Today seems like a great day to flip a piece of furniture! What do you say? I’m taking one of the most popular cabinets at Target and transforming it into a modern piece. I just happened to find my cabinet at Goodwill a few years ago, but from what I’m hearing a lot of you have this cabinet too. And if you’re like me, it worked for your style a few years ago but now you’re looking for a way to update it. I’ve got you, my friend! Just take a look at this before and after with our Target cabinet.
You’d never even know that it’s the same cabinet just by looking at it! And all it took to transform it was a fresh coat of paint, new hardware, and removing the wooden glass panes from the doors. Ready to flip your own piece? Let’s get started!
Materials
Oscillating Multi-Tool
Epoxy Wood Putty
Gloves
Sanding Block
Tack Cloth
Paint Sprayer (or a paintbrush)
Zinsser Bin Shellac-Based Primer
Paint – I used Amulent Decor Paint by the Chippy Barn in Seaside Cliff
Wax or Polycrylic
Drill + drill bit
Handles + Bolts
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The How-To
If I wanted to make my cabinet look more modern, I knew the first thing that had to go were both of the wooden panes. It would take this piece from looking farmhouse to modern. Or at least on the way to looking modern. Since the wooden panes were not attached to the glass, you’ll use an oscillating multi-tool to cut where the wooden pane meets the wood on the cabinet door. I made six cuts total. Be very careful with this step and take your time because you don’t want to break the glass.
Once removed, you may have some areas you need to repair from cutting away the wooden pane. Using epoxy wood putty, apply it where the oscillating mulit-tool accidentally took too much off. This product is great because you’re able to mold it to your piece. If you’re attaching new handles to the cabinet, you’ll also want to fill in the old knob hole. That is if your new handles require two holes. Otherwise, just leave it. The epoxy wood putty has about a 15-20 work-life once you activate it so cut off a little bit at a time. You’ll allow it to cure for an hour and then sand it down until smooth. Wipe the cabinet clean using a tack cloth.
To paint the cabinet, I used the Amulent Decor paint by The Chippy Barn in Seaside Cliff. This paint is a ceramic paint (a first of its kind) and doesn’t require much prep work unless you’re working with a glossy surface. This particular cabinet is made with wood particles with a hardwood on top that is similar to laminate.
With that said, I did prep this piece by painting it with the Zinsser Bin Shellac-Based primer first. This type of primer is a shellac primer made to adhere to laminate surfaces so that your paint will successfully adhere. I applied one coat with a paintbrush. If you can do this outside, I recommend that because of how potent the smell is with this primer. It takes one hour for the primer to dry.
Next up is painting the cabinet with your chosen color. If this is your first time painting furniture, I highly recommend this Amulent Decor Paint. As mentioned before, since it’s ceramic-based paint, it is self-leveling and very durable. Two things you certainly want when painting a piece of furniture. You can apply this paint with roller, paintbrush, and a paint sprayer. The best results will be with a paint sprayer if you have one. I did use a paintbrush on the doors.
Apply the paint using nice, even strokes of the paint sprayer. I used an entire 16 ounce can of the Seaside Cliff paint on this cabinet. By using the paint sprayer, it allowed for full coverage in one coat. If painting by hand, it would have taken two to cover the cabinet. Keep this in mind as you go to paint your piece of furniture or if your piece is larger than mine.
Seaside Cliff went on beautifully and the color kept getting prettier as it dried. Even though this paint is durable, I do recommend sealing it. You can either use a wax (The Chipp Barn offers scented ones) or you can seal it with polycrylic. My go-to is always the polycrylic since it will offer even more durability. Which is exactly what I needed since this piece is now in Oliver’s playroom as his art cabinet.
Now that your cabinet is finished, you’ll want to attach your new hardware. Of course, this is optional but it really helped change the look and elevated the piece to look more high-end. Small changes, big results.
Okay, now that we have gotten through the how-to, can we talk about this transformation!? I can’t tell you how many people messaged me on Instagram stating they have this cabinet and will be flipping it ASAP. This is one of those flips where it looks like an entirely new piece, looks modern and will work beautifully in so many spaces in your home. This transformation honestly shocked me as well.
And as crazy as it might sound, you can buy this cabinet to flip it. It’s only $150 at Target which isn’t bad for a piece of furniture. Catch it during one of their sales and you can get it for an even better price. At the end of the day, you’ll be creating a modern piece that would cost more to buy anywhere else for this type of look. If you try this project, tag me, email me, message me! I want to see it! Until then, let’s keep in touch.
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This is such a brilliant way to modernize a piece of furnature! I don’t know why I always have trouble picturing a piece’s potential. The way you used the paint to update it was beautiful too! What was the name of that shade of green you used? Thanks for sharing!