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    Metal Card Catalog Makeover

    By Stacy 89 Comments

    If you have been following along on my Instagram Stories then you know that we have been slowly converting the garage attic into a fort for my boys. A place to hang out with each other and their friends. The main thing my youngest 2 boys requested was a place to store their treasures. Rocks, feathers, and random things that others (including me) might consider trash. I was trying to see if any of my old pieces of furniture would fit up there when I got a call from my mom asking if I wanted the metal drawers that have been in her garage for years. I instantly knew they would be perfect! I'm sharing this metal card catalog makeover today as well as hosting a fun giveaway you won't want to miss!

    This post is sponsored by HomeRight but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

    Metal Card Catalog Makeover

    They started out gray and black. They were scratched, dented, and had some rust.

    old metal card catalog drawers

    Step 1:

    Sand them with a fine grit sandpaper. It will rough up the smooth surface so the paint will adhere better and will remove any dirt and grime.

    Step 2:

    Wash them off really well. Allow them to completely dry before moving to the next step.

    Step 3:

    Tape off the handles. Cut off the excess with a box cutter to get a nice clean edge.

    Step 4:

    Place the catalog pieces on a tarp to protect your work area.

     

    Step 5:

    Paint them with a paint sprayer. Test out the spray on a piece of cardboard to get the spray to the way you want it. You can adjust it with the dial by the handle. Multiple thin coats are better than one or two thick coats.

     

    I was able to test out a NEW sprayer from HomeRight called the Quick Finish! It is perfect for smaller projects. It has a really cool feature that I'm obsessed about. All the parts that need to be washed, detach from the motor so you never risk getting the motor wet. How fantastic is that?

     

     

    There is a 70's gold colored love seat that will be in the garage attic fort for the boys. That is why I went with this mustard yellow paint for the card catalog. I really love it! Plus I recently wrote a post about crushing on mustard yellow and have been looking for a place to use this color.

     

    It is perfect to hold all of the boys' treasures.

     

    I can't wait to see it in the kids' space!

     

    HomeRight is offering to giveaway one of their new sprayers! Enter below using the rafflecopter widget to win a Quick Finish sprayer.

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    You must be at least 18 years old to enter. You must be a resident of the USA to enter. The giveaway will go from May 8, 2020 until May 15, 2020. A winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen. The shipping of the prize is the responsibility of the company, in this case, HomeRight.

     

    PIN for later:

     

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    Filed Under: DIY & Tutorials, Painting 89 Comments

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbara

      May 08, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      I have some of these same card catalogs. I've been wanting to do something with them and now I know what I can do. Thanks for the idea, Stacy. They will be a great addition to my office/craft room.

      Reply
    2. Elle

      May 08, 2020 at 7:45 pm

      I love heather gray shades.

      Reply
    3. Charisse

      May 08, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      Love the color! What a fun piece for a fun space!

      Reply
    4. Kara

      May 08, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      Would love to find some of these drawers - what a fun project! I love sunset colors, so it would be fun to paint each level of the stack in a different color - pink,yellow, orange, peach, etc.

      Reply
    5. Amy Dusseault

      May 09, 2020 at 12:17 am

      My favorite paint color is BM Wraught Iron (sp?)

      Reply
    6. Linda

      May 09, 2020 at 5:39 pm

      I have always been partial to a nice royal blue.

      Reply
      • Colleen

        May 11, 2020 at 1:28 pm

        This is a great company 😍My fav paint colors are blue green all colors in between

        Reply
      • Jessica Staley

        May 12, 2020 at 8:52 am

        You did a beautiful job. I love the mustard yellow you chose. I typically choose different shades of maroon and burgundy. I would love to paint our deck. It really needs it.

        Reply
    7. carol clark

      May 11, 2020 at 1:01 pm

      i like blue grey

      Reply
    8. Anjanette

      May 11, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      I love lemon yellow.

      Reply
    9. Rust

      May 11, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Love that mustard color you chose! What a great looking finished project!

