DIY China Cabinet Makeover: Vintage Farmhouse Blue

I am an old, old soul. I have shared quite a bit on my blog here & on social, that I love my Grandmother’s, and great-grandmother’s generation. I just love the slow, simpler pace their lives had. Any chance that I can to bring back a touch of the “old days” I love. I have been wanting an old china cabinet for quite a while now, even though I have no official “china” to display. I do however, have a growing collection of Pioneer Woman plates & pretty dishes. 😄 So I knew that’s what I would be displaying once I found the perfect piece. Read on to see how I took on a DIY china cabinet makeover, using the perfect farmhouse blue!

The search for the perfect piece

Another thing about me, I am an over thinker. So trust me when I say, I searched for a GOOD LONG WHILE for this piece. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to find a buffet table and have John build open shelves above, or if I wanted a whole piece together. I also didn’t want to spend a fortune, so price played into the factor too. I searched Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, kept an eye out for garage sales, and visited a few antique malls. I finally came across one that I fell in love with instantly, at Beacon Hill Antique Warehouse in San Antonio.

The painting process: Day 1

We got the piece home, and I got started on it right away! Haha, just kidding. That definitely did not happen. Work, traveling, Thanksgiving, traveling again, and finally 4 days before Christmas Eve, I decided it was a great time to take on the project. Hubby was working on the shiplap wall in our dining room as a surprise for my birthday, so I decided I would take advantage of his company & start painting.

To start the process, I removed the upper doors, and hardware from the drawers and lower doors. I contemplated keeping a few of the areas dark brown. But a few minutes in to the process decided I would paint the entire piece. The color I chose was Rustoleum Chalked, in Serenity Blue.

Tips for chalk paint

If you have never painted with chalk paint before, let me share with you, that you need to be patient. In my opinion, the process goes best if you paint a thin light coat, let it completely dry, then come back and paint a second coat. If you try to put too much on at once, it starts to just “gum” up. You’ll feel frustrated that it’s not covering. Every time I swiped the brush to cover an area, it felt like it just brushed it back away. That’s the point where I decided to leave some bare spots showing, and come back for that second coat.

I used two synthetic paint brushes one larger, and one smaller for getting the tinier details. I did attempt to use a roller on the bigger areas, but wasn’t happy with the “orange peel” look it was leaving. I think with a different smooth roller, it may have done better. However, I just decided to stick with the brush. Coat 1 was finished, and I went to bed excited to finish coat 2 the next day. I did lay out the shelves to paint them on my island. I also taped off the doors with wire in them before painting, as I wanted to leave the wire it’s original color.

The painting process: Day 2

I got a second quart of paint to do the second coat on the cabinet. Our local hardware store, Big Bear, out here in La Vernia carries the paint so I love that we could get it locally. The first coat used the full thing. Did I mention how large this piece is? It’s a beast! The second coat went on a lot quicker I felt, maybe because there was less coverage needed, and maybe because I felt like I knew what I was doing by then. Either way, the second coat smoothed on, and I was so thrilled with the transformation. The blue is the perfect teal blue color, and I love the matte finish. I know they sell a sealing wax, and while I have not applied that yet, I may at some point, we will see!

I left my Christmas dishes up through Christmas, and a couple days after. Now I have transitioned to my “normal” Pioneer Woman collection, with my Christmas plates tucked away in the cabinets beneath.

I am in love with how it all turned out, and feel like I could definitely conquer another chalk paint project. Do you like DIY projects? Are you a chalk paint fan? I would love to hear about what projects you have been up to! Share them on social & tag me, @tinaschoenfeldt ! Happy crafting!!