Make Something Monday: Cupboard

As an architect in a historic city, my Dad sometimes gets exciting opportunities to go clean out abandoned buildings before they are renovated or torn down. Last winter, he went and cleaned out the basement of the old Weed School (yes.. that was the actual name) that had been abandoned since the 60s but will soon be renovated into posh apartments. He came home with heart of pine shelves and cabinets and tables galore!
This summer as my search for a practical, not too deep shelving unit for some extra storage in my apartment came to no avail, he decided to cut down the old and make something new. Then I sanded off the cracking paint and gave new energy to the piece with some warm grey paint and gold leaf.

Sorry for the poor quality of this picture but it is the only one I have to show the pre-construction stage of this project.

Basically my Dad cut the original in half to make a better fit for a small apartment. Then he took the right side panel off of the discard half and attached it back to the keeper half. Once done, it looked like that was the size it had been all along! 
Today Im going to talk about my part of the project though: the reface! the makeover! GOLD!

Before...

After!

Steps:
1. Sand down the whole piece getting rid of bumps, chipping paint and other blemishes. You want a nice smooth surface to paint on. When done, clean off with a damp cloth to get rid of all the dust and then let dry.
2. I wanted two different colors of grey to add some variety even while monotone. Have I ever mentioned that I love grey! So first, I painted a light grey interior matt paint on the outside, the door and the front frame. I like to start with the biggest space and then work down. Let that light grey dry.
3. I wanted the interior and the shelves to be the medium grey. Once (very) dry, tape around the edges of the medium grey section. Since I am using latex paint it is imperative the paint be dry before taping, if not the tape will peel off the paint. Sometimes the paint will feel dry to the touch but if it is cool or sticky then it is probably still not completely dry. Paint the medium grey and let dry. Once everything is super dry again you may remove the tape.
4. While everything was drying, I cleaned up the hinges and knob and painted them with gold leaf enamel. The old hardware was grungy with years of paint and rust so I scrubbed it down with steel wool. The gold enamel gave the hardware a posh touch without having to spend any extra money on new hardware.
5. My favorite step: the back panel of the shelves was vintage wainscoting which I adored so I wanted to highlight it! I decided to paint gold stripes using gold leaf enamel for some extra glam and to play with the wainscoting grooves. Tape your stripes, use a ruler or level so they are straight. Paint with the gold leaf enamel. Keep in mind enamel is oil-based so you should use a cheap brush to throw away or have turpentine handy to clean. The enamel takes longer to dry then the latex paint so be patient before e removing the tape.
6. I let everything sit for a good day before spraying it down with a matt sealant. I normally am a big supporter of brushing on polyurethane but in this case I wanted my final product to be matt and I knew I didn't need the super protection of the poly since it will not be used for food and drink. The spray is quick and easy, give it three good coats!
All done!

Check out that heart pine under six layers of paint!

First bit of light grey paint down

Tape prep is important for clean lines.

Old brown hinges