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    Repurposed Furniture » How to update old sewing cabinets

    How to update old sewing cabinets

    Published by Gail | Published November 2, 2011 | Updated June 28, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    I'm going to show you how to easily update old sewing cabinets.

     

    vintage sewing machine cabinet
    This is the one that was in Jamie’s room for several years —it held her t.v.

    thrift store sewing machine cabinet
    I picked this one up at Tickled Pink while Jamie was in town last month.

     

    vintage sewing cabinets
    This one was a yard sale find, the only one that still had the machine in it. I removed the machine and put it to the curb for the scrap vultures. Smile   Then, I removed the cut-out part of each cabinet and threw it in the Bagster. I haven’t always removed the cut-out part, I made one cabinet into a lap top storage table. Plus,  I did another side table with storage.

    Using an orbital sander to strip the finish

    an orbital sander makes this job easy
    I got busy sanding the finish off the top of each of the cabinets. Of course, I could use stripper, but on flat surfaces, I prefer sanding with a 60, then a 100, then a 220 grit. You can see my mask there! Think safety, and use a 3M Tekk product!

    sanding away veneer on sewing cabinet
    One of the tops had some kind of veneer(ish) top coat. Do you see the pinkish area? I just sanded more and got down to the grained wood.

     

    orbital sander on sewing cabinet top

     

    Paint with primer coat

    paint sprayer on sewing machine cabinets
    These pieces were primed one at a time, then set on the pallet to dry.

    Easy Finish Max Paint Sprayer projects

    finish max paint sprayerI then gave them each a couple of coats of Crisp White Linen by Glidden. It’s one of my favorite “whites”. I used the HomeRight Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer to do the primer and two coats of the Glidden.

     

    sewing cabinets get a makeover
    One of the cabinets had corner brackets that made the top really easy to attach. (after removing that cut out section)

     

    painted sewing cabinets
    Another had some hinges (?)

     

    base of sewing machine cabinet
    On this one, the cut out portion was screwed directly to the top of the leg.

    Meanwhile, I stained the three tops-two with Jacobean and one with Dark Walnut. (the one with dark walnut is to match Helena, which a nice lady bought from the shop)  The two with Jacobean will be going in my new guest room. I then applied 3 coats of wipe on poly to each top. I didn’t take any pictures of these steps.

    This post contains Affiliate Links

    How to reattach sewing cabinet tops

    kreg jig pocket holes to attach sewing machine cabinet top
    I used the Kreg Jig  to make pocket holes on the cabinet that didn’t have any hardware. You could use “L” brackets if you don’t have a Kreg Jig. But seriously, if you do NOT have a Kreg Jig, put it on your wish list! I use mine all the time, and it sells for less than $50.00.

    combination square to measure top placement on sewing machine cabinet
    To attach the tops, I place the top upside down on a t-shirt and used my adjustable square to make sure all the sides were equal.

    pocket hole screws attach top to sewing machine cabinet
    I used my pocket hole screws  to attach the top.

    Repurposed Sewing Cabinets get a Makeover

    a trio of sewing machine cabinets get a makeover
    This picture is actually before I attached the tops.

     

    how to give a sewing cabinet a makeover

    When I got finished with them it was  late and I was in a rush to get them put away. I plan to glaze or distress the two I am keeping. The third one I did to match Helena, so it won’t be distressed. I love white with stained tops. Smile

    UPDATE:
    sewing cabinet as a bedside table
    I did sell the one on the right (above) to the lady who bought Helena. The other two I glazed for the guest room.

    gail

    See more sewing machine ideas here.

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    1. I Play Outside The Box

      November 03, 2011 at 11:44 am

      Those tables look awesome Gail!! Love what you are able to do with pieces of 'furniture'!! Congrats to Sue on the win!!

      Reply
    2. Barn Weddings

      November 03, 2011 at 9:27 am

      Wow, I was really amaze with those very creative style on making those tables. Very much like!

      Reply
    3. Katie

      November 03, 2011 at 2:33 am

      These all look great Gail!! I love all the different wood grains on the tables! So neat!

      Reply
    4. Pam

      November 03, 2011 at 12:52 am

      Beautiful Gail. I love the dark wooden tops. Great job.

      Reply
    5. Sue

      November 02, 2011 at 10:21 pm

      Wahhhoooooo.....thank you so much Gail <3. Oh my, oh my, I so excited....I'll promise to keep you updated on my project with the Dremel. I just screamed really load, the boys probably thought their mom finally went over the top...THANK YOU GAIL!!!!
      Big hugs,
      Sue

      Reply
    6. Milla

      November 03, 2011 at 1:33 am

      I'm loving the wood and white combo. I've been seeing it a lot around blog land lately. Great job here.

      Reply
    7. Shannon

      November 02, 2011 at 8:55 pm

      They look great! I love painted bases with stained tops!

      Reply
    8. Handbags*N*Pigtails

      November 02, 2011 at 8:18 pm

      Wow, Gail these look great! I love the two tone(remember my coffee table makeover? I used the same colors).
      You're so productive! Very inspiring.

      Reply
    9. Toqua's Crafts

      November 02, 2011 at 5:48 pm

      What beautiful triplets!

      And... CONGRATULATIONS to Sue!!

      Reply
    10. HLawson

      November 02, 2011 at 4:56 pm

      favorite project in the video: how fast he painted that fence! Yowza!

      Reply
    11. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

      November 02, 2011 at 4:42 pm

      i love your tables! they look great- i especially love the ribbon top one!

      Reply
    12. Kirsten- The Foreign Domestic

      November 02, 2011 at 4:32 pm

      I love those tables! You can't go wrong with white and dark wood!

      Reply
    13. Suzanne@Meridian Road

      November 02, 2011 at 4:29 pm

      I love your tables! I'm pretty partial to stained tops with white, too. It's a classic look.

      Reply
    14. Kim@todayismysome-day

      November 02, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      These are wonderful! I have passed up so many of these sewing tables at GW and yard sales! And thank you for naming The brands and colors of paint you use. It's so helpful to those of us just starting out 🙂

      Reply
    15. Love Of Quilts

      November 02, 2011 at 3:20 pm

      I'm likeing the tables made out of sewing machine cabinets. Trish

      Reply
    16. Jamie

      November 02, 2011 at 6:28 pm

      Thanks for this post. I have a sewing cabinet sitting in my house right now that I have been looking at and trying to decide what to do for its make over. This helped me to figure out I want to paint and stain it. Now to start sanding.

      Reply
    17. Marla and Steve

      November 02, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      Awesome. Love the white also!

      Reply
    18. Rachel

      November 02, 2011 at 1:39 pm

      They look great!

      Reply
    19. Korrie@RedHenHome

      November 02, 2011 at 1:20 pm

      Love your triplets! It was interesting to read about the differences in how you had to attach the tops.

      Reply
    20. Terri

      November 02, 2011 at 12:10 pm

      Beautiful job on all of these little tables...I agree, the white base with dark stained tops are stunning!

      Reply
    21. laxsupermom

      November 02, 2011 at 11:59 am

      They look beautiful! I have a rescued sewing table languishing in my guest room that needs a redo. Thanks for the push.

      Reply
    22. Amanda

      November 02, 2011 at 11:06 am

      They look great, the dark on white is a wonderful combination! Kinda remind me of the old school desks, without the ink well!

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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