When we moved into The Mad House, we received a few pieces of hand-me-down furniture from relatives. I am all about free things, so we took it all in gladly. Among the treasures was this kitchen cart on casters (alliteration!). It was still very functional, but since it was a two-time hand-me-down it needed a bit of work. The wood top was scratched and dingy and the white paint was chipped and scratched. You can often find carts like this second-hand inexpensively, and they make for an easy Intro to Furniture Refinishing project.
To refinish a rolling cart, you will need:
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contact paper (mine was from Dollar Tree)
foam brushes
rag
I began by masking off the trays of the shelves and the cutting board top of the cart with dollar store contact paper. I used contact paper as a paint mask for my son’s TARDIS closet and my craft desk, and I have always been pleased with how well it works to cover large areas.
I gave the cart two coats of coral spray paint with a matte finish. You can obviously choose a glossier paint finish, I just really like the creamy look of the matte paint.
After I removed the contact paper, I got to work refinishing the wood top of the cart. There were some good gouges in the wood, and the finish was pretty uneven. I used my power sander and a few different grades of sandpaper to remove the finish and even out the wood.
I applied a few coats of satin polyurethane using a foam brush, letting it cure between layers. Again, I love the satin poly, but you can use whatever is your favorite finish.
After the second coat of poly cured, I sanded the cart top down with fine grade sandpaper. I wiped off the dust and applied one last coat of poly.
As furniture refinishing projects go, this is low on the difficulty scale so you should not feel intimated to try it. The cart looks brand new again and blends in perfectly in its new spot in our sunroom!
Are you getting anxious to see the full sunroom reveal? Check back next week and I will show you the whole makeover!
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Thanks, Jessica
What brand of coral spray paint did you use? I love it!
I used Design Master spray paint in Coral. I think I bought it at Michaels. Hope that helps!
Thank you!
I love the post! My mom has one of those but it’s in a really bad shape, I think I’m gonna refinish it and use it on the living room. Thank you for sharing the idea! I love your crafts 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind comment! Rolling carts are very useful to have around the house!
Thanks for sharing a creative in formation…Rolling carts are very useful to have around the house!