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China Cabinet Makeover: Prepping + Sanding Wood Furniture {Step 1}

#chinacabinetmakeover

Last week I shared the latest + greatest project that I’m throwing myself into.  Since the baby arrived, I kind of lost my DIY mojo, but this project has me back!  I can not express how excited I am about this project because I’ve been thinking about it for so long.  Have you ever had a moment like that when you are thinking about something so much, but are unsure of how all the details could possibly come together?  Well that was me with this project…  I knew exactly the cabinet I wanted, I knew the color I wanted it to be, but no cabinet.  UNTIL, I found her.

Somehow, someway the stars were aligned and last week she came home!  To be specific, my husband and I went to the seller’s home (it’s a must to always go with someone on a Craigslist excursion!) and thankfully he had a pickup, so for $20 extra he delivered it to our house.  Lesson learned?  It never hurts to ask.  We don’t have a pickup and would have had to rent one.  This was much easier!

Thinking back, I haven’t tackled a large-scale furniture makeover project like this since the painting of the laminate bookcases and that was a LONG time ago.  Whether large or small though, the steps for painting a piece of furniture are typically the same and that’s what I am dedicating my next few posts to… rehabbing a piece of furniture to achieve a dynamic result.

First up, details on how to begin the process of paint a piece of furniture including how-to prep + how-to sand.

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

The china cabinet was in a pretty sad place before landing in my garage.  It was dusty and had lots of grime in the corners, so a good ole’ cleaning was a must!

1. First up… the hardware.  I removed all the hardware using a screwdriver and am still on the fence about reusing or replacing the existing pieces.  Some of the hardware (knobs) were missing, so I’m not sure what I will do.  – TBD –

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

2. Once the hardware was removed, I used a vacuum to clean all the nooks + crannies of the cabinet.  Not only was it dusty, but it was dirty.

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

Then following that, I used a dampened rag and went over all the surfaces.  It was amazing the grime that came off this piece!

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

3. After taking a few minutes to clean the surface, it was time for sanding.

Using my orbital sander (it really is the best tool for sanding large areas – I use it SO MUCH) I went over the areas that I could.  The orbital sander is somewhat large so it worked great for the larger flat surfaces like the top, sides, and doors.  For the more detailed, intricate areas, I used a piece of sandpaper (by hand).  The very detailed areas I just left (without sanding) and will be using a primer that ‘grips’ to the surface so the paint will adhere.  The gripper paint I will be using (more on that in an upcoming post) actually says no sanding is needed, but I like to give a quick sanding for better adhesion.  If I were staining this piece, I would have needed to go down to the original surface.  Since I am painting it though, a quick sanding (+ a good primer) is all that is needed.

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

sanding, sanding, sanding…

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

When sanding wood, it’s important that you do not put too much pressure on the wood surface.  I started with a 120 grit paper and then used a 220 grit paper for a smoother finish.  A light sanding is just enough and always continue to rotate and move the sander so you are not concentrating on one section for a long time.

Sections of the china cabinet where I could not use the orbital sander, I sanded by hand.  Areas like the buffet top and the legs were very worn (natural wear + tear) and needed to be smoothed out.

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

4. Sanding took about 10-15 minutes and then I cleaned all the surfaces again.  Lastly before painting this girl of mine, I taped off the glass.  Using painters tape, I taped off the edge where the wood meets the glass.  This will make painting much easier!

China Cabinet Makeover: How-To Prep and Sand Wood Furniture {easy to follow tutorial - multiple blog posts to explain how easy it is}

And that’s it.  For now!

This china cabinet is still in transition mode from blah to pretty.  Next up?  Primer, which is the key to a good paint job.  Stay tuned for my next post on Why & How to Prime Wood Furniture.

Follow along on this makeover with these other posts
Backstory + Choosing a Color
Prepping & Sanding Wood Furniture
Why & How to Prime Wood Furniture
Tips + Tricks to Painting Wood Furniture
Accessories, Details, & Styling {China Cabinet Makeover}

Coming up (still to do)
China Cabinet Makeover {Reveal}

 

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