It had definitely seen better days, but, I figured that, with a little love, it could shine like a star. Or, you know, look a little nicer. Either way.
The project required a lot of sanding since, somewhere along the way, the trunk had been painted in several layers of paint. Hugh stepped in with the hand sander when it became obvious that manual sanding of the damn thing would take well into the next century.
Once the majority of old paint was stripped, I wiped the trunk down with damp cloths to remove the dust. Then, I started on the metal components-stripping decades of grime off using three different solvents and uncovering hidden treasure; the lock is brass! And it's gorgeous!
Before I started painting, Hugh attached a set of wooden feet that I had purchased at the Home Depot in Hooterville.
Then, I painted the trunk with chalk paint in a color called Celery (Queen B's choice, damn child and her love for all things green!).
Once everything was dry, I distressed the trunk for a classic "shabby chic" look before waxing the feet with an antique wax (to mimic the metal components), and then the rest of the trunk with clear wax.
The inside of the trunk was in pretty good shape, requiring only a deep cleaning and a sheet of contact paper for a lining.
The trunk is now front and center in our guest room, providing extra storage space for quilts and sheets. I love the way it turned out and am now on the lookout for my next project. Happily, Kortni, Kristi, and I are headed to a flea market this weekend, so, fingers crossed!
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