How To Add Pizazz To A Flea Market Find

DIY Wood Blanket Chest

The DIY wood blanket chest I found at the Nashville Flea Market got a set wheels. It wasn’t a blanket chest when I found it…but now it is.

DIY Wood Blanket Chest

If I could add castors (wheels) to every piece of furniture and appliance I own, I would. They make life so much easier.

This is how the trunk  looked when I spotted it at the Nashville Flea Market. Not very pretty but I could see potential. It was originally used as a carpenters box. The inside was a bit of a mess but could be cleaned up easily enough. The price was right and I bought it.

Once I got it home I cleaned it up with Simple Green then used Miss Mustard Seed’s Hemp Oil to bring the wood and chippy paint back to life. Turns out the paint is a very, very, pale seafoam green color. Hemp Oil not only revives wood finishes it revives paint. You should see the antique mantel and antique painted trim I spruced up with the Hemp Oil here.

Next step in the process was adding the castors. I used Elmer’s Probond Advanced to adhere the castors to the bottom of the chest. I was going to screw the casters on but didn’t have the right size screws. That’s ok because the castors stayed on just fine during the move for the photo shoot 24 hrs. later. I will be getting those screws just to be on the safe side.

The trunk was all cleaned up and ready to roll but it was just soooooo plain! It needed something.

I searched my junk stash for the perfect piece and came up with this. I know it’s on upside down but it looked better that way…..trust me on this. The piece is made out of plastic, not iron. It looks like iron. It was one of my many thrifty finds.

I drilled starter holes for the screws then went to town. I think the fake plastic detail works! I could have added a wood appliqué, real iron scroll work, stenciled words, etc…..anything to jazz the chest up a bit.

I’m thinking of keeping it for myself. I admit to being a sucker for trunks, or chests, or whatever you want to call them. Trunks are great for storage and a stack of them looks really nice against a wall. This one would make a great blanket chest.

In fact I did keep the trunk for myself and used it in our spare bedroom to store quilts and blankets.

Update June 2015…

I decided it was time for the blanket chest to move on. It’s just one of the many casualties of my “project purge”. I can’t keep everything I work on….but I try.

The chest still seemed a little plain to me. Before taking it to the shop to sell I decided to paint the top. I painted the top a dark brown to match the fake iron detail. Then I distressed the brown so the minty green would show through.

I’m likin’ it. What do you guys think? Better with the brown or without.

Sofi photo bombed this pic. I was taking photos under the carport and she was riding her tricycle. The girls are staying with us the week because their daycare is closed for the 4th……all week!

That’s it for me. I’m sharing Nashville Flea Market photos tomorrow. They are also coming to fix our internet. Keep your fingers crossed.

I start back to Austin Peay State University for the Fall semester today. Good thing I finished 3 projects over the weekend and started a fourth. Coming up this week are pics from the Nashville Flea Market, a decoupage project, and who knows what else!

Thanks for being here and have a great day, Kathy

Kathy Owen

Website

Author: Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines. Kathy’s newest website is HappyHomeDIY.com