Storage Trunk Makeover :: Monthly DIY Challenge

Date
Jan, 14, 2015

Hi friends! And welcome back to another Monthly DIY Challenge! Totally planned this one ahead because we just got back from our trip late last night and right now I’m probably sleeping and will be for the remainder of the day 🙂 You always need a vacation from your vacation right? I’ll be sharing some pics from our trip soon!

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STORAGE TRUNK MAKEOVER

Storage Trunk Makeover

If you’re new here, me and some of my bloggy buds get together every month and create something using the same product/material or with the same theme. This month was “Creative Storage Solutions” and I’m sharing this old trunk that I glammed up as a Christmas present for my brother!

Trunk Before

It was in the attic of his house and he wanted to see if there was anything I could do to bring it back to life. I honestly was a little hesitant at first because it was in pretty rough shape, but I knew it would be a fun challenge! I’ve redone a trunk before, and this one actually looks pretty similar. I turned that one into a coffee table that we use in our living room.

Here are some before shots:

Storage Trunk Before

The inside was probably the worst part of it…

Inside Trunk Before

STEP ONE:

I started out by staining the wood panels with some General Finishes Gel Stain in Brown Mahogany.

Gel Stain

Taped Trunk

STEP TWO:

I really wanted make the metal accents pop so I grabbed a tube of Rub ‘n Buff and a small paint brush and went to work. Ok, that’s a lie. The hubs helped me a bunch on this project so I have to give some credit to him 😉 We BOTH went to work one night painting away while watching The Voice. (P.S. I’m still mad that Matt didn’t win. He totally should have).

Rub-n-buff

I still have not used this stuff the way it was meant to be used. I did something similar with it on this dresser and loved the way it turned out. I find that a lot of metallic paints I’ve tried are kind of watery and you need to use a lot of coats to get the affect you want.

Except for spray paint, but that would have been a huge pain to use in this case. The Rub ‘n Buff goes on exactly the way it looks and covers so easily. It leaves a rough texture, which I think works well in this case.

Gold Accents

STEP THREE:

Once that was done, I moved on to the inside. Although it looks reeeaaalll bad, it really wasn’t too hard to work with. It took some time to scrape off all the loose parchment paper or whatever it is that was in there and then I used a vacuum to clean it all out. I painted the whole inside with some left over paint I had to give it a clean, fresh look.

My brother wanted me to line it with some decorative paper, but what he ended up sending me was wallpaper border. Since it wasn’t wide enough to cover a whole side, I just used a piece on the top, and then wrapped the rest around the bottom part.

Inside Border

MUCH better than before 🙂

STEP FOUR:

Now as you could see, a lot of the leather straps had ripped off or were badly damaged. I wanted to replace what I could, and decided my best option would be to use old belts so I got one from Sal Val, a couple old one’s from the hubby, and the cool decorative one on the front is from my FIL. All I had to do was cut them to size as needed, and used them on the front, top and for new handles as well.

Leather Straps

I love that there are mismatched belts on there and think it adds some fun character and new history to pass on!

Steamer Trunk

Vintage Steamer Trunk

Antique Trunk

I love giving Christmas gifts that are handmade, and this one was so fun to work on! I also gave my mom a table that I’ll be posting about soon!

Be sure to check out all my bloggy friend’s projects below too!

Have a fabulous day everyone 🙂


Storage Trunk Makeover

brepurposed

48 Comments

  1. Reply

    storagesidcup

    January 29, 2015

    Great job! The trunk is gorgeous! Extraordinary piece!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 29, 2015

      Thank you so much! Glad you stopped by 🙂

  2. Reply

    Cat @ therusticwillow

    January 21, 2015

    This is incredible Bre. I’m obsessed, and I’m sure your brother was too. I’m a little mad at you though, your Instagram vacation photos have been making me so jealous lately!

  3. Reply

    Gilly @ Colour Saturated Life

    January 21, 2015

    This turned out stunning! I have similar trunk that has been in my husbands family for a while….you gave me great ideas as to what I could do with it. Thanks

  4. Reply

    Lora@Craftivity Designs

    January 20, 2015

    It looks great. We’ve got an old trunk that could use a bit of new life too — I like the idea of freshening up the hardware with some rub-n-buff.

