Free Refurbished Cabinet

the after version

I answered an ad on craigslist for this cabinet. They were asking $25 for it, and it needed some sanding and some paint.

The above pics were all included in the ad, showing that it wasn't in perfect condition.

I was fine with a fixer-upper, so I arranged to pick it up. However, when I got there I found that the cabinet had fallen apart when they pulled it out of their basement. As a result, they offered it to me free, if I wanted to try to put it back together. I figured the worst that could happen would be that I couldn't make it stable again, so I took it home with me.

This is what it looked like when I got it in the work room at home. Pretty sad, huh?

Here it is with the legs glued and screwed back on and the bottom hinge glued and clamped on the left hand door. I also screwed together the crosspiece (it was broken in two) and then glued and screwed it in place between the legs.

I sanded it a bit, but left a lot of the bigger scars. I primed it with a gray primer, then put white paint on top of that. After distressing the edges I applied a paste wax. I also spray painted the handles with oil rubbed bronze spray paint and reattached them.

The cabinet is an old tv cabinet, and the wood frame in back is removeable, with space above and below it for ventilation and cords. I pulled off the old black fabric and hot glued some fabric from my stash to the frame. After putting the frame in place, I stapled the bottom edge of the fabric to the edge of the cabinet (I didn't want the space open).

Doesn't it look like a whole new piece of furniture?

I  love what a little elbow grease can do!

I wanted a cabinet to hide this mess:

 Yes, that's our modem and router, in a pile on the floor. Very attractive.

This cabinet is just right for getting that stuff up off the floor:

I had originally planned on putting some of our games in the cabinet, but then I realized that since the cabinet is right by the back porch door (where the grill is), it would make a great place to store our grill utensils. Eventually I want to have an outdoor cabinet for that, but that is not anywhere near the top of my list right now. I still need to find some containers to hold and organize everything, but I think this will work out well.

Doesn't it look so much better? And the entire project was free, since I had the paint, wax, and fabric, and the cabinet ended up being free also.

And can I just say that I have met some of the nicest people through craigslist? I sold some file cabinets to a lady who homeschools and has adopted kids, and the lady who gave me this cabinet also homeschools and has adopted kids. It's so fun to randomly meet people who have a lot in common with us.

Linking to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party