My #1 Industrial Farmhouse Transformation.

When we moved from a Traditional Home to The Farmhouse, I had a few pieces of furniture that I couldn’t leave behind even though they didn’t exactly have a farmhouse look!

Here’s how I transformed a dull side table into my #1 industrial farmhouse furniture transformation. By up-cycling, re-purposing or recycling existing pieces of furniture, we can save money and create unique one of a kind pieces. This is a great trash to treasure project.

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Here is the side table BEFORE

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This is what the side table looks like after the transformation. See this easy tutorial on how to use chalk paint.

Because I love vintage pieces with tiny drawers and doors, I decided that I’d like to create a faux front on the single drawer that appears to be multiple small drawers. Here is a step by step tutorial showing how I transformed this side table. If you love an apothecary style cabinet, see this IKEA transformation here.

Since this project, I have also transformed a boring side table into an amazing card catalog style chest. If you prefer a simple technique to makeover a chest, check out this 3 Step Easy Furniture Makeover.

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Cut Casing for Drawer Front

This project begins with 5 stripes of 1 1/2″ Interior Pine Wood Casing cut to the length of the drawer front. First of all, my husband helped me cut the casing allowing for a 45 degree angle on the ends to match the shape of the casing. Then I drilled small pilot holes in the trim to allow for the small screws. I also sanded the edges and around the pilot holes with
Fine Grit Sanding Block

5 stripes of 1 1/2″ Interior Pine Wood Casing cut to the length of the drawer front.

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Stain Wood Casing Strips

Because I wanted the new wood trim to match the original table stain, I applied a Walnut Gel Stain to the raw wood. Although it wasn’t a perfect match, it will work perfectly for the paint technique I have planned.

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Attach Casing to Transform drawer Front

Next, I applied a small amount of wood glue to the back of each strip and aligned the wood molding on the drawer front using match sticks as spacers. This was not the most professional spacer, but it’s what I had on hand. LOL Now the transformation is starting to get exciting because I’m starting to see an industrial farmhouse chest appear.

Then I used small screws to attach the molding to the drawer front. Once the screws where in place, I used a small amount of wood filler to cover over the screw heads.

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Paint the entire Chest

Once the stain and wood filler were completely dry, then paint the entire chest. I personally used Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for this project.

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Distress for an Industrial Farmhouse Feel

Using my sanding block, I sanded away paint from the edges for a distressed look. This is the reason I stained the molding stripes to begin with. As a result, you see some of the original stain through the chalk paint.

Seal with Wax

Next I used Annie Sloan Clear Wax with a mixture of Mineral Spirits. I made a mayonnaise consistency mixture and used a chip brush to apply to the painted piece

I used a soft cloth to remove any excess wax and allowed the wax to dry. Then I used a piece of scrape drop cloth to buff out the surface.

Finally, I added a coat of Dark Wax over the surface because I felt the color was a brighter white than I preferred. Note: If I were doing the project again, I would have mixed a small amount of dark wax with the clear wax from the beginning. This would have saved me some time.

Now the color is a warmer shade of white. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when attempting a project. This one still turned out to be my one of my favorite projects.

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Add Hardware for Industrial Farmhouse Transformation

Finally, it was time to add the hardware to the front. The front drawer now looks like 5 small drawers. I purchased the drawer pulls and label holders from D. Lawless Hardware. Using some craft paper card stock that I had on hand, I hand lettered the numbers for the label holders.

I previously shared a trash to treasure transformation of the box on the top. For information on the re-purposed silverware box click here.

This was a fairly inexpensive project and I’m loving the new look.

Shop My Farmhouse Style Here!

Now this boring chest adds just the right industrial farmhouse vibe and works perfectly with the decor.

See how to make the DIY Plate Rack here.
Shop this rug here.
Cow Painting here.
Sheep Painting here.

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More Industrial Transformations & Repurposed Furniture Tutorials.

Since completion of this project, we transformed an IKEA storage cube into an apothecary cabinet for our DIY Greenhouse. Previously, we built our kitchen island using repurposed furniture and a barn wood technique for the counter top. I hope you enjoy seeing all of these transformations as well.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope this will inspire you to look beyond the obvious when searching for the prefect decor piece.

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