I don’t have any close-ups of the damage, but you can tell in the above picture that a chunk is taken out of the top right corner. To fix the damage, we first removed the decorative piece and the layer of wood veneer on the very top of the cabinet. (It was chipped.) To remove the veneer, we used a wet towel & iron, & the veneer peeled off pretty easily. Then, my husband used his saw to cut off the overhang on the top. This way, we were able to use the existing top, rather than having to replace it. To make the edges look better, we added a new piece of trim around them.
After a few unsuccessful attempts at painting it gray (It just kept looking navy.). I ended up using some black semi-gloss paint left over from another project. I used some Antique gold Rub & Buff to bring the hardware back to life.
This piece of furniture came with the dining set we bought on Craigslist & didn't have any glass in it. Since I don’t really have any pretty dishes or knick-knacks to display, I decided to add a piece of mirrored glass to the inside so I could use it for storage. We bought a piece of mirrored glass from Lowes & had them cut it to size. It only cost around $12 for the glass & 50 cents per cut.
So, after all our hard work, here it is:
It sets between my newly recovered chairs:
I love how some elbow grease, a can of paint, & a $12 mirror can give new life to a piece of furniture. This piece is now functional storage. The best part, I think, is that it reflects my botanical art & my favorite piece of furniture, my couch!
