I’ve been looking to replace my ugly coffee table with something that can hold storage.
After seeing what Drew Scott did with a trunk he found while thrifting, I was inspired. I ran to four different Goodwill stores in Charlotte looking for items to kick off my new DIY series for the blog but I was keeping an eye out for a trunk. I walked away with several awesome finds, but at the last store, I saw this beautiful trunk…in someone else’s cart!! Talk about bad timing. I was bummed but spent some time in the paintings section looking for modern frames when I spotted the lady putting the trunk back. That’s when I swooped in!
The trunk that I bought is actually very old, unlike the one in Drew’s YouTube video, so I could not remove the hinges as he did so I had to get creative with painters tape. My trunk was actually mostly leather which gave it extra texture when it was painted too. I purchased similar paints because I loved the green/gold color scheme plus I also have a matching deep green/gold mirror already, so it matches my home perfectly.
What you’ll need:
-
- A trunk
- Damp Cloth
- Painters Tape
- Rustoleum Hunter Green Spray Paint
- Rustoleum Metallic Gold Spray Paint
Clean + Prep:
With a damp cloth, clean off all the surfaces you plan to spray paint, removing any dust and grime. I’m a bit of a germaphobe so I used some Lysol wipes inside and outside too.
Make sure you take your project outdoors, or to a well-ventilated area, since the paint fumes will be strong. You also don’t want to get spray paint specks on your furniture or other precious items. You can also wear a mask if you are concerned about the fumes.
Paint + Dry:
With the gold spray paint, spray all the hinges, locks and edges. Make sure to keep a good distance and spray evenly to avoid paint drips appearing. Feel free to go back over with a second coat if you wish.
Let this dry completely before moving on to the next step. I let this paint dry for about 24 hours.
Tape + Protect:
Tape all edges and hinges with blue painters tape. This is pretty tedious so have patience. It took me about an hour and a half to fully tape off all the areas I wanted to remain gold. Once you are all set, go ahead a spray paint the bare areas with the green paint.
I meant to take a photo here, but I completely forgot.
Peel + Touch-Up:
Carefully remove the tape, peeling slowly. Some of my paint came off during the removal process, so I sprayed some paint into glass jars and applied touch-ups. Be careful not to use plastic cups with spray paint…the paint will eat through the plastic and you’ll get paint everywhere. I kind of liked the way the edges looked with some of the paint missing so I didn’t go in with heavy touch-ups.
Now I have the perfect coffee table trunk as the centerpiece in my family room!
This post was originally published on March 26th and updated on September 8th.
