Filing Cabinet Makeover DIY

I've been searching for quite some time for a used filing cabinet. But every time I came across one on a local Facebook For Sale group, someone had already grabbed it up, and of course there was never one at our local Goodwill Store either.

Luckily, talking about my dilemma at work one night, my co-worker said she had one that she might be getting rid of and that I could have it if she could convince her husband to get a new one. YAY! The next afternoon she called and said she would bring it to me the next day, hooray for me!

I realize not everyone is so lucky to get one for free, but normally these older ones are pretty inexpensive if you can get them from Goodwill or another thrift shop.

I was exactly anticipating my foray into redoing this filing cabinet to go well so I didn't take a LOT of pictures, but I will explain how I did it along with the few pictures I do have.

So this is a TERRIBLE "Before" picture but like I said, I wasn't expecting this to go well at all, so this is all I got of it before I fixed it up.

I went on a trip to Hobby Lobby (favorite!) and looked for some scrapbook paper to use for the drawers. I also bought some Mod Podge and spray Acrylic Sealer since I had neither on hand. All together that was about $14. 

First I cut the scrapbook paper to the size of the drawers but this was a little tricky since the paper was a little smaller than the drawer. I also made sure the tape off the drawer pulls with the blue painters tape since I'm not replacing them.

Then I put a layer, not too much, of Mod Podge on the drawer and placed the biggest piece of scrapbook paper down and used a discount card to smooth out the paper, making sure there were no wrinkles or bubbles. You could use any old credit card for this, or a piece of cardboard, something flat to smooth out your paper. I continued to do this until the entire drawer was covered. Then I repeated these steps with the second drawer and let them both dry for about an hour.

After both drawers were dry, I put another layer, this time much thicker, of Mod Podge over the entire drawer (excluding the drawer pull which should still be covered with the painters tape). I did this with both drawers, and let the first coat set for about 30 minutes, until it was no longer tacky. Then I put one final coat of the Mod Podge on both drawers.

The drawers with all coats of Mod Podge applied.

When I was finished with the drawers I started on the cabinet. Since we don't have a garage with our house, I had to spray paint in the basement. I do not advise doing this unless you have no other choice, and if you do so make sure that you keep the area well ventilated. I had to make sure the back door was open and opened some windows upstairs to keep the smell from going all over the house.

I did not sand or prime my cabinet. I decided to wing it, and honestly it looks just fine. If you're going for a really bold color, I'd recommend priming your cabinet first. I set out a bunch of newspaper on the floor and set my cabinet in the middle. I started at the top of the cabinet, and followed the spray paint can's instructions for use, spraying approximately 12 inches away from it and overlapping layers as I went. I used Rustoleum's Dark Brown which I bought from my local WalMart for about $5. I also used this for my Menu Board, and the whole can went over the cabinet twice and the menu board twice! It was definitely a bargain!

Please pardon my extremely messy basement! =]

After the first coat of paint was dry I applied a second coat. According to the can you should be able to paint again about 2-4 hours after the first coat, but I waited until the next day. I chose not to paint the back of the cabinet since it's going to be up against a wall, but that was my personal choice. 

I let the cabinet dry for 24 hours after the second coat and then applied a sealer to it. The acrylic sealer I used didn't say you could use it on metal, but I tried it out and it's been fine and doesn't seem to have done anything bad to it in anyway, but I do know they make sealers meant for metal and you could find it in with the spray paints at WalMart. I also sprayed the drawers with the same sealers and let all of them dry for 24 hours and then I moved the finished piece upstairs!

The finished cabinet!

I would say the cabinet turned out much better than I anticipated. I wasn't really expecting any of this to work well, but it has and I'm so glad it did! It looks great in my little office space in the dining room and it matches the Menu Board I made as well.

Total Project Cost = $19

I didn't have the Mod Podge, sealer, or spray paint on hand which is why it's $19 or it would have been about $5!

Have you redone a filing cabinet? Please share your story if you have, I'd love to see how yours turned out!

Cheers,