Faux Card Catalog Makeover

Date
Jul, 23, 2015

I’m super excited about this month’s theme for Themed Furniture Makeover Day guys. Industrial. I had the perfect piece that fit the bill and for once had my idea planned out way in advance. That doesn’t mean I didn’t procrastinate though. I still totally photographed and wrote this post last night 😉

FAUX CARD CATALOG MAKEOVER

Faux Card Catalog

For those who are new around here, every month I get together with a super talented bunch of furniture flippers and we all create a piece based on the same theme. Next month is Animal. Yikes, I better get brainstorming for that one!

Card Catalog Makeover

So I picked this little guy up at one of my favorite thrift stores when I was home earlier this summer. I love the character that old pieces have, but sometimes, starting fresh with a clean slate like this with no imperfections is a nice change of pace. As soon as I saw it I knew I would be turning it into a little card catalog. The lines on the drawers divide them perfectly to give them that look and they actually do have dividers inside. So although there are really only 3 drawers, there are 9 little compartments 🙂

Since I usually use chalk paint or paint that doesn’t require sanding or priming, I don’t usually have a lot of prep work. But for this piece there was none whatsoever. It was so nice not having to worry about if the drawers worked properly, or scraping some mystery goo off the side.

Chalk paint

I thought about staining the whole thing, but wanted there to be some contrast. I was between navy and grey for the paint color and ultimately decided on grey since it isn’t a combo I’ve done before.

The stain is Dark Walnut by Minwax and the paint is a homemade chalk paint created with Valspar’s Weathervane and Vintage Storehouse Restoration Co.’s chalky paint powder. The stain was sealed with General Finishes Topcoat in Satin and the paint was sealed with General Finishes Satin Finishing Wax.

The amazing hardware I got from D. Lawless Hardware which I think fits this piece perfectly. I do have a confession though. As you can see in the before photo, there were pre-drilled holes on each drawer for the knobs that came with the piece; plain and unfinished. I thought my pulls would be large enough that I could just cover the holes with them. Buuuuuut it didn’t work out that way. Oops.

So then I just screwed the new pulls in, leaving the holes pretty much right in the middle. I had the intention of putting some actual labels of some sort in there. But, the only problem is that I couldn’t find any that I liked! White paper looked too stark, kraft paper didn’t match. Nothing I had looked good. I have an idea to put leather in there and use my leather stamper to stamp some letters on them I just didn’t have time to go get said leather 🙂

So my secret is that I Photoshopped out the holes in my photos. Just wanted to be honest and share haha.

And I really didn’t take many process pics either, but I made up for it in beauty shots!

Card Catalog

Card Catalog Makeover

Grey Card Catalog

Industrial Card Catalog Makeover

Industrial DIY

Card Catalog Makeover

I really love the way this one turned out.  Antique card catalogs are CRAZY expensive, so until I find one for a reasonable price, or convince my dad to give me the one in his workshop. This one will have to do.

Make sure to check out all the fab projects below!

Product for this post graciously provided by D. Lawless Hardware

 

Faux Card Catalog Makeover : Industrial Style

brepurposed

64 Comments

  1. Reply

    Trevion Johnson

    May 29, 2020

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! I also really love the fact that you added dividers to the inside of the drawers, so although the facade is the illusion of separate drawers, you can still keep the contents of the drawers separate! Btw, I love Walnut Hollow. I used to have an account with them back in the 90’s when I taught classes. They have a great selection of unfinished wood parts for making just about anything!

  2. Reply

    Sam Kresslein

    March 22, 2019

    Hey!!!You get a beautiful cabinet. Can you tell me where to buy it?

  3. Reply

    Jon

    February 12, 2018

    Great idea!! how much does this project cost?

  4. Reply

    Carly Ritchie

    November 10, 2017

    You’ve done well to find such a beautiful cabinet & you envisioned the finish perfect too. The handles look particularly awesome, great job girl!

  5. Reply

    Marsha Ann

    July 6, 2016

    Do you see a possibility for a double stacked one like the antique tea chests with at least 8 drawers? I have a large space that needs height and would love a Chinese tea cabinet but do not want to pay a great deal and am happy to do the work.

  6. Reply

    jack

    September 26, 2015

    Fabulous makeover! It’s really gorgeous.
    Unique Office Furniture

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      September 28, 2015

      Thank you so much!!

  7. Reply

    Jamie | anderson + grant

    August 10, 2015

    Incredible! I’m really into the industrial look right now and this looks perfectly styled. Doesn’t it make a project go more smoothly when you are working with something that doesn’t need to be fixed up before hand?!?!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      August 11, 2015

      Thanks Jamie! I’m loving industrial right now too 🙂 And oh my gosh, it makes things SO much easier!

  8. Reply

    Artselect

    August 8, 2015

    Thank you for sharing. it’s useful information for Decorating Home with Recycle Wood Furniture’s, I think I need it. thanks!
    Abstract Sculpture Artists

  9. Reply

    Christine

    July 29, 2015

    Love the Card Catalogue. You did an awesome job.
    May I ask where you purchased the pulls. Love them
    but have never seen them.
    Thank you so much in advance.
    Christine

  10. Reply

    Tami @ Curb Alert!

    July 28, 2015

    Card catalog inspired pieces are my absolute favorites. You did a great job!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 30, 2015

      Thank you so much Tami!!

  11. Reply

    Jenise

    July 28, 2015

    Absolutely fabulous makeover! It’s simply gorgeous and the contrast of the paint and stain is perfect. I love it!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 30, 2015

      Thank you so much Jenise!!

