"S" is for Secretary

A secretary makeover.

Another Freecycle find, love folks who want to give me their furniture!

You can bet this piece wasn't this pretty before.

Here it is:

Brown, a little beat up, but otherwise solid wood and in good shape.

You can see once upon a time there was a top piece, would've loved to have that!

And after some elbow grease:

Definitely worth the time and effort.

Here's how I did it:

1. Remove hardware and sand with 120 grit:

2. Prime.

3. Paint two coats off white satin finish.

4. Distress 220 grit by hand.

5. For the interior cubbies up top I used two coats BM Harbor Haze matte, one coat satin poly.

6. The knobs are from Target, $4 per knob.

Three kids in tow and I wasn't about to make a special stop at Anthropologie for some 'cool' knobs.

These will do.

PS - They're acrylic, not glass, but you wouldn't know by looking.

6. For the drop down hardware I simply used steel wool to clean it.

Nail the pieces onto scrap wood through the screw holes and using the steel wool scrub, keep scrubbing.

Hardware before:

Lots of years of wear on there:

And after, the steel wool 'sands' off all the gunk:

Total cost for makeover: $32 and lots of sanding!

I lined the little drawers up top with a toile fabric:

One last side by side:

Thanks Jen for your great piece, it has found a perfect spot in our home.

I'm linking up to:

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk, Lovely Crafty Weekend @ Lovely Crafty Home

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello, Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative, DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chic

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

POWW @ Primitive & Proper

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

All Things Furniture @ Perfectly Imperfect

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl