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The bar cart makeover is finally done and OMG I can’t wait to show you! If you haven’t been following along to this saga on Instagram, this is a project I’ve been working on for a month or so now and it has quite the story. I gave myself a crafty challenge for a piece found in the trash and think it paid off. Now, onto the backstory of the bar cart and how I turned it into a color piece of home decor!
Bar Cart Backstory
My friend was visiting NYC so I was showing her all of my favorite spots. We were walking a few blocks from Washington Square Park and this woman was putting items on the curb for pickup. She stopped us to chat and it turns out that her mother had just died and she was cleaning out her house.
She was setting the bar cart of the curb because of the condition it was in. The cart was so rusted that she was afraid Goodwill would just throw it out and really wanted it to go to a good home. How could I say no to that?!
In all my years of crafting, I’ve never tackled a project like this so I decided to give myself a challenge and try. So there I was, schlepping the bar cart through the city and on the subway on a hot summer day. Y’all, I am DEDICATED.
How I Cleaned the Bar Cart
First things first: the cart needed a major clean up. It was covered in rust and spider webs and I honestly didn’t think it would even be possible. I’ve never removed surface rust, so I went into the project knowing everything would be an experiment.
I tried a few different methods to start and then a combo of soaking in vinegar, WD 40 + steel wool, chrome cleaner. The breakthrough was when I was able to take the legs off the cart so that I could clean and de-rust the pieces individually.
With a ton of elbow grease, the cart polished up nicer than expected! The rust was only on the surface and the integrity of the bar cart was completely fine.
Once all the rust was removed from the cart, there was discoloration throughout, so naturally it was time to give it a colorful paint job! Here’s how:
How to Paint a Metal Bar Cart
Materials
– Montana Metal Primer
– Montana GOLD in Yellow Cab (2 cans)
– Montana Varnish
– Tarp
Since I had already cleaned everything, the first step was to prime the surface. My bar cart was metal, so I used a metal primer. Once that was fully dry, I applied two coats of paint, waiting for it to dry in between layers.
It helps to spray in long sweeping strokes to ensure no runs or drips. Slow is definitely the way to approach spray painting furniture to ensure a smooth finish.
To finish it off and to protect the paint and seal, I applied a few coats of varnish.
Because the cart also didn’t have bottom trays, I had to find my own.
I searched for a few different types of materials (glass, wood, etc), then realized that acrylic could be cut to the exact size I needed for a fraction of the cost. I found hot pink acrylic rounds on amazon in the exact size I needed. They have a bunch of different colors and I may even swap them out in the future when I want to change up the cart!
And because we love a good before and after around here, here’s the bar cart for comparison!
And for an extra splash of color, I painted a colored blocked tray! Here’s how I did that:
How To Paint a Tray
– Tray
– Montana Primer
– Montana GOLD in two different colors
– Sandpaper
– Varnish
– Tape, foil, paper
Start by prepping your tray. A light scuff of sandpaper will help paint adhere. Remove all the dust and then spray on a coat of primer.
Once that’s dry, and I mean fully dry, tape off the area you want to paint. Spray your paint, remove tape while wet, and let dry. I suggest giving a day in between before going to paint your second color. To avoid any overspray, it helps to use foil to cover the area already painted, and then tape off. For extra security also use paper or cardboard on top. Let dry then seal with a coat or two of varnish!
So that’s the cart! It adds such a warm pop of color to our living room and is such a special piece. If you should happen to see anything on the curb, don’t be afraid to take the risk, learn something new, and save the piece from going to the landfill!
