Hey there, friend! Summer break is in full swing in Indiana and I’ve been trying to balance my work time with keeping the boys entertained enough so I don’t have to hear “Mooooom, I’m booored” a hundred times every day, haha.
Today is Trash to Treasure Tuesday with my blogging friends, which means there are four bonus makeovers at the end of this post. This old repurposed radio cabinet looks pretty good from the front…
But open the door and it was missing some very important parts!
*This post contains some affiliate links so that you can easily find the products I use and recommend. Discover all my favorite brands and tools for doing furniture makeovers here.
Here’s how we fixed up this repurposed radio cabinet:
Originally the door stayed closed just by rubbing against the bottom of the door frame – not good! I added a little wood block inside and attached a new magnetic closure (see below), and then sanded the door frame enough to stop the rubbing.
There were short little ledges inside already around the middle and bottom, and Guy in the Garage cut shelves to fit perfectly on top. Tip: It’s much easier to paint the inside of the cabinet during this step before the back is attached.
Mr. GITG also sanded the top smooth with our electric sander to quickly get rid of scratches and blemishes.
He cut a new back which I painted and nailed into place.
On the front of the door there was a little piece of decorative trim missing – thankfully it was simple to make a couple cuts and glue it on with my favorite super glue.
Finally, the outside was painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence, lightly sanded and distressed with sandpaper, and then sealed with Annie Sloan’s clear wax.
The shelves inside were painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Country Grey.
Provence used to be one of my favorite Chalk Paint colors, but I haven’t used it for far too long. The turquoise blue is so pretty!
The details look so good with the distressed brown wood peeking from under the blue.
Below is where I added the new little piece of wood. Shhhhhh… Would you have noticed if I hadn’t told you?
Here’s a reminder of how far this repurposed radio cabinet came:
I hope you love it as much as I do, and that it inspires you with your own projects. I almost gasped when I saw it a yard sale for $20! It didn’t even bother me that the back and insides were missing. All the pretty parts were still there. 🙂
I’d so appreciate it if you’d leave me a comment and/or share this post to inspire others! xo Jen
* Now it’s time for Trash to Treasure Tuesday – Woot Woot *
Below are the Before photos – visit the links underneath to see the After and learn how they did it:
1. Confessions of a Serial DIYer
2. Prodigal Pieces
3. Artsy Chicks Rule
4. Bless’er House
Larissa Haynes says
You know I love old radio cabinets! Love the blue on this one and all the little fixes you made to make it shine again, Jen. Beautiful!
Karen Owens says
Gorgeous . Love the piece. I painted several pieces for my dtr in Provence.
karine says
Beautiful, the furniture has a nice shape and the color adds life. a nice change!!
precioso , el mueble tiene una linda forma y el color le agrego vida. un lindo cambio
lizq says
So pretty! Very nice job!
Christy says
Wow you luck out with the gorgeous radio cabinets! What a find and it is just beautiful now. I too used to love Provence…glad to see it here! XOXO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
What a great repurpose Jen! Beautiful and that is one of my favorite colors!! xo
Laura Forehand says
Great Job! I have a similar piece, that I have stumped on what color to do it in…..got my inspiration now! 🙂
Ann Bilyeu says
Jen, I love your work and so glad to see a project in another color besides white! I’m curious to know why you only use white. They all look fantastic, so this is NOT a criticism by any means as I am a novice and use your work as inspiration. I currently have an old library desk or teacher’s desk I want to recreate, a wonderful tall table that I’m turning into a kitchen island, and many treasures in my basement that no one in the family wants, so upcycled they will be!
Nancie Clement says
Gorgeous color choice. Looks ?
Frances says
Soo pretty! Love the blue. Great find.
Karen says
Beautifully repurposed, need to start hitting the flea mkts and tag sales!
MaryJean says
Jen, it looks great! I like the idea of using it for extra linens and towels maybe in a guest room. I have a large oak TV cabinet that I will be repurposing into a kitchen island and posting on my blog when I get it done. Hope you will stop by!
Lizzy Leff says
Very pretty. Love the color.
Lizzy Leff says
I pretty-much only use white, too. My favorite is Annie Sloan’s Pure White.
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Haha! I don’t take it as criticism. 🙂 I love the clean look of white/light furniture. Annie Sloan’s Old Ochre, Pure White, and Old White are a few that I use often. Technically they are different shades of white and off-white. Plus I sell most of my pieces, and those paint colors tend to sell better for me. I do like to mix things up sometimes though! I actually have another post I wrote a while back about why I use white a lot: https://girlinthegarage.net/2016/10/henredon-dresser-paint-everything-white 😉
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks so much, MaryJean! That sounds like a very cool project! 🙂
Jamala says
Glad you found this treasure piece and restored it to a beautiful show piece
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
I would love that cabinet! Perfect for entry! It will be snatched up quickly!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you so much, Rose!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks so much, Jamala! 🙂
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you Lizzy! 🙂
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks Karen! We’re lucky to be in yard sale season here – I actually have quite the stash already and it’s only June! Haha
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you Frances – I appreciate you leaving a comment!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks so much, Nancie! I was glad I went back to Provence. Such a lovely blue.
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you Laura, I’m so glad to have helped! 🙂
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you Nancy! I need to try more colors, I’ll always love blues though 😉
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks Christy! I have found some nice ones, and it helps that somebody else already gutted them, haha! xo
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you so much!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you, Karine! I appreciate you leaving a comment. 🙂
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you, Karen! I think Provence will never go out of style, it’s such a lovely turquoise.
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thanks girl! It was work, but that makes it more fun right? 🙂
Paula says
Beautiful makeover!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you so much Paula! xo
Debbie Hills says
Hi Jen! I have never replied to Trash to Treasure before but your radio cabinet inspired me to do so today! What a beautiful job! I would only have seen a piece of junk if I’d run across a cabinet with no back and a broken piece of molding. You are very creative, and I love the color you chose! Beautiful!
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Thank you so much for the sweet compliment Debbie!
Jeannie Wallace says
This piece is awesome. I have very little furniture in my home since I need to ride around in an electric wheelchair (lost both legs above the knee recently) but I’m hoping to find some gems like this so the furniture I can have are pieces that make me proud because I gave them their new life. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Cheryl Atkinson says
Hi Jen,
What a great piece to start with and after you added a back and shelves it is perfect. I love this color. I have some at home so i need to find the perfect piece to paint. Thank you for all your great ideas.