China Cabinet Makeover: using paint to give an antique new life

This beautiful China cabinet right here, is my favorite furniture up-cycle to date.

I initially bought this with a table, eight chairs, and a buffet, for only $150. I wasn’t sure I even wanted a china cabinet, but it was part of the deal.

First, I painted her white, and then a few years later I painted her teal. I got so many compliments when she was teal, that I decided to try and sell her.

Unfortunately, we lived in Europe and no one had a truck to haul her, so she never did sell.

So, I decided it must be time for a makeover. And it turned out amazing!

Cabinet Before

Here she is before, painted teal.

It was a beautiful color I mixed, but it just never quite fit my decor.

It’s difficult to see with all of the bins I was storing, but the back wall was covered in mirrors. I didn’t love this, so the mirrors were the first to go!

I took the back off, prying the nails out very gently.

The mirrors came right off, and we only managed to break one of the two sheets.

I forgot to take a picture of this next step, but once I removed the glass, I used the same board to apply peel and stick wallpaper.

I used shiplap peel and stick wallpaper from Target, and it has been holding up for 3 years now.

Before I put the back on, I painted the inside “Original White” by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

This was my go-to for years. While I still swear by it, I recently discovered another cabinet paint that I love, but for this project, it was all Annie Sloan.