File in Style!

Boy, do I have a hard time passing up a title that rhymes!

I'll admit this project took way longer than I expected, partly because it wasn't a top priority until the babe was a reality. We originally had our files stored in the babe's future dresser but honestly that wasn't a long-term solution anyway because we're full-fledged adults now with taxes and whatnot.

So my mom was giving away this outdated brown filing cabinet and I snatched it up! Again, why buy new when there's a perfectly functional piece already in front of you for FREE. Thanks, Mom! My first attempt was to paint it a mix of AS Coco and AS Old White. It ended up looking like the old-fashioned cream cabinet so that was a bust.

Original Filing Cabinet

Attempt #1: AS Coco

Not the Goal

Second attempt was to paint it with AS Graphite. Even after two coats it still didn't look as even as I had hoped so I switched to a charcoal matte spray paint from Home Depot. My goal here was to have charcoal sides and add some wood laminate to the front. Below was the Pinterest goal. But of course that didn't work out either. The laminate wouldn't stick AT ALL.

Attempt #2: AS Graphite

Pinterest Inspiration

Third attempt involved spray painting the remaining front and then adding stained wood on top. I first measured the top to see how wide the wood pieces would need to be in order to fit evenly (aka I didn't want there to be half a board or an awkward amount of space). Then, me and the hubby marked and cut the pieces to fit. I applied two coats of Minwax Red Mahogany stain and one coat of Minwax Polyurethane. Before securing the boards to the cabinet top with Liquid Nails Adhesive, I first laid out the pieces and decided the placement of each board. I then used clutch style bar clamps to hold the boards in place while they dried. Once I applied a final coat of polyurethane to the top of the boards (and waited the appropriate drying time), the piece was all set!

Attempt #3: In Progress

Attempt #3: Bare Boards

Pinterest Inspiration

I purchased some filing folders and hangers from Target and went to work with labels and organizing. Yay! Finally a place for our medical records, household item manuals, tax paperwork, and just all kinds of other important documents like our babe's sonogram photos! One small piece cleared out of the nursery! Next up...organizing our gift and wrapping nightmare that is taking up ALL the babe's closet!

Bonus: This filing cabinet goes along with the masculine industrial look that I did for Charlie's office desk...precisely because it is now part of his office/sunroom/gaming lounge.