Furniture Makeover #1

My parents past away a couple of years ago and I wanted to keep some of the good furniture they had but I knew it was going to need a major overhaul and re-make.  This piece is a 1978 stereo cabinet from Ethan Allen.  I remember picking this out with several other pieces that matched. I used this for years in college and throughout my young life before turning it back over to Mom and Dad; when big stereos that came in sections were no longer in style.  Remember the separate receiver, turn table, tape deck, etc. Oops, I think I'm aging myself!

Back to business.  I used my handy dandy favorite tool, my Dewalt Orbital Sander, and sanded down to the bare wood. Probably didn't have to sand all the way down, but I had a flood in my garage and the bottom of the wood was briefly wet and got surface mold so I just had to be sure.  I used Kilz primer paint for the first coat and then used a semi-gloss white latex and mixed in some Floetrol for the next couple of coats. Floetrol is a liquid that is mixed with paint so you can't see the brush stokes and leaves you with a smoother finish.

The shutter style just had to go so I cut them out and was left with a wood frame. I made a backing using some 1/4' plywood, cut down a metal screen (I bought at Home Depot), and used quarter inch square pieces to hold in the screen. 

I scrubbed down the original hinges and re-used it because they came out beautiful and almost a satin silver look. I bought new knobs to match the satin silver look. And SNAP! I think it turned out gorgeous!

Before - 1978 Ethan Allen Stereo Cabinet

After