      Reply
    10. beverly e

      May 11, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      I really love the Global Green that you used on the cabinet in your office. This yellow is really pretty, too. Thanks for the chance to win!

      Reply
    11. renee

      May 11, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      Love the Yellow! I would have to go with a creamy white to match my home office!

      Reply
    12. Stephanie

      May 11, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Great job on recycling!! It is so much fun. My favorite color is heathered greys. . Thank you for sharing your awsome ideas & tips!!

      Reply
    13. Anne Marie

      May 11, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      I love green - any shade makes me happy.

      Reply
    14. Tina

      May 11, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      PINK! I've always loved pink and I don't know why. If you look in my closet, most of my clothes are pink. Although, I don't have much pink furniture. ;)

      I have so many projects that I would actually be able to finish with the HomeRight Quick Finish sprayer. What a wonderful thought...

      I love following your posts and appreciate you giving us the opportunity to win such wonderful tools. I've always wanted an old card catalog set to help my organize my craft supplies. Yours came out beautifully!!! :)

      Reply
    15. Sara S

      May 11, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      I’m with you. The mustard color is delicious. Really cool idea to use it for the boys whatnots.

      Reply
    16. Tracy

      May 11, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Great giveaway! I’m painting all sorts of things for my daughters wedding. I’m painting things dark blue and lavender

      Reply
    17. Amy Martin

      May 11, 2020 at 1:30 pm

      Those turned out great!! I would say anything teal colors would be my favorite.

      Reply
    18. Sharon Sommer

      May 11, 2020 at 1:53 pm

      I love the grays , like the mindfull gray. It is soft looking.

      Reply
    19. Lisa

      May 11, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      I love all colors, depending on my mood. When I was young and single,I painted all of my furniture different colors. It would have been easier with a paint sprayer!

      Reply
    20. Michelle

      May 11, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      Fav paint color....gotta be light gray. Right now it's a 50% dilution of SW Repose Gray

      Reply
    21. Karen Anderson

      May 11, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      I have a garage door and back fence that need to be painted!

      Reply
    22. Abigail

      May 11, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      I have been finding as many excuses as possible to paint things turquoise!
      PS - I have ALWAYS wanted a card catalog and school lockers for my house!

      Reply
    23. Tammie

      May 11, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      I have a metal cabinet that I need to work on this summer. Thanks for this post.

      Reply
    24. Sue Gnacinski

      May 11, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      Right now I'm crushing on a gray/green...but, those yellow mustard file boxes rock!
      And, I have some of the ugly gray ones too!

      Reply
    25. PEGGY SCHMIDT

      May 11, 2020 at 2:57 pm

      I would love to have this sprayer. I have so many projects I could tackle with this. I'd like to give new life to my outside light fixtures and this would be perfect!

      Reply
    26. Pamela Speers

      May 11, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      I love gray green like Restoration hardware's silver sage.

      Reply
    27. Mary B Tyner

      May 11, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      I would love to win this sprayer. Do lots of refinishing furniture.

      Reply
    28. Erin S

      May 11, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      I love warm colors. The yellow card files are so fun!

      Reply
    29. Rana Durham

      May 11, 2020 at 4:18 pm

      i love the color gold

      Reply
    30. Cath T

      May 11, 2020 at 4:27 pm

      looks great -- love the color

      Reply
    31. Cheryl B

      May 11, 2020 at 4:59 pm

      I love grays.

      Reply
    32. brenda

      May 11, 2020 at 5:03 pm

      as usual, you have osted lovely photos of your project as well as a great informative tutorial. thank you

      Reply
    33. Colleen

      May 11, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      Love the mustard color!

      Reply
    34. Carrie

      May 11, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      So nice! Aren't you tempted to use them somewhere yourself?!
      I love purples and greens!

      Reply
    35. Karen

      May 11, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      It sounds boring but I love shades of biege.

      Reply
    36. Lane

      May 11, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      That’s a lovely color. It reminds me of the design you painted on a small side table. I personally like pink but I don’t think it would be something I’d like on a piece of furniture. Just an accent piece.

