Ikea Pine Chest Makeover

I bought this pine chest from a local thrift store for $19.00.  It is a little beat-up but has alot of potential. 

I decided that I would try to make-it-over into an old painted chest by adding a bit of stain, paint and hardware.  Here is the result...

First I sanded it with 100-grit sandpaper.  I then applied a drak walnut stain to the surface.  Once the stain dried, I painted the chest with two coats of cream colored paint - "sandbar".  After the paint cured, I used my palm sander with 220-grit sandpaper and sanded the entire chest to removed some of the paint allowing the dark walnut color to show through.  After removing the sanding dust, I rubbed more dark walnut stain over the surface, removing any excess stain, to give the piece an aged look. 

I bought the galvanized hardware for $20.00 which included 2 handles, 8 -3/4" wide corner brackets and the latch.  I applied a spray primer to the hardware and then applied rubbed oil bronze paint.  I attached the hardware to the chest, first measuring for placement.

I still felt it was missing something so I scrounged through my husband's scrap metal buckets and bins and found this...

I have no idea what it is but I liked it, so I gave it a coat of rubbed oil bronze paint and secured it through the latch. 

I think it looks like a heart lock.  Anyway, I think it finishes off the chest. 

Now I will be using it as a coffee table in our apartment!

Just an update...my husband and I are relocated to Grande Prairie, Alberta.  We are keeping our current home in BC and renting a 2 bdrm, 1 bathroom apartment in Alberta.  I am going from 2300 sq. ft. to 825 sq. ft.!  Needless to say, I am only taking personal items and a few furniture pieces from our home...this chest being one of them!  Anyway, I guess I will be posting about my decorating adventures in an apartment!  Should be fun!!

Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by...

Lesa