Toybox Redoux

I love furniture in general and find it hard to part with anything, especially if it’s real wood. I also enjoy refinishing furniture, bringing it to a new life or possibly a new purpose. While I have done several different projects over the years, this particular one is near and dear to my heart. It started as my childhood toybox, but that’s not the part that makes it so special. My dad built it for me and I remember him working on it in our garage. I would have been about 5 years old. When I was young, the completed toybox seemed enormous, but as an adult it is a good size, not overly bulky or too big for a lot of spaces.

Just want the how-to? Jump to the steps.

When I finally had a home of my own, I brought almost all the pieces I’d collected over the years. The toybox, which was sitting in storage, was basically a white box and had one major imperfection. There was a thick cut on part of the top. I’m not sure what my dad was cutting but at some point, he used the top as a work bench and gouged a long cut along the top of the lid. The paint was beat up from years of use and I had a couple of Hello Kitty stamps on it as well. It definitely needed some work to be a showpiece. Initially, I didn’t have a specific spot for it picked out but as the house began to come together, I decided to place it in the back of my living room against the stair wall. This area was currently empty and needed something to fill the space. The toybox by itself was not enough to complete the look, so to balance it I chose to place two country French chairs on either side.

The Design Revelation

I settled on a complete makeover, starting with elevating it off the ground by adding turned legs. As my idea began to take shape, an applique in the center of the front added some interest. The piece was heavy and hard to move since it was just a big rectangular box. Opening the top was also difficult to maneuver as it had no handles and no stopping point. To make it easier to move around, I decided to attach two handles, one to each side of the base. To solve the problem with the top and improve its functionality, two additional handles would be installed on the front at opposite ends.

The Process

To start my project, I focused on fixing the long gouge with Zinsser MH Ready Patch. This product makes it relatively easy to repair gouges or even large defects. Using a putty knife I filled the gouge completely, scraping the top to smooth it as much as possible and let it dry completely, which took longer than normal due to the depth of the gouge. Patience is key!

Once it was dry, I used an orbital sander to lightly sand the interior and exterior of the entire toybox. The Ready Patch smoothed out beautifully. My mouse sander allowed me get into the interior corners of the box and lid, but you could hand sand these if you don’t have a mouse or palm sander. Since I planned on painting this piece, I did not have to sand down to bare wood. Roughing up the surface just enough to give the new coats of paint something to adhere to was all that was required.

For most of my projects, I have help from my fiancé and best friend, who happens to be great with tools and design projects. Using the handles as a template, Jason marked the sides and front of the toybox where he would drill the holes. For the lid, the handles looked best I chose about 1/3 of the way off center. For the handles on the base of the box, we attached them just below the top of the base, centered from left to right. We also attached the corner brackets using mounting hardware used for table legs, called a top plate.

Before applying a coat of primer, I used a shop vac to thoroughly clean up the sawdust and cobwebs, using care to get into all the grooves. I then cleaned the entire toybox with a damp cloth to get any dirt and grime that had collected over the years. Once I was confident it was clean, I ran a piece of tack cloth over the entire piece. Using Zinsser Bulls Eye primer, I applied one good coat over the entire piece with foam roller and paint brush. It could be possible to skip this step, but Ready Patch needs a primer to prevent flashing. Alternatively, you could spray the entire piece if you have a paint sprayer.

The turned legs have a screw in the top of them. Using a paint brush, I painted the top of the leg as well. It may seem like this is not necessary, but a small part of it may be visible on the finished piece depending on how the bracket is mounted. I let this area dry for a short time.

Then I moved on to paint the applique. I held the applique in one hand so that I could rotate it as needed to get in all the grooves. Once I was almost finished, I laid it down by straddling it on top of two quart sized cans of paint and completed the last part of it.

Turning my attention back to the turned legs, I turned them upside down and pushed the protruding part of the screw into a piece of cardboard, not letting the already painted area touch the cardboard. This kept the turned leg straight, making it easier to paint and allowed me to paint the bottom as well.

