Another DIY project for the summer porch (if it ever gets above freezing around here so we can actually use the porch). This is the before, one of those old tin wall cabinets that someone had painted an awful shade of mustard neon yellow.
And this is the now: an Anchors Away Rolling Cabinet!
A pretty dramatic transformation, yes? Here is the how-I-did-it:
1. Attached wheels to the base of the cabinet so it can roll easily
2. Painted with Glidden Gripper primer. This stuff works on wood or metal. Painted a coat of Benjamin Moore Snowfall white over the primer.
3. For the sides, I decided to add a nautical stripe effect, so I taped the 2″ stripes over the white and painted with a custom (by me!) deep blue.
4. For the front doors, I painted two layers of blue paint, a solid base and then a dry-brushed topcoat to create more depth of color.
5. For the anchor stencil. I needed to look no further than my HomeGoods shopping bag!
I buy these all the time, and for 99 cents they can’t be beat. I usually use them for toting stuff around, but since the anchor was the perfect size, I figured why not? I’ve got plenty more where those came from! So I used the cut-out anchor for the stencil, affixing it to the cabinet with some temporary craft adhesive,
then sponging paint on with a regular sponge.
The roping I created from my PicMonkey Photo Editor. This anchor design is very similar to the one I used, so I’m sharing that in case you would like to create one of these too!
6. I printed the design on regular printer paper, then affixed a sheet of freezer paper to it with some spray adhesive, just to give it more strength. Cut out the stencil with an exacto knife.
7. Affixed the stencil to the cabinet with painter’s tape, dabbed the white with a piece of sponge until the white was deep against the dark blue.
For the twisted rope, I cut the pattern from the HomeGoods bag (it has two sides : )
and taped that to the cabinet.
Outlined with chalk, then took a small, tapered sponge piece
and followed along the lines, dabbing with the white paint to create the rope effect.
The great part about using chalk is that once the paint is dried, the chalk just wipes away with a damp sponge.
For the top, I used some light balsa wood pieces that I affixed with glue.
I wanted that beachy, weathered appearance, so I added some blues mixed with water just to give it an aged effect.
Then I glazed the top with a mixture of Martha Stewart Glaze and 2 paints, one white, one metallic silver to create that aged, driftwoody look I was going for.
With the glaze, you just paint it on, then wipe off what you don’t want
The original handles were 1950’s chrome, which would have been perfectly fine.
Instead, I used some brass grommets, one in each hole. I had do do a bit of drilling to make the holes larger, and then glued them into place.
Added some nautical roping to create the handles. Plus, it mimics the roping in the stenciled design. Perfect!
A bit of DIY FYI: when you are cutting twisted rope, tape the end before you cut, otherwise it will untwist!
For the inside, I just painted it to match, then decopaged the shelves with some pretty blue tile paper I picked up at Michaels-4 for $1!
Then I added a Martha Stewart Gloss finish just to waterproof the paper.
This cabinet is plenty big enough to hold cups, plates and glasses and an ice bucket for the porch.
The finished cabinet is perfect on our Nautical Summer porch, right at home with our white wicker seating and the Whale Coffee Table!
And. perhaps someday soon, we will be able to sit out on the porch and enjoy some much-anticipated warm weather! But for now, I hope you enjoyed my DIY Anchors Away Cabinet Project! Have a warm Wednesday, everyone! I know I will because I am headed to sunny California!!! Susan
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wow this is awesome and how you did it is even awesomer (is that a word lol) thanks for sharing new follower xx
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Love that!!! Nice work!
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