DIY // A Trash to Treasure "I Told You So" Cabinet

If ever a moment deserved an "I told you so" this would be it.

I packed this sad looking oak cabinet home from my friend's mom's house and was welcomed with laughter and exclamations of doubt.  I don't know how many times I've heard it referred to as firewood from my husband, brother and dad.  Oh ye of little faith.  It's honestly hard to blame them for their lack of vision.  This cabinet was in ROUGH shape.

It was dirty and cobwebby.  The drawers were missing their fronts and were no longer square.  There were unattached boards throughout. The top had what resembled burn marks (or severe water damage) and huge gaps in between the boards.  The back was bowed and unattached in some places. 

But, I just knew better.  With a little cleaning and fixin' this bad little boy could be a showstopper.   I had high hopes of converting it into additional bathroom storage for the hallway, but it was just too long and with nowhere else in the house for it to go (for now) I thought it could be a great outdoor storage piece.

I started by sweeping and vacuuming all the dirt and webs.  Then I removed the back so that I could reattach the side and top boards.  Since this cabinet was going to be sitting outdoors, I used rust-proof deck screws to reattach all the pieces.

I reattached the drawer fronts and sides with Gorilla wood glue.

 

 

 I let them dry and scraped off all the dry and brittle laminate.

Then I sanded everything down until it was nice and smooth and gave it a good wipe down with a towel and water.

I filled the large gaps with paintable caulk.

The next day I gave it another sanding to remove any excess caulk and smooth it down a bit more.

It was looking a whole lot better.

After some more sanding and a good cleaning, I gave it a coat of primer.

And then it dawned on me that I didn't fill the gaps on the top.  So, I busted out the wood filler and got to filling.  I let it dry and gave the top another coat of primer.

The dresser got three coats of Behr's Desert Glow semi-gloss exterior paint.  The color was a little too saturated for what I wanted so I cut it with a creamy yellow high-gloss paint I had on hand, which brought it down to the perfect shade of bright yellow.

I primed and painted the back with a coat of satin white exterior paint.  Then I printed a chevron template and started tracing and painting the design with a sponge brush and some tester paint I picked up at home depot.  (And apparently I had a healthy helping of tator tots during the process.)

With the back piece complete, I reattached it and bam!  I'm pretty sure all those naysayers felt the tides turn as the final nail was driven in. 

I haven't figured out exactly what I want to do to the open area.  I'm thinking a shelf will be in order and perhaps two glass paned cabinet doors, but for now I'm just ridiculously happy with it.  I did create a simple curtain for the open portion with some gray duck cloth I snagged at Goodwill just to keep it somewhat sheltered from the elements.

It's the perfect little storage piece for outdoor candles, alfresco eating wares and outdoor toys & games. I just love it!  And the fact that it was a piece that most would have sent to the fire pit or the landfill makes me head over heels.

Let's just take a look at the side by side before & after photos.  Amazing, right?

So what about you?  Have any trash to treasure transformations you'd like to brag about share?  Loving this sunny yellow and gray color combo as much as me?   Or just want to say hey?  Either way, I love to read all your comments!