Giving an old flatware chest that I purchased at a thrift store recently a fresh new makeover was a simple project using paint. It’s a piece that I was happy to have found and I loved how easy it was to transform into something that matches my decor.
I’m excited to have joined the monthly Thrift Store Challenge group! Each month participants are challenged to:
- Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
- There’s no monthly theme.
- There’s no budget to stick to.
Meet the Hosts
Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela – Gail | Purple Hues and Me – Carmen | Living Letter Home – Chas | Chas’ Crazy Creations – Jenny | Cookies Coffee and Crafts – Pili | My Sweet Things – Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home – Marie | DIY Adulation – Beverly | Across the Blvd – Michelle | Michelle James Designs – Molly | Just a Little Creativity
Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!
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Flatware Chest Makeover
The chest was dinged up a bit and had some surface scratches, but I knew it could be given a makeover to bring it back to life. Priced at $4.99 at my local Goodwill, it was a great find! The interior was in very good condition and only needed to be cleaned up a bit.
Supplies Used to give an old flatware chest a new look
- Old Flatware Chest
- TSP for cleaning the wood
- Ivory Chalk Paint and Brushes
- Screwdriver
- Spray Chalk Paint – White Kilz
- Spray Polycrylic Protective Finish
- Spray Paint – Desert Rose Gold
- Metallic Rose Gold Paint
- Wood Glue
- Scotch Tape
- Painter’s Tape
- Stencil
- Wood Letter
My first step of the makeover was to remove the liner to avoid getting paint on it. The liner was made of sturdy cardboard covered in felt. I used a flat head screwdriver to pry it away from the sides of the chest and it lifted out in one piece, but parts of it needed to be glued back in place. All of the hardware was removed and set aside.
Painting the flatware chest
After removing the parts of the liner that could be removed, I used painter’s tape to tape off the top of the interior. I used an ivory chalk paint as a base. You could use a primer, but I’ve found that for small items like this that I plan on spray painting, chalk paint works well for the initial coats.
I gave it a second coat of chalk paint for better coverage.
While the paint was drying, I glued the frame of the insert back in place using Gorilla glue. I also used Gorilla glue when the insert was placed back inside of the chest.
Kilz Spray Chalk Paint is one of my new favorite paints. It goes on smoothly and gives great coverage.
Rust-Oleum Desert Rose Gold spray paint has a copper look to it and that goes well with lots of my copper accessories in my kitchen and dining room. The wood R is from a set of letters that I bought at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts a couple of years ago. After the paint was dry, the chest, hardware, and letter were sprayed with Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish.
To get rid of lint and other small bits of debris, I used pieces of clear tape to clean the felt.
I wanted to add something pretty to the top of the chest. Adhesive stencils are great to use and this one adds a little flourish to the chest. I used DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Acrylic Paint in Rose Gold for the stencil.
The final step was to use wood glue to adhere the R to the chest. I loved how this turned out and it goes well in my dining room with the copper accent pieces.
I’m using this to store my copper flatware and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! I had most of the supplies on hand for the makeover. The initial cost of only $4.99 for the flatware chest, plus the cost of the spray chalk paint made this a budget friendly thrift store flip.
Thrift store finds are always fun for makeovers. You might enjoy seeing more of my easy thrift store flips.
Click below to see how I’ve transformed lots of thrift store items!
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Flatware Chest Makeover
Related Products
And now for more Thrifty Goodness, check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!
Chas Greener says
What beautiful work beverly. You have given a fresh look and new life to the chest and it’s lovely. thanks for sharing!
Beverly says
Thanks so much, Chas. I loved that it was an easy update and that it turned out how I hoped it would.
Gail says
I love these challenges because not only do we see lovely transformations but they also show us new techniques and products we’ve never heard of or tried before! Your chest turned out quite lovely and I’m going to try Kilz Spray Chalk Paint! I can see and almost feel the finish through the photo. It looks amazingly smooth!I’m impressed!
Beverly says
Thank you, Gail! The spray chalk paint is wonderful. It does have a nice smooth finish to it. I’ve been looking around my house and trying to decide what else I can use it on!
[email protected] says
Why didn’t i think of this. sharing on the weekend edit! laura in co
Beverly says
Thank you, Laura. I was happy to have found it and the simple makeover was great for it.
Jenny says
So pretty! Great find for 4.99 and I’m so glad this chest has a new home. The paint colors are very pretty on the white.
Beverly says
Thanks, Jenny! I loved the price. I found ones online from the same company and even used they were close to $100.
Michelle says
This looks so much better. i love these flatware boxes but i don’t see them very often in my area. Nice job!
Alexandra says
What a pretty, simple little makeover. Funny how a little paint goes a long way.
Michele Michael says
Very pretty Personalized piece. I had to throw my box away in the interest of saving space. Thank god because Im sure it would have been difficult to part with after seeing your upcycle.
Marilyn Lesniak says
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared.
Jenny says
What an inspiring idea to repurpose this. I love when items get a second chance to be beautiful. I’ll be featuring it tonight at Merry Monday. Hope to see you at the party.
Crissy says
This chest came out so well, Beverly! Great idea to add the stencil. I couldn’t tell it was painted on at first. Thanks for sharing this at Tuesday Turn About!