Holly’s Party Cart

I spied this cart 6 months ago at the Goodwill.

I had to have it…
It was not a bargain but I was compelled to save this beauty.

And so it sat for 6 months

I had so many ideas…but nothing fully clicked…until now.

Here is my Party Cart!

SUPPLIES

Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer, White

Krylon Indoor/Outdoor, Dover White

Purdy - 6 in 1 Painters Tool

Rockler, Clear Deft Wood Finish

Wood Putty

DecoArt Americana Acrylic Dove Gray

DecoArt Glazing Medium

DecoArt Chalkboard Pain

TOOLS

Screwdriver

Sand Paper

Paper plate or something for mixing paint

Paint brush

Drop cloth or newspaper to protect work area.

Towels and water for cleaning the cart you left outside for 6 months!

DIY IT!

Repair cart: The cart was more abused that I realized – one leg was held together by screws. I removed the screws, and glued the leg together with Gorilla Glue. Let dry.

Once dry, I realized there were still some cracks, so I added some wood putty to fill those in. Let dry. Sand.
CONFESSION: I have only ever spray painted one piece of furniture (my son’s locker) I was unsure of how I would do…I learned quickly – go slow with smooth motions and don’t get anxious….I had a lot of drips from my own heavy spraying…BUT I got that under control and WOW so fast and easy!
I spray a coat of Krylon Primer and then more blemishes in this beauty of a cart appeared…more Gorilla Glue…more wood putty…more sanding…ta-da!
I sprayed a second coat and let dry.

NOW, my intention was to NOT make this distressed, but as I painted, The beautiful finish of the Dover White was marred by the numerous nicks and damage to the cart. It was not the look I was going for – polished and sleek and dinged up (that will happen soon enough).

NOTE: I had decided that my top was going to be chalkboard so I took no care to paint the top nicely with the Krylon. I did prime it with the Krylon Primer.

I LOVE Kylon’s Dover White (I have used it on many projects), so I continued to paint the cart with it and the color was spot on and application super-duper easy.
After drying I knew what had to be done…distress it. The cart was begging for it – it was the only way to save the cart and camouflage the damage. So on this gorgeous base of paint, I sanded the legs and a few other areas to show the wear – I especially hit the places where the damage was already done.
Then I glazed the entire cart with a mixture of DecoArt’s Dove Gray American Acrylic and Glazing Medium. I just mixed the two together and used a rag to wipe on and wipe off. It gave a subtle glazed, while letting the original color shine through.

Once dry, I spray the entire cart with the Deft Clear Wood Finish Sealer from Rockler. I sprayed now – before painting my top with the chalkboard paint because I did not want the chalkboard to be “sealed” – it was just easier.