A Hope Chest Worth the Trouble

Sometimes it is all about the challenge...

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

that's how it was with this hope chest I bought for $15.00.

What the heck... the price was right and it seemed to be
worth the effort... The inside of this hope chest is lined
with cedar... perfect cedar... not a ding or mark on it.

So as you can see I hauled it home in the back of my Jeep.

The piece had some beautiful detail...

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

But a few problems too... the trim was missing from one side of the bottom... luckily I found it inside and re-attached 
it with wood glue and nails. 

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

The rail was loose but nothing that some more wood glue, 
finishing nails and a bungie wouldn't fix.

There was one other small problem... 

Apparently this chest had legs at one point.  A problem easily fixed with a set of castors. 

And then came the fun part... the paint. 

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

The first thing I did was to coat the whole top with a very
thick paste-like crackle and texture medium from Martha Stewart.

I waited for the thick paste to dry, I watched it crackle and crumble, then painted it with a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White. 

When the Chalk Paint dried I used a wash over the whole piece of French Linen. Using a dry brush and a spray bottle of water, I  brushed, sprayed, then wiped off the excess.

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

I was left with a beautifully textured, crackled top. The 
French Linen wash went into all the cracks and crevices
leaving the piece with an old worn look.

I was careful to use more French Linen wash in the corners and in places that would naturally look dirty and old.

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

A coat of clear wax and this hope chest is gorgeous! 

I took a $15.00 chance and it paid off... the piece looks great!

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

saving-a-cedar-hope-chest www.homeroad.net

This hope chest sold quickly and I hope the new owner enjoys it as much as I enjoyed panting it. 


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Homeroad
Homeroad

I am Susan, the author and creator at Homeroad. I am a wife, mother of 4 daughters, and a grandmother of 5 and counting. I am a retired teacher, a DIY blogger and an artist at heart. .

Comments

  1. Beautiful! You always do such a lovely job on your pieces, Susan!

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  2. That is gorgeous, I'm so glad you stuck with it! I have a weakness for hope chests :)

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  3. Your hope chest is truly gorgeous! Wonderful makeover!

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  4. Nice...good job. Is it cedar inside?

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  5. What a beautiful transformation. Don't you love it when you don't have to do anything to the inside? Thanks for sharing at Vintage Inspiration Party.

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  6. Hi! Your hope chest makeover is lovely! However, I can see by the label that it is a Lane hope chest. I recently did a makeover as well, but before I could sell it in the shop, the original latch needed to be replaced. That one can allow the hope chest to latch shut and lock with a child inside. Two young children were tragically killed last year this way. You can contact the Lane company and they will send you out a new latch, free of charge.

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Susan