Lessons of the China Cabinet

The china cabinet & the lessons I learned...

I fell in love with the style of this china cabinet when I saw it on Craigslist. But boy did I learn some major lessons with it and I felt I need to share.

#1 Before you buy, no matter how much you love it, get a feel for how many layers of paint it has. This one must of had 50 layers of whites & tans.

#2 Look at the detail work and decide if you will be able to sand those areas

#3 NEVER EVER use stripper!!Big mistake! I am all for making things easier but I have NEVER had any luck with it.

#4 Don't work on anything glass outside on a windy day. That stuff will break if the wind blows it over!

#5 Learn when to give up (I refused to give up on this one even though it cost me more than what I will probably sell it for)

#6 Sometimes you have to just set it aside and come back to it when the time is right again. Once you loose inspiration it is hard to keep going....

So just breathe, put it aside and come back!

Okay, so enough about the lessons I learned on this project.

Since I had so many problems with the stripper, it just chipped and refused to evenly sand, I decided to go with the aged "chippy" look. I even went as far as to age the fabric on the bottom. 

Okay, confession...I accidentally got stain on the fabric, but I think it worked. 

You tell me:

BEFORE

AFTER:

 See the stain, aka "aged" look?

Here is where the glass was. After another episode of "take this damn thing to the curb" I decided to take a trip to the hardware store and replace it with a wire mesh material. Problem solved.

I think it was this fabric that held this project together for me. 

I really wanted to use it on a china cabinet.