Paint it Black!

We have a cabinet that used to be a washstand that has been with us since we were first married. It originally belonged to the Engineer's parents, but somehow we inherited it. We hunted high and low on the farm for the back piece that would have held a mirror or a dowel for a towel bar, but it was in vain. It seems the pieces are permanently missing. Perhaps they were once used to fuel the wood furnace to keep the Engineer's family warm on especially cold winter day.


The cabinet has had many varied uses in our home over the years. It has held stereo equipment, actually been used in the bathroom to contain bathroom type things, sat neglected in the basement for a little while, and currently it resides in our mudroom storing the extra winter woolies.

I have been studying it for quite awhile with the feeling it needed a face lift. Originally I thought I would sand it down to the original wood and re-stain and varnish it. I started, but it proved to be a little difficult as the original shine was shellac. Shellac does not take well to friction and just kind of gums up your sandpaper. So I gave up the sanding idea. I did not want to go the caustic paint stripper route either, as I don't find it very environmentally friendly to me, or the world around me. Besides we have a septic system and anything that would go down the drain for cleanup would end up in our septic bed perhaps destroying the healthy flora.

Hmmm, what to do? In the end I painted it -- black of all colours. I'm impressed with its new look. It will also reside in a new home, in the den storing scrapbook albums. Now all I need to do is buy some stylish new hardware and we'll have a stunning cabinet whose life has been extended for at least another forty years. I love that when I can do that! What shall I paint next?

I discovered I need one more coat yet. Hopefully I will get to it soon, so I can move it into the den. Perhaps then I will post another pic -- maybe it'll have handles then too!