Filing Cabinet Make-Over

We've all had them-ugly filing cabinets sitting around. I had an especially ugly, tan two-drawer cabinet sitting behind my desk. With a sudden burst of inspiration, I decided that the ugly cabinet would benefit from a total make-over. It was easy, especially when I had my super-handy husband giving me advice.

The first thing I had to do was to prepare the filing cabinet to be painted. My husband taught me how to use wet sanding paper. I thought you got the paper wet. Seems that wasn't the total story. Here is my first lesson in picture form.

Notice the hose; keep the water flowing while you rub the filing cabinet with a special sandpaper that is meant to use wet. Rough up all the sides and the top. 

Tape the metal on the front. Because I planned to use a fancy paper, I covered up the enter square. 

Then it was time to spray the filing cabinet with a self-etching primer. When you are done, it shouldn't look like this: 

It should look like this:

Let it dry overnight. Wipe it down to brush off any excess primer.

I decided I wanted a pattern on my drawers, I spray painted them pink. 

After they dried completely, I taped them with painter's tape. Then I painted everything dark purple.

This time I didn't wait for the paint to dry completely. I slowly removed the painter's tape. Then I let it dry. Once it dried, my sweet husband helped me put the drawers back into the filing cabinet. 

This is the finished product!

I put it in my classroom today. I love the way it looks!