Flatware Chest Makeover

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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.

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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!

Thrift Store Find Makeovers

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