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Before and After: How to Transform a Rusty Metal Cabinet to a Modern Statement Piece

by on Aug 21, 2020

Photo: Jeran McConnel

Okay, confession time.  I have a lot of random junk in my garage.  I love to thrift, so when I come across furniture that has “potential”, I buy it and save it for a rainy day.  This ugly little metal drawer cabinet has been in my garage for a couple years now collecting dust.  I bought it at the Pasadena Flea Market and paid about $20 for it.  It was very rusty and had a lot of holes and chipped layers of paint.      

        

Pink, blue and white strip with a grey background.
Photo: Jeran McConnel
Plant in green planter sitting atop a wide-drawer file cabinet with contrasting painted drawers.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

This is one of those pieces that could have been painted and spruced up in some many fun ways, that I had a hard time deciding what to do with it.  I decided it needed a modern makeover and some wheels to make it even more functional.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Four bottles of spray primer.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

Start by removing all the drawers and hardware and clean the surfaces well.  I decided to paint the hardware a metallic gold for a mid century vibe.  Metallic paint seems to take the longest to dry, so I painted these pieces first.

Many metal tag holders partially spray painted gold laying on old newspapers.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

This is the most important step. Sand, sand and sand a little more.  I used an power sander to make the job go a little faster.  But starting with a well sanded surface is really important for making sure the paint will adhere properly. 

Power sander is being used on a metal sheet
Photo: Jeran McConnel

When all the rusty spot and chipped paint are sanded well, wipe down the whole piece with a tack cloth, it picks up all the fine dust particles so that the paint will go on smoothly.  Next, I sprayed all the pieces with the spray primer and allowed them to dry for about 30 mins.  This gives you a nice clean base to start with. The primer covers rust and makes sure the colors you paint on are true.

A blue mechanical pencil and a blue streamer laying on white slates with five holes in each of them.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

I then painted all the drawers white and the outside frame dark grey.  When everything was dry, I put the drawers back in and taped off the triangle shape.  I simply started at the top in the middle and angled down to the two bottom corners.  I took a pencil and traced along that taped line. 

Two white blocks with blue painters tape in a v shape sit on the floor
Photo: Jeran McConnel

Then I removed the tape and all the drawers and re-taped all the drawers individually.

Blue and white colour boxes are lying next to each other in a row.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

And then I sprayed each of the drawers with the peach colored paint in between my tape lines.

Colourful piece of scale
Photo: Jeran McConnel

When the paint is completely dry, remove the tape and you can replace the hardware.

A screw needs to be screwed back into a roller at the bottom of a piece of furniture.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

The final step is to add wheels to the bottom of the cabinet.  I used self-tapping screws for this.  These screws are like magic.  With just a power drill, you can drill directly into the metal and it self-drills (no pre-drilling or washers and nuts needed). 

And here’s what you’ve been waiting for, the AFTER!

metal cabinet placed near by the chair
Photo: Jeran McConnel
A multi drawered grey and white dresser with a pink triangle on the front and a green plant in a green planter on top of it.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

 

An almirah lying on top of the wooden floor near a white chair.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

And the final touch was I cut felt squares to fit each drawer.  It gives all my favorite craft supplies a soft spot to land.

So, let’s be honest with each other, do you have junk stored in your garage and basement in need of a makeover?  Why not a modern paint job to bring back to life a tired, old piece?

Three pairs of scissors are lined up in an open drawer.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

 

A cabinet with pink and white and a plant on it.
Photo: Jeran McConnel

 

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9 Comments

  1. Looks awesome, great job Jeran! I have a filling cabinet that needs a makeover so I might give this a try 🙂

  2. How did you remove the hardware? I have the same cabinet but can’t get the hardware off.

  3. I have the same cabinet that I am making into my nail art cart. What are the size of the wheels you added on the bottom and how far in did you attach them? Thank you for the inspiration. I will post my version of your design in a few days.

  4. Very well done!! Just acquired an old rusty metal cabinet at a yard sale. Your restoration process is helpful. Look forward to your next post!