I've had this trunk since elementary school, I got it when I went to camp. Yep, I went to a camp that required a trunk not just a suit case. It was awesome!!
But we used it for years as our "dress-up" trunk at home then I took it to college and have used it as storage/coffee table ever since. I painted it brown when I left for school, just a flat brown and it still matched in our current living room. But I just wanted an update. So I felt like adding some legs would give it some great hight and help it feel more like a coffee table and fit our furniture better. And with my little baby Tepe being a white dog that sheds [boy does she shed!] the hair shows up every where and honestly I just wanted to make it a little less noticeable :)
Thats the gist behind the makeover...
I painted the trunk with two layers. Honestly I didn't do the best job, there are plenty of little drip spots that I didn't notice. I guess thats what I get for watching TV while working :)
After the paint dried I measured and marked where I would place the holes for the legs. Then drilled out the hole just large enough to tightly fit the t-nut. I then hammered the nut in place so the prongs held on to the meat of the trunk.
Once the nuts were secured in the trunk all I had to do was screw the legs on. They aren't the most sturdy legs, so you can't really move the trunk by pulling it. But now that I like it, It shouldn't have to move often!
But we used it for years as our "dress-up" trunk at home then I took it to college and have used it as storage/coffee table ever since. I painted it brown when I left for school, just a flat brown and it still matched in our current living room. But I just wanted an update. So I felt like adding some legs would give it some great hight and help it feel more like a coffee table and fit our furniture better. And with my little baby Tepe being a white dog that sheds [boy does she shed!] the hair shows up every where and honestly I just wanted to make it a little less noticeable :)
Thats the gist behind the makeover...
I have tons of white paint laying around, well I did. Now I've used it for the studio and this I'm running low. But I didn't want to deal with spray paint, or sanding or anything. I just wanted to get this project done and watch my favorite crime solving shows all at the same time :) So I mixed up some home made chalk paint and set up in the living room with a drop cloth.
To make the chalk paint I used:
-3 spoonfuls of cornstarch
-1/4 cup of water
-1 3/4 cup of latex paint.
super simply and looks great :)
And to add the legs I got 4 short wooden legs from Lowes and 4 pronged T-nuts.I painted the trunk with two layers. Honestly I didn't do the best job, there are plenty of little drip spots that I didn't notice. I guess thats what I get for watching TV while working :)
After the paint dried I measured and marked where I would place the holes for the legs. Then drilled out the hole just large enough to tightly fit the t-nut. I then hammered the nut in place so the prongs held on to the meat of the trunk.
Once the nuts were secured in the trunk all I had to do was screw the legs on. They aren't the most sturdy legs, so you can't really move the trunk by pulling it. But now that I like it, It shouldn't have to move often!
I really love the new trunk.
The white just fits the room 100 times better, even though it does make the rug look a little dingy. But I knew I needed to figure out how to clean it sooner or later... I think the white just opens up the center of our little room. Doesn't seem so cluttered now :)
Quick and easy projects are the best. I know it isn't done to last forever, but I just needed something new. Luckily this trunk is something that if I decide to take the legs off all I have to do is unscrew them! And like always I can repaint if I decide to. Do you ever just randomly decide on quick little projects that make big statements?
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