My Pretty Little DIY Card Catalog
I love card catalogs, especially DIY card catalogs! It’s no wonder that (aside from the thrift store), libraries have always been my favorite hangout spot.
So imagine my luck when I was walking through the thrift store on a 50% off sale day and saw this amazingly beautiful piece sitting there, pristine! I felt like I had just struck gold!!
The “before” wasn’t totally ugly (it was in perfect condition!). A friend of mine had even suggested I keep it “as is.” Um…..but why would I do that?? I know you should always ask yourself when should you NOT paint wood furniture, and while this was in good condition, I didn’t care for the golden oak color.
I wanted a pretty little DIY card catalog with paint. And to create that, I was going to have to make some changes.
BEFORE
AFTER!
New paint……and card catalog handles like these….and I would finally have my crafting card catalog that I have been drooling for!
Materials List for Painted Card Catalog
Here’s what I used for this card catalog:
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- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint – white
- Card catalog pulls
- Screws
- Spray paint for pulls (optional)
I picked up these card catalog handles on eBay for a mere $7.00, plus $5.00 shipping. They were perfect for turning this into a card catalog. You can find similar card catalog pulls on Amazon.
I didn’t care for the brassy color, so I spray painted them with Black Rust-Oleum “Hammered” Paint & Primer in One, about $8.00.
I wasn’t too impressed with the Hammered look, but sometimes you just accept it and move on!
The little itty-bitty knobs needed to come off. It was pretty simple to remove them.
But to get the new card catalog handles to fit, I had to drill new holes. The existing hole didn’t match up.
After drilling holes for the card catalog pulls, I was left with the big original hole in the center.
Whenever you have a little hole that needs filled up and covered, wood filler is the perfect solution. Just put a clump of it on, let it dry, and then sand it smooth so it’s even with the surface.
I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint – Pure White. With chalk paint, the longer it sits out, the more it thickens up. And when it thickens up, you see more of the brush strokes, which sometimes is the look you’re going for.
If you’re getting this texture, just add a little bit of water to the paint to thin it out again. And if you get lots of unintended texture, like below, you can smooth it out with Fine sandpaper.
(Related: What’s the Best Paint for Furniture?)
Once I was done, it looked amazing!
BEFORE
AFTER!
For just under $50, I totally got what I wanted: a card catalog! 🙂
- $18.00 card catalog from my favorite thrift store
- $12.00 card catalog handles via eBay
- $8.00 hammered spray paint for handles
- $3.00 screws
- Annie Sloan paint (already owned, but if I had to price it, I would say I used about $5 worth of the paint)
GRAND TOTAL = about $46.
Thrifted Craft Room
I have used this DIY card catalog in both my thrifted craft room….
….and in my pretty little basement home office!
I love this piece so much. It fits in well great in my home and it didn’t cost much money. That’s the kind of DIY project I love! 🙂
Other Cabinet Makeovers
Want more cabinet makeovers? Check out my most popular post ever, BEFORE & AFTER: China Cabinet Makeover. See what the “AFTER” looked like!
And these $20 metal cabinets were in horrible condition! But you know how I love little drawers.
I picked them up for next to nothing at the salvage shop. You won’t believe how cute they looked afterward. 🙂 Check out my Painted File Cabinets and see the AFTER!
So what do you think of my DIY card catalog?! 🙂 Are you obsessed with card catalogs, too? Leave a comment and let’s talk about it!
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so pretty! WANT!!
I love it. I have one that my hubby added wheels to. He won’t paint it for me and I can’t paint for the life of me
Now honestly, how many times have you tried? That defeatist attitude will literally get you no where.
Alice, some people just need a boost in confidence! 🙂 That’s what I’m finding–is that people tell themselves they aren’t very good or WON’T be very good, but it’s really their fear of not succeeding (or having had a previous bad experience) that stops them. I hope that Becky will be willing to give it another try! 🙂
this is absolutely gorgeous! Honestly I like both ways!
Thanks, Diana! Yeah, it was in PERFECT condition!!! I can’t believe someone would have gotten rid of it!
I love it!! OMG – our husbands must be brothers! I want to paint and he hates it – loves the “beauty” of the natural wood………..blah, blah, blah…:)
Hey Kelli! Seriously, I think this is ALL men!! Maybe they still have something in their genes from centuries and centuries ago when they had to go to the forest to cut the wood with their homemade axes, and then make furniture from hand to decorate their caves. HA! They can’t see “ruining” that wood, even after all these years. HAHHAAH
Very cool! I have to admit that I kinda like the original just fine, though. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for a piece like that!
— Laura @ Frugal Follies
Thanks! LOL, my husband HATES that I paint wood! He thinks all wood deserves to be left alone! 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
I LOVE the card catalog!! And the drawer pulls. I LOVE the hammered spray paints and have used them alot – they hide alot of imperfections. I usually do at least 2 coats, though – then you won;t get the speckles you didn’t like.
Love the look of your room!! Its great!!