I have a heavy heart. Zack and I have been married 15 (wow!) years and have not been able to have kids. But we do have this 14 year old cat. He is the most wonderful feline, in a class of his own. He's a big, fat, orange tabby. And though he's not the prettiest kitty, he is the most loving animal you will ever find. We first got him when we were married less than a year. He was a stray kitten that we found in Hawaii. He walked right up to the doorstep of the first apartment we'd lived in. And he was purring his little, fluffy brains out. Zack and I were still in undergrad then, so Zack picks up the fluff ball and tells him, "If you're here after my full day, I'll keep you." So Zack is gone at school for about 12 hours. When he gets home, sure enough, there's our cat on the doorstep waiting. We took him inside and gave him a flea bath and that cat purred the entire time! Through a bath! I have begged God a million times to let that kitty live until Zack and I are blessed with a child. Well, our kitty had a stroke tonight. He's still with us, and I hope he can pull out of it, but not looking good. I know many of you are animal lovers and can relate.
This tutorial is to help you turn an raw cedar into a weathered cabinet. These cabinets are for a flower shop section of Trader Joe's. The are a gorgeous accent piece and the style would look so pretty as a console table or dresser, too.
Materials
- Red Cedar Tongue and Groove Paneling
- Atomized Spray Gun
- Weatherwood's SALVAGE Reactive Stain
- Weatherwood Varnish Flat
Directions
1. ] BUILD The cabinets are a modification of these Ana White plans for an office cabinet [link.] Instead of feet, they have industrial casters. Obviously the hinges and latches are different, too.
2.] STAIN: For stain we choose Salvage stain from Weatherwood. This will give you a light weathered look, light grays and warm tones. You can use an atomized gun to apply your stain. First, pour it through a strainer and then you can pour it into your atomized gun. You'll want to spray it on the wood in overlapping motions, making sure to drench the wood. The wood will dry in about 30 minutes, see in the below video. The wood will dry in about 30 minutes, see in the videos below.
3.] SEAL: Use the VARNISH TOPCOAT for cabinetry, to seal the look for a maintenance free finished product. This is also the right finish for furniture. (For floors, you can do this too, but use the Polyurethane overtop). The Varnish dries almost instantly and you want to apply 2-3 coats for heavy use areas.
Didn't that turn out dreamy? It's a honor to have pieces in great stores like Trader Joe's, too. I hope to see some photos when the rest of the space is complete. If you have any questions, leave'm in the comments below. I'm gonna go hug my kitty. :(