  5. Reply

    Nicole B.

    January 19, 2015

    Another beautiful piece, my friend!!! Love it! I really want to try using Rub and Buff too… it looks like it could be an addicting addition to my craft supplies!!!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 20, 2015

      Thanks Nicole! It totally is addicting!

  6. Reply

    Sue Silva

    January 19, 2015

    What a beautiful piece; Great job!!!!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 19, 2015

      Thank you so much, Sue!!

  7. Reply

    Ginnie

    January 18, 2015

    This turned out so beautiful I love the mix of old and new:)

  8. Reply

    Meadowsweet Cottage

    January 17, 2015

    Nice job! I have two trunks that I’ll be re-doing this year and I was wondering where to start–now I know!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Awesome! So glad I could help inspire you 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

  9. Reply

    Kelsey @ Vintage Storehouse

    January 16, 2015

    Bre, This is beautiful! I think I would be too scared to tackle that inside. I can’t imagine what a pain that was! But it turned out amazing in the end! The mismatched belts were a perfect final touch!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thanks Kelsey! The inside was definitely the worst part but it was in desperate need of some TLC! The belts are my favorite part!

  10. Reply

    Tania

    January 15, 2015

    Wow, that old trunk turned out amazing, I can’t believe what a difference!

    Tania

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thank you so much Tania!

  11. Reply

    Lauren

    January 15, 2015

    Amazing! You did an awesome job, Bre! I see these on Craigslist all the time but never would have thought to do this.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thank you Lauren! There are so many fun possibilities with them!

  12. Reply

    Juliana @ Te Amo Too

    January 15, 2015

    Hi Bre, I am in love with this trunk! I wish I could find a good one like this! Love it!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thank you so much Juliana! You never know where you might find one!

  13. Reply

    Amy | Canary Street Crafts

    January 15, 2015

    I love old trunks! You did an amazing job with this, Bre! I love that you left some of it’s original rustic charm and didn’t try to cover them all. It has great character!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thanks Amy! I couldn’t bear to get rid of all the fun character it has!

  14. Reply

    Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness

    January 15, 2015

    Oh this is SO cool! I love old trunks, such character! I love that you really kept it the same but added some new belts; totally adds some cool funkiness. 🙂

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 17, 2015

      Thanks girl! Trunks are so fun to work with and I love all the character they have too! Hope you have a great weekend!

  15. Reply

    Bre

    January 14, 2015

    What a great makeover and wonderful gift!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thanks Bre!

  16. Reply

    Kelly

    January 14, 2015

    Beautiful job on the trunk! I love how you didn’t try to make it look new–just improved the rustic!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thank you so much, Kelly!!

  17. Reply

    Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com

    January 14, 2015

    You did a fabulous job, Bre! Can’t believe the difference! 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week after your trip! xo

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thanks Kendra!! I’m still recovering from the temperature shock!

  18. Reply

    Tara @ Anything & Everything

    January 14, 2015

    Great job, Bre! What a great gift for your brother. Can’t wait to hear all about your trip too!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thanks Tara! He loved it!

  19. Reply

    Erica

    January 14, 2015

    Ooh it turned out so beautiful! I’m loving that you restored it and left a lot of the original look, chippiness and all. It’s perfect that way 🙂

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thanks Erica! I love all the character it still has!

  20. Reply

    Michelle Lepak-Dandelion Patina

    January 14, 2015

    Love old trunks! They all have such character and a story. I have one similar to this one that I had redone when I was in high school. It is great for storing blankets and sentimental treasures.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Aren’t they so fun?! So many great uses for them 🙂

  21. Reply

    Katie @ Little House of Four

    January 14, 2015

    I’m a sucker for old trunks and love what you did to bring some life back to this gem. Great job!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thank you so much, Katie! 🙂

  22. Reply

    Christina @ Operation Home

    January 14, 2015

    Absolutely charming, Bre!! 🙂

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thanks girl!

  23. Reply

    Kristi

    January 14, 2015

    Still one of my absolute faves!!! Can’t wait to hear about your trip my friend!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      January 15, 2015

      Thank you Kristi! I’ll be sharing some photos next week! 🙂

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Hi, I’m Bre! Follow along as we renovate our current home and share modern DIY ideas.
 

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