Painted Hutch Makeover

The first step in any furniture painting project is to remove any hardware and clean the piece thoroughly. For this vintage china cabinet makeover, we used a screwdriver to carefully remove the old metal hardware and then we set it aside.

Then, we very carefully removed the glass from the cabinet doors. Fun fact: I actually broke 1 piece of glass when installing it because I wasn’t being careful. It snapped right in half. So be super careful when removing glass.

Wrap it in some towels or blankets to keep it protected while it is out.

Then I carefully took off the metal detail that was in front of the glass. Removing it made such a difference in the new look!

Once the hardware and metal details were removed, we cleaned the china cabinet with a degreasing cleaner, Krud Kutter. This step is very important to make sure that the paint will adhere properly to the surface without any dirt or grime getting in the way.

Learn more about cleaning and exactly how, in our post about how to clean furniture before painting furniture.

After cleaning, we scuff sanded the entire surface with 220 grit sandpaper to help the paint stick even better. I know this is a step that most of us want to skip, but it really does make a difference.

If you skip this step, your paint will most likely scratch or chip off very easily anytime that it is touched.

Learn more in our post about the importance of sanding before painting furniture.

Priming Before Painting

As someone who has painted their fair share of furniture, I know that there are always things we could have done better. One thing I regret not doing when painting this cabinet was priming before painting.

Priming would have helped the chalk paint stick better and prevented any bleed-through stains from showing through paint. If I were to do this piece over, I would have used 2 coats of clear shellac here.

If you’re new to furniture painting, don’t worry! Our blog post on the best primers for painting furniture offers expert advice on choosing the right primer for your project.

It’s also important to know how to avoid the common problems that arise when using chalk paint. Our blog post on 5 chalk paint problems and how to fix them covers issues like when chalk paint doesn’t stick, brush strokes, uneven coverage, and a streaky finish.

So, check out that post before you start painting your furniture so you can avoid the typical problems people run into.

Painting the China Hutch

Then we mixed Behr Premium Plus latex paint into a color called “Gray Tabby” from Glidden and made our own homemade chalk paint. Check out this post on our homemade chalk paint recipe to learn how to turn latex paint into chalk paint.

Check out this post if you’re wondering what is the difference between chalk paint and regular paint.

To make the job faster and look better, we used a Wagner Double Duty sprayer. We painted on 2 or 3 coats of paint, letting it dry between coats.

a closeup of the white painted back and the gray painted shelves

Learn how to use a Wagner Double Duty paint sprayer and how to prevent overspray when painting furniture here. Also, check out how to thin paint for Wagner sprayer here.

For the back of the cabinet, we used more Behr Premium Plus latex paint, but in the Sherwin Williams’ Creamy color. I wanted the inside to be light and bright so you could see whatever was displayed on the shelves better.

Topcoating Chalk Paint

Once the paint was dry, I lightly distressed the whole thing with 220 grit sandpaper. It is so light that you can’t really see it in the photos. Feel free to skip this part if you aren’t into distressed furniture.

Check out our blog post about distressing furniture here.

But, be aware that if you sand the paint before you topcoat it, it will feel and look so much smoother in the end!

Then I sealed the chalk paint with 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane. The polyurethane makes the chalk paint more durable and makes it easy to clean if something gets spilled on it, so this is a super important step when painting with chalk paint!

Here’s how to spray polyurethane and how to apply polycrylic to painted furniture.

Check out the best paint brushes for polyurethane here.

You could also use a wax topcoat, but wax isn’t as durable or easy to use as polyurethane. Check out our post on wax vs polyurethane to see what the differences are. Here’s our list of the best topcoats for painting furniture.

Cleaning the Old Hardware

While my paint was drying I scrubbed the hardware with Bar Keepers Friend. It’s amazing how much shine comes back to them.

I wanted some of the patina left on, but I wanted the hardware to look fresh.

Here is the easiest way clean old hardware to make it shine again.

the bottom of the hutch painted gray with cleaned brass hardware

large gray painted hutch with white back

More Before And After Makeovers

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.