      Reply
    37. Linda C Johnston

      May 11, 2020 at 5:54 pm

      Darned if I don't think y new favorite paint color is the color on the cabinet!! I LOVE it! Great job.

      Reply
    38. Susan

      May 11, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      My favorite color is yellow so I LOVE your project!

      Reply
    39. Susan

      May 11, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      My favorite color is yellow so I LOVE your project! Thank you for the chance to win a sprayer.

      Reply
    40. Danita Courtney

      May 11, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Awesome makeover! I like bright colors around me. A brighter yellow would make me smile! :-)

      Reply
    41. Audrey Stewart

      May 11, 2020 at 6:24 pm

      I love cobalt blue.

      Reply
    42. MaryB

      May 11, 2020 at 7:28 pm

      Mustard and teal are two of my favorite colors.

      Reply
    43. KaThy

      May 11, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      I have something similar on a much smaller scale I’ve been wanting to paint. That sprayer would be heaven sent. My paint would be blue.

      Reply
    44. Blue

      May 11, 2020 at 7:50 pm

      This was really interesting! Tho I don't think I'd have left it with an alphabetized sequence. Seems way more office than kids stash-away. Loved the color too! You made it look very easy !!

      Reply
      • Stacy Risenmay

        May 11, 2020 at 11:50 pm

        Haha! It was just for the photo shoot. When it eventually goes in their fort they can label it however they’d like :)

        Reply
    45. BArbara C

      May 11, 2020 at 7:53 pm

      Love the color warm scone. It goes with almost any color. I use it for all my trim.

      Reply
    46. Theresa M Grace

      May 11, 2020 at 8:02 pm

      My favorite color is Sea Salt! It’s so calming and I love how the color changes during the day.

      Reply
    47. Melanie Donahoo

      May 11, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      What a great project! This would be so fun to win! I’ve got some stuff I would love to paint navy or grey.

      Reply
    48. Lindsay

      May 11, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      Love the color! I’ve been wanting this paint sprayer forever!

      Reply
    49. Jennifer Cardwell

      May 11, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      I would paint it my favorite color green! I feel like green is starting to trend!

      Reply
    50. Mary Kaiser

      May 12, 2020 at 3:22 am

      They turned out so beautiful. I love how you re made them into something so beautiful!

      Reply
    51. Bobbi Abbott

      May 12, 2020 at 4:24 am

      LOVE this so much! And that color …. swoon :)

      Reply
    52. Cheryl

      May 12, 2020 at 4:43 am

      My favorite paint color is white (or blush pink).

      Reply
    53. kathy Persons

      May 12, 2020 at 5:45 am

      I love grays and blues

      Reply
    54. Nancy Johnson

      May 12, 2020 at 7:39 am

      I would love to win this. I need to redo my fence this year!

      Reply
    55. WJ

      May 12, 2020 at 7:41 am

      What paint do you typically use in your sprayer? And do you have to thin it first? If so, how much?

      Reply
      • Stacy Risenmay

        May 12, 2020 at 10:18 am

        You can use any kind of paint or stain. Even chalk paint! You do need to thin for this sprayer.

        Reply
    56. Randi S.

      May 12, 2020 at 7:43 am

      I’m a light neutral grey or a blue-grey kind of paint girl! I add pops of color that can easily be changed out throughout the rooms!

      Reply
    57. janet olson

      May 12, 2020 at 10:19 am

      We're disabled here and painting is really a challenge, one that does't get met. A sprayer, especially one as easy to clean as this one, would make it possible again.

      Reply
    58. Linda Warner

      May 12, 2020 at 11:02 am

      I like pale colors for large areas, to brighten our space (Not enough windows, not enough sunlight!) with pops of similar or complementary color on smaller pieces.

      Reply
    59. Kristi

      May 12, 2020 at 12:01 pm

      Love this reuse! Pretty color

      Reply
    60. Lilly T

      May 12, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Looks great! Excellent and fun makeover.

