Faux Aged Steel Ikea Cabinet Inspired By Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware...oh, how I adore thee. You are so rugged, yet refined. 

You showed up on my door step again the other day. As I gazed into the pages of your catalog and admired your industrial awesomeness, I was once again reminded that you're so out of my league. I am but a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks. I couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that you could never be mine. But, then I remembered the words of Barney Stinson...

Source

Ok, enough with the sappy love story. 

I do love when the Restoration Hardware catalogs show up on my door step. Well, actually,


way out here in the middle of nowhere, it's way at the end of our driveway in the mailbox. What I don't love is that I can't afford to buy anything. I knew that with a little paint, inspiration, and determination I could transform the old Ikea PS cabinet that I already had out in the storage building into something that looked a little more industrial chic.

My inspiration came from the Vintage Industrial Steel Cabinet from Restoration Hardware.

Vintage Industrial Cabinet from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child

They describe their vintage steel cabinet as having an, "iron patina finish (that) replicates the look of age".  I decided to replicate the finish along with the rivet details with supplies I already had.

This project was done on a gray cabinet. If the piece of furniture that you are working on is not gray, you will need to paint it first. A gray primer spray paint is very similar to color of this cabinet.

This is the before:

These are the supplies that you will need:

Pictured: Chalkboard paint, silver craft paint in "Gunmetal", Annie Sloan Soft Dark Wax, Mineral Spirits, paint sponge, 2 paint brushes.

Not pictured: 220 grit sand paper, rags and "Better Than Cheesecloth" Buffing towels.

 I use an old shower curtain (instead of a drop cloth) to protect my floors.

In order to keep this post from being too long winded, I will do a separate post on how I made the faux rivet detail.
Update: The tutorial for the faux rivets is here.

**There may seem to be a lot of steps, but this paint treatment is just a matter of sanding, dry brushing the paint on and then wiping it off. **

Steps:

Sand your piece of furniture with the 220 grit sandpaper till it's no longer shiny, even when you wipe off the dust.
Wipe it down with vinegar. These two steps will prep your furniture for the paint and give your paint something to grab onto.
Lightly dip your brush into the chalkboard paint and dab most of it off onto a paper plate.
"Dry brush" the paint lightly on your surface.
As soon as you finish your first section, wipe off the paint with a dry rag.
The sanded surface will catch most of the chalkboard paint.
Ignore the faux rivets in this picture. I was trying to decide if I liked them.

It looks messy, but it gets better. The good thing about this paint project is that it doesn't have to look perfect. 

After you have done this with the entire cabinet, you want to apply the silver craft paint.
Put a couple of tablespoons of the Gunmetal silver craft paint onto a paper plate and add about a half teaspoon of water to thin it out.
Take your paint sponge and dip it into the silver paint and dab most of it off onto your paper plate. This is also a "dry brushing" technique.
Lightly streak this paint onto the surface in one direction. If you get too much on, just wipe it off in one direction.

I let this dry for about 2 hours.
Now it's time for the magic to begin!
Take a scoop of the dark wax and put it on a paper plate. Blend in a small amount of mineral spirits,  just enough to thin it out.
Take one of your paint brushes and dip just the tip of the bristles into the wax and dab most of it off onto the paper plate.
Lightly drag the brush in one direction over your surface. This will prevent you from getting too much wax on at one time.
Now, take your clean paint brush and buff in the wax in a circular motion. Don't let your wax dry too long before you get to the buffing step.
Let this dry for 5 minutes.
Take your "Better Than Cheesecloth" Buffing towel (I bought mine at the same store that I bought my Annie Sloan Dark Soft Wax) and start buffing out the wax so the surface has a nice, thin layer.

The dark wax is what really gives the piece a nice patina. It also protects all of your hard work.

*If you don't want to invest the money in the Annie Sloan Dark Wax, you can try using a diluted dark umber craft paint. You will have to still have to protect your finish with 2 coats of polyurethane.**

Even the key got a makeover with a little bit of copper spray paint.

I let the first coat of wax dry about 30 minutes before applying the second coat.

The 2nd coat of wax also gave the cabinet a really nice sheen. 

I think he is quite handsome, don't you think?

To see the rest of the boys' bedroom, click here.

Have you recently rescued a neglected or orphaned piece of furniture lately?

Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear about it.!

 I'm so flattered that this project was featured @:

 

Ikea Hackers

I'm linking up to:

Knick of Time Interiors: Knick of Time Tuesdays

Just Us Four Pinworthy Projects
Beneath My Heart 

Miss Mustard Seed
Funky Junk Interiors {Trash To Treasure Projects}