Scavenger Chic

Pottery Barn inspired, Painted Trunk Makeover

• By Joan
• March 12, 2020
• 2 Comments

Painted Trunk Makeover

I picked up this battered trunk over a year ago and it has sat in my storage room ever since.  I bought him from an online auction and he definitely looked better in his pictures than he did in real life.

I do love all trunks and boxes and storage cubbies…so I knew he had possibilities, but I was totally uninspired…

…Uninspired until I found this listing for a Pottery Barn, Rebecca Trunk.  The trunk has been discontinued, this picture is from someone trying to resell theirs for $300.  The listing says Pottery Barn’s original price was $700.  My trunk was $7 but that’s not the point.  All my trunk needs is wood trim!

The trunk was kind of beat up.  And while it had some nice hardware it really was just a plywood box. 

My neighbor was throwing out her daughter’s bed and before she made a trip to the dump she offered me the wood.  Perfect for my Pottery Barn trim.

Mark your corners on your new trim pieces.  Cut on the outside of the line you marked.

Cut your corners with a miter saw.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a miter saw, straight edges will work just as well.

Attach the new trim pieces with finish nails and wood glue.  If you have a nail gun, even better, no smushed fingers.

Those freshly cut mitered corners are very sharp and pointy.  Make sure you sand those down before painting.

Age that beautiful new smooth wood with anything sharp, pointy, or that can leave a dent.  This is a meat tenderizer, screwdriver and hammer.

The duct tape residue was easily sanded off.  If you don’t sand it off it will show thru any paint you use.

The old handles were very unimpressive.  I had to plan a trip to my favorite knob and handle store, Hobby Lobby.  They really do have a great variety and better yet, the knobs and handles are half price every other week.  You can find these here.

I’m using DecoArt chalk paint, Relic, which I believe I picked up at Hobby Lobby when I bought the handles.  It looks blue in this picture but it really is dark gray.

Let the gray paint dry and follow with a light green chalk paint.  Water down the light green so that it goes on  thin.  Before it dries, which it does quickly, take a paper towel and rub a lot of it back off, smearing and smudging the paint.

The green I’m using is Celery from Waverly, available at Walmart.

The completed smudged,smeared and painted trunk.

Lightly sand the edges to get a little of that timeworn look.

The new trim pieces that were sanded got a little bit of antique wax painted on (top), then rubbed off (bottom) so that my new wood did not look quite so new.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to use my old hinges but by shoving the part that previously went down the sides between the existing trunk and the new trim piece I was back in business.

Screw the hinges from the inside.  Use the other hinge to determine where to put your screws.

Give the entire trunk a coat of clear wax and attach all your hardware. Loving the new handles.

This is a good shot of the top.  When I was sanding the edges, I also sanded a little bit off of the top lettering just to show some of the trunk’s age and history.

I also replaced the lock with a simple little ring that I found in my box ‘o junk to open the trunk.

Screwed the chain back on that kept the lid from flopping back.

Hope you were able to pick up a few chalk paint tips and tricks.  Look out for a trunk, have a great day, and stay inspired.

Related posts:

Battered and Bedraggled Trunk Coffee Table Green Chalk Paint Entry Table Painting a Nightstand and Creating an Heirloom Easy Makeovers, A Desk, A Nightstand and A Chest