Upcycling Apothecary Drawers

As I have said in my previous post Ikea Hack my dinning room had to be done on a budget we really wanted a new dinning room but our money had to be spent elsewhere (damp proofing etc).  I’m going to be writing a blog post on the dinning room as a whole very soon now it’s all finished but before that I want to share with you one of the ways I created an industrial style piece of furniture from an eBay find.

Dave loves a good eBay find its a blessing and a curse, some things he finds are awesome like this chest of drawers others get put into storage never to see the light of day again or there is the day he came home with a speed boat (yes a full sized speed boat). Anyway I’m not going to dwell on that we all have our shopping habits his is eBay mine is a never ending wish list.

Next chest of drawers (Dave’s eBay find) £32

As soon as I saw the drawers I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. I didn’t want the handles so my first job was to remove them and fill in the holes they had fitted in. I then used Rust-Oleum chalky finish furniture paint. I’ve used the Rust-Oleum paint before and really like it as there is no prep work to be done. The colour I used is Anthracite it fits in with my dinning rooms industrial theme really well. It took two coats and I did sand in between each coat but that was due to my painting skills (or lack of) rather than the paint itself. I bought the 750ml tin but used less than a quarter of it (I guess I will have to find something else to paint).  After I painted it I used Rust-Oleum furniture finishing wax in clear it’s a really easy product to use you simply rub it on with a cloth and that really is it, I did this twice. I already had this wax from previous projects and a little goes a long way so I still have lots left for my next ones (bedroom furniture).

I left it for about a week while I waited for the handles that I had found on eBay to arrive. They were just what I wanted but with a twist. Originally I was just going to have all the same basic cup handles but I found an eBay shop that had lots to choose from so I decided on these.

This handle I used on the middle drawer

I used 8 of these for the other drawers

I spent more than I’d originally planned to on handles but I’m glad I did as they finish the drawers off perfectly.

The photo frame is from Paperchase The lamp is an Aldi find

Total cost of this piece = £85.45

Chest of drawers £32

Rust-Oleum chalk paint £14.25

Rust-Oleum furniture finishing wax £9.20

Handles x 9 £30

I’m feeling a little proud of myself for how it has turned out with no help from Dave 🙂

Jessica x

Ikea Hack

So my dinning room had to be done on a budget as we have to spend our house budget on more structural type of things but we really wanted a new dinning room as we love having friends round for food and we wanted to make it our own. I’m going to be writing a blog post on the dinning room as a whole when it’s all finished but I just wanted to share with you one of the ways I created an industrial style shelving unit from an Ikea garage type shelving Hyllis.

I was scowering Pinterest for ideas and came across this

However couldn’t find the how to guide that went with it so I thought I would give it a go without.

I started by following the instructions and I put the piece together (I feel like I’m a flat pack expert between home and work I’ve assembled so much recently). Then I sprayed it black with Rust-oleum painters touch it took two coats. *tip* don’t put too much paint on at once as this can create drips if this happens its a lot more work to put right – sanding and respraying. (this happened to me)

Next I measured out Spruce furniture board the measurements were 60cm x 27cm this was to put on top of the metal shelves to give it a more expensive feel to it. Dave cut them out for me as I don’t trust myself with his ripsaw (he wouldn’t let me have a go).

I then stained them with Rust-oleum dark finishing wax although this is a finishing wax not a wood stain it gave them just the right look and it finished the wood as well. It was really easy to use it just wipes on using a cloth and a little bit goes a long way (I have lots left for my next project) I would definitely recommend this product.

I placed the wooden shelves onto the metal shelves and Dave secured them by screwing them in from underneath. This is how it turned out

Cost break down –

Ikea Shelving unit £9.95

Rust-oleum spray paint x 2 £14

Spruce Furniture board x 2 £50

Rust-oleum dark furniture finishing wax £5.03

Total cost £78.98

I still need a few bits and bobs to fill them. I’m thinking wire baskets for the bottom shelf.

Candlestick monkey- H & M (currently in the sale)

Candlestick rhino – H & M (currently in the sale)

Pineapple ice bucket – Oliver Bonas

Picture frame – Paperchase

Cactus – B & Q (no longer available)

Box – TK Max

Frame – Homebargains

The Cocktail print in the frame is a greeting card I found in TK Max for £1.50.

My friend asked me yesterday if it was worth doing it myself and up-cycling, I personally think yes I am extremely pleased with it and think it fits in with my dinning room perfectly plus I made it!

Jessica x