I've been searching for a vintage kitchen cart / coffee cart for a couple of years. I was looking for something sturdy and rust free. I found this beauty at the Baraboo, Wi city wide sale a few weeks back, for a mere $10.
My first step was to scrape off a few layers of cabinet liner from each shelf.
The next step was to sand the entire piece. I chose a fine grain sand paper, and went to work. You don't need to sand down to the bare metal, but just rough up the surface in order to get the new paint to stick and make sure the surface is smooth in the end. I then wiped down the entire thing to remove all the dust from sanding.
After sanding, I sprayed Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Primer, making sure to get in the crevices and corners. I placed newspaper on the grass, well away from the house and cars for the primer stage.
I was told by my husband that I over did the primer, and really only needed a light coat, but I like to be thorough! If you do have any rust, give a bit more attention to those areas while sanding and priming.
I was told by my husband that I over did the primer, and really only needed a light coat, but I like to be thorough! If you do have any rust, give a bit more attention to those areas while sanding and priming.
Here is a pic of the primed cart:
I chose a light lemony color to match my kitchen. The photo doesn't actually do the final color justice.. my camera is washing out the shade a little. I bought one pint of Glidden Early Morning Sun, and used about 1/4 of the can. I painted the first layer, allowed the cart to dry overnight, then painted a second layer. ( I've heard that 4 hours is enough dry time, but I've done projects in the past where the second layer peeled away the first due to not being cured and dry enough).
I rolled the paint on with a small extra smooth roller, and used a small sponge brush for the corners and details. Try to roll the roller in the same direction with each roll.
Spray paint would have probably been easier, but I wanted to choose the shade and have a satin finish rather than a glossy look. The final surface had some texture because of the roller, it was not totally smooth. If you are looking for a shiny, smooth surface, go with spray paint.
At home!