      Reply
    61. Victoria S

      May 12, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      I love aqua shades and tints. Doesn’t work for every space but I’ve got it in my bathroom and kitchen. It is my favorite throughout time.
      Your card catalog makeover looks amazing in mustard. I’m planning to get a rolling metal book cart to put in my reading loft and want to paint it aqua. I’d love a paint sprayer for many upcoming projects. I hate using spray paint from a can on anything larger than 2 feet.

      Reply
    62. HC Reich

      May 12, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Anything AQUA!

      Reply
    63. kesha

      May 12, 2020 at 11:50 pm

      I love the color you chose. It is so cheery. My favorite color to paint is pink. I love to accent with cheerful color.

      Reply
    64. Sherry

      May 13, 2020 at 12:40 am

      My favorite paint color is royal blue.

      Reply
    65. Corinne

      May 13, 2020 at 6:07 am

      Beautiful job! I wouldn't even know where to get an old card catalog 😁

      Reply
    66. Jeremy McLaughlin

      May 13, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      Like the grey

      Reply
    67. Amy

      May 13, 2020 at 1:52 pm

      I really love autumnal colors especially for accent colors - mustard, olive, cranberry, rust orange, and navy.

      Great job on the card catalog! What a great idea!!

      Reply
    68. Taysha Riggs

      May 13, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      chalkboard paint

      Reply
    69. Camille

      May 13, 2020 at 7:41 pm

      Those look great! I'm already jealous, as I can think of many uses for something like them in my house 😁
      Yellow is a cheerful color but not one I automatically choose. I prefer greens, blues, beige or neutral tones.

      Reply
    70. Brittany Hurst

      May 13, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      I love those in yellow!
      My favorite color is a deep saturated emeraldy green with a hint of blue.

      Reply
    71. Kadie

      May 14, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      Wow, this is absolutely beautiful and so creative! My mom has a few of these and was wondering what to do with them, I'll has to share this with her :)

      Reply
    72. Kadie

      May 14, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      I like teal

      Reply
    73. Paulette

      May 14, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      The paint sprayer would awsome and really help my projects.

      Reply
    74. Jamie

      May 14, 2020 at 7:24 pm

      I like coastal villa, by valspar I think.

      Reply
    75. Heather G

      May 15, 2020 at 7:56 pm

      I love Sherwin Williams TriCorn

      Reply
    76. Elizabeth Hunt

      May 16, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Super idea, turned out great. I love your talent! I can see these in many colors.

      Reply
    77. Alma

      May 17, 2020 at 7:54 pm

      Everything is so pretty. Love this page.

      Reply
    78. Cassandra D

      May 17, 2020 at 8:27 pm

      i would say eggplant.

      Reply
    79. Celeste Herrin

      May 17, 2020 at 8:45 pm

      My favorite color is mint green. You did an amazing job and should be very proud!! You have inspired me to start a few projects

      Reply
    80. Jenny Ham

      May 17, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      I like light tan or light greys.

      Reply
    81. kelly woods

      May 17, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      I love mustard yellows. I love how they look own items. I also like ivory as well. Thank you.

      Reply
    82. Amanda Whitley

      May 17, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      i love the color teal or turquoise and grey paints.

      Reply
    83. Cynthia

      June 19, 2020 at 8:54 am

      This is such a super cute makeover. I will be featuring you on the Happiness is Homemade Link Party this week.

      Reply
    84. Allyson

      June 19, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      What a great upcycle project for your kids to stow their treasures! Love the mustard color you chose.

      Reply
    85. Sarah @ The DIY Mommy

      June 26, 2020 at 11:36 pm

      So great! I love the colour!

      Reply

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    stacyHey! I'm Stacy and am a DIY addict. I love to get my hands dirty, whether it's sawdust, paint, or dirt. My goal is to help YOU learn to fix up your home and yard. No matter the style or size, I think everyone should love their home. And it doesn't takes a big budget to get there. Let's DIY together!

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