  12. Reply

    Tracy

    July 26, 2015

    Thanks so much for your tutorial! I have a question though: I have an oak table that is hideous but with paint could be kinda cute. However, the top is oak laminate, not real wood, and the rest of the table is solid wood. Will this method still work? Would chalk paint be a better option (I have to get some paint my piano anyway-thanks for your tutorial on that!)? Some advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 30, 2015

      Hi Tracy! You could use this paint powder I used here over laminate and real wood. Any type of chalk paint would work great too! If you use regular paint over laminate you will definitely want to prime 🙂

  13. Reply

    Corinna - A Designer At Home

    July 25, 2015

    What an awesome piece! so nice it was “easy” by comparison.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 30, 2015

      Thanks Corinna! It was a nice break from all the old pieces I work on!

  14. Reply

    Wendi @ H2OBungalow

    July 24, 2015

    Lucky you finding this awesome cabinet! Your vision was perfect for the finish too. Love the handles! Beautiful job.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you Wendi!!

  15. Reply

    Amy @ High Style Restyle

    July 23, 2015

    Your vision was perfection on this project! Total slam dunk!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much, Amy!!

  16. Reply

    Bre @ Average But Inspired

    July 23, 2015

    This is beautiful, Bre! I love the gray and stain combo. I am happy that no mystery goo was harmed in the painting of this piece. 🙂

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Bre! And yes, haha me too.

  17. Reply

    Kathy @petticoatjunktion

    July 23, 2015

    Another awesome makeover Bre. I love it!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you Kathy!!

  18. Reply

    Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule

    July 23, 2015

    Love it so much Bre! I totally get the photo shopping! It’s a wonderful thing isn’t it! 😉
    Love your vision on this one.
    Nancy

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      I don’t know what I’d do without it! Thanks Nancy 🙂

  19. Reply

    Rebekah // Charming Imperfections

    July 23, 2015

    I’m crazy about card catalogs and you have made this one just precious! Love it!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Rebekah!!

  20. Reply

    Michelle@DandelionPatina

    July 23, 2015

    Bre, I love industrial and when I saw this I immediately needed to find out how you created this. I love it! The next theme will definitely be interesting….get some fun Spoonflower paper in a fun animal print for the drawer fronts! Just an idea. Can’t wait to see what you create next time.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Michelle! Industrial is so fun 🙂 And I’m thinking that’s what I’m going to have to do for the animal theme 😉

  21. Reply

    Lucy @ Patina Paradise

    July 23, 2015

    It really came together great and looks like an old worn card catalogue cabinet. I was going to use those exact same pulls on my piece, but glad I didn’t since it’s nice to see the variety in everyone’s interpretation.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Lucy! And you can totally still use the pulls 🙂 I’d love to see them on your piece!

  22. Reply

    Derrick Lawless

    July 23, 2015

    NIce work, thanks!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Derrick! It was a pleasure working with you 🙂

  23. Reply

    Christy@Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

    July 23, 2015

    Gorgeous, Bre! Love your full disclosure ha ha! Isn’t that photoshop so handy? This was a perfect find for this theme! 🙂

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      haha just trying to be honest around here 😉 Thanks Christy!!

  24. Reply

    Jeanette

    July 23, 2015

    Great piece! Wish I could find a treasure like that. I love card catalogs and most are expensive. Fun theme.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Jeanette! I know what you mean, I haven’t come across many, but they are always so expensive!

  25. Reply

    Marie@The Interior Frugalista

    July 23, 2015

    Well you took this fabulous faux card catalog from blah to ahh! I was going to ask you if you intentionally scratched the front of the drawers before applying the dark walnut stain because in the before photo (yes I went back to take a peek) you couldn’t see them. Love how stain brings out details. The pulls are perfect and the paint color too Bre!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much my friend! And I was so glad those little scratches came through after I stained. It needed a little bit of character 😉

  26. Reply

    Paula@SweetPea

    July 23, 2015

    Love this! It really does look like a card catalog. I am totally jealous that your dad actually has a card catalog. I could kick myself for not trying to get the ones at my school when they got rid of them.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Paula! I think it was his father’s and it holds all his nails and screws in his workshop. He’s not going to be giving it up anytime soon haha. And I bet those ones from your school were gorgeous!

  27. Reply

    Amy W

    July 23, 2015

    Love it, Bre!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you Amy!

  28. Reply

    Karin Chudy (ART IS BEAUTY)

    July 23, 2015

    YUP! Totally PERFECT for this months theme. It turned out so great. Love the scratches in the drawer fronts that give it that LOVED aged feel.
    Hugs,
    Karin

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Karin!!

  29. Reply

    Gilly @ Colour Saturated Life

    July 23, 2015

    Haha the mystery goo! I have a piece I am working on the moment with mystery goo! This one turned out perfectly I am a sucker for anything industrial.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Gilly! So glad there was no mystery goo to deal with 😉

  30. Reply

    Lindsay Eidahl

    July 23, 2015

    So cute! Love it! I am so excited to be joining you all next month!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Lindsay! Can’t wait to see what you do next month! 🙂

  31. Reply

    Audrey Bretz

    July 23, 2015

    I love this, Bre! Great job.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you Audrey! 🙂

  32. Reply

    Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge

    July 23, 2015

    Great interpretation of the industrial theme! The hardware is perfect. And I love the mix of wood and gray.

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thank you so much Angie!!

  33. Reply

    cassie @ primitive & proper

    July 23, 2015

    so good, bre! i love the rustic look you gave the wood, too!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Cassie!! 🙂

  34. Reply

    Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces

    July 23, 2015

    Sweet score and makeover, Bre! I love the little cubbies and your contrasting paint/stain. Great job!

    • Reply

      brepurposed

      July 24, 2015

      Thanks Larissa!! xo

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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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