Vintage Cupboard Make Over – step by step..one day at a time…….

 

a great old cupboard that I picked up at an auction….My idea is to use it as a display piece for my American Paint Company Paint products that I use and sell at events….As you can see it is a bit rough…but I have purchased much worse….So my first task–I always use my air compressor and blow off as much dirt as possible and then clean it with TSP…a cleaner that I use on all my wood pieces..I wipe down every inch…..You can purchase TSP at Lowes, Menards or Home Depot….It is concentrated so read your directions…As I wipe down my pieces I find what needs to be tightened, removed and glued….I have never had a piece that I have just jumped right into painting…..I purchase most of my pieces at farm auctions so most have set out in a barn or shed for awhile…and need a bit of TLC…..This one took about an hour to clean up……

 

 

I usually find this….nails that are holding nothing together and need to be removed…..these ones were very easy to pull out…….I use my pliers and also sometimes tap with a hammer…..

 

 

I also save everything I find while cleaning up a piece–like this piece of wood that was stuck on a shelf….now this cupboard was picked up at the auction, carried and laid in a truck, moved out of the truck and placed in my garage….and this piece did not fall out…LUCKY for me!!

 

 



 

Because look at this–

 

Before the piece was found…….

 

 

 

 

and after…..

 

 

Yep–this was a missing piece to a cupboard door!!! 

 

 

So now that leads me to my next steps…gluing and clamping….I have always used Gorilla Glue and it has never let me down….Once glued I wipe off the excess glue and secure my clamp and leave over night…..

 

 

and that is it for tonight!! See–night #1 was not so bad was it?  Tomorrow night we will pick up where we left off and I will show you step by step what I do next…..I am thinking I will need to square up the drawer and reattach the drawer bottom…until then enjoy!!