. Doesn’t matter because it looks awesome.
Yes some pieces were MDF like the very thin piece on top. However the sides and bottom were wood 🙂 Thank you!
WOW! Wish I had a hubby to fix stuff like you! It’s absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you Susan! He is a keeper 🙂
Absolutely stunning. You have such a creative eye.
Thank you so much Connie! ❤️
Great looking find. So worth ” being free” the effort.
Re “diving”… a few years ago ,, I purposely bought a SMALLER” car…so I would be tempted to store large items in the car ?
Thank you Kate! I thought driving a smaller car would keep me from doing that too but if there is a will there is a way haha!
Hi Christina, I love what you did with it! Do you have any special tips you can share about waxing with minwax? Or just follow the can instructions? Did you use it right after the chalk paint? No polyurethane?
? thanks
Nina
Hi Nina! Thank you for your kind words. I apply the wax with a long free cloth working in small sections. Some people try and wipe the entire piece but it’s easier in sections. I wait 15 minutes for that section to dry and then buff it with another clean cloth. And yes right over the chalk paint. I don’t use polyurethane.
<3 Amazing!! Can't wait to see the top too!!
Thank you! And thank you for messaging me!
Totally amazing! ya’ll given me a lot to think about. Thanks for reclaiming these pieces from the landfill!
Thank you! Glad we inspire you ?
It looks amazing!! It doesn’t even look like the same piece. I love how you added the designs to the doors. And the hardware is gorgeous!
Thank you Michelle! It was so much fun!
wow!!! Looks fantastic and am so with you on making something old into something new.
Awww thank you! It’s one of our favorite projects!❤️
This is what I want to do to my solid oak cabinet and my husband says, it can’t be done…. keeping this to s how him….
That’s right show him ????