INDUSTRIAL ROLLING CART

I love the industrial, rustic, exposed hardware look that is starting to appear all over the design world. So, when I started to see these awesome old-school, rolling furniture carts doubling as coffee tables, I knew I wanted one. You have probably seen them going for top dollar at shops like:

Restoration Hardware: $895-$1295 [here]

Wisteria: $579 [here]

And while shopping in Auburn I stumbled upon these beauties at Ressurect Antiques:

I was bound and determined to get one for Melrose! I showed my Dad these pictures and he had an even better idea - refinish one ourselves. I am all for the cheaper option so when he said he found one I was beyond giddy.


She was an ugly duckling at first, but quickly grew into a beautiful swan! 

This cart is newer than the others - the tires are rubber rather than the chunky, metal ones and the frame is thinner, but these issues didn't deter us. The idea was to spray paint the frame (all the red) black, add a new board on top, remove any nails or staples, and sand the top.

[please excuse the rooster and hens - Bob wanted his moment to shine]

We then decided to stain the new board with a mix of walnut and red oak to try to distress it to blend in with the older boards.

But, then it looked too different so we decided to stain the others boards as well.

Looks pretty good at this point except for the "Br Hu" on top. We sanded the top some more to remove the white letters and then did several more coats of stain to keep blending the boards together.

I have to say, I am more than happy with it and getting it for free makes it even better. Thanks Dad for all your help! It fits in perfect with my style and you don't even need coasters! 

The Den is coming along quite nicely and I am trying to get in one last piece before I post pictures. I am off Friday for Good Friday so I hope to get A LOT accomplished - wish me luck!