For this piece, I decided to use a metallic paint by Modern Masters in Smoke. I had used this color before when I refinished my mom’s bathroom cabinet and barn door. I had saved a picture from Houzz of a butler’s pantry that was my original inspiration. I wanted to replicate that finish and since using metallic paint was new to me, I consulted with the salesman at Helm Paint. He helped me to settle on the color Smoke with a light grey base, which resulted in cool tone. But, for the toybox I wanted to maintain the warmth of the metallic paint color.

I painted the toybox an eggshell basecoat of one of my favorite colors, Behr Perfect Taupe but 50% lighter — the same color that later went on the walls of the Maison du Lac kitchen. This happened to be same color of the walls of the living room where I planned to use the finished piece. Once that was dry, I began applying the Modern Masters Metallic Smoke paint with a foam roller. When I had used this paint in the past, it was on cabinet doors and I applied it in a strie method. I struggled applying the paint without lap marks and was not pleased with how it was turning out. I tried a different type of roller and was again not pleased. The paint dried very quickly and could not be touched up…any attempts made matters worse. Admitting defeat, I decided to pause the project until I could get some help from the pros at Helm. They suggested that I purchase Modern Masters Extender and recommended their brand of roller as well. I purchased both, anxious to complete my project.

I ended up not liking the Modern Masters roller on this project, where I wanted the finish to be smooth. For future projects, the roller is perfect for a textured or Venetian plaster effect. The Modern Masters Extender, which mixes into the paint, made a huge difference and allowed me to cover large areas before it dried, minimizing lap marks. Each Modern Masters metallic paint has a different opacity, which is displayed on the container. Some require two coats and others need three. The toybox required two coats to reach the opacity I wanted to achieve. For a different look with the same Smoke metallic over the same Perfect Taupe base, see the double vanity in my From Lackluster to Luxe bathroom, where I applied it in a strie pattern with a sponge painting tool.

Once dry, I began my first application of the Modern Masters Clearcoat, again using a foam roller and paint brush in the corners. Dry time is 1-2 hours between coats. My standard when applying any kind of clear coat is three coats.

I allowed several extra days for the finish coats to dry before attaching the legs. We flipped the toybox on its back, resting it on a blanket to protect the finish. Since the corner brackets were already in place, the turned legs simply screwed into them. Rotate the toybox to sit on the turned legs. We needed two of us to do this. If the leg height is uneven, you could adjust the legs slightly by turning them.

Jason hand nailed the applique with finish nails to reduce risk of damaging it. He says if your applique is wood, you could use an electric finish nailer, but ours required just a few nails so hand nailing wasn’t an issue.

All that was left was to install the hardware, which was the simplest of steps since the holes were already drilled. My mom had found a nice set of drawer pulls that were silver with a fan design. I screwed them in using a screwdriver.

The Result

Standing back to admire my work, I thought “What a transformation!” From a simple white toybox with all clean lines to an elevated bench with accents and a beautiful metallic finish. The piece was used for a few years in that home against the stair wall, just like I planned. It fit the space perfectly and provided a pretty backdrop for an area that would have sat empty.

In our new home, it found its place in my mom’s room and is just in front of her bed. This project was so meaningful as I gave a new purpose to an old piece but most importantly, I think of my dad every time I walk by it.

If you’ve done a similar project or want to try this one, I’d love to see before and after photos!

Steps to Paint Furniture With Modern Masters Metallic Paint

The lesson: Mix Modern Masters Extender into the metallic paint. Without it, the paint dried too fast to avoid lap marks and couldn’t be touched up. For a smooth finish, use a foam roller; the Modern Masters roller suits textured or Venetian plaster effects better.

1. Fill the gouge. Fill it completely with Zinsser MH Ready Patch using a putty knife, scrape the top smooth, and let it dry completely. Deep gouges take longer.

2. Sand. Lightly sand inside and out with an orbital sander and 120 grit sandpaper, using a mouse sander or hand sanding for the inside corners. You only need to rough up the surface, not reach bare wood.

3. Drill for the handles. Using the handles as a template, mark and drill holes for two handles on the sides of the base and two on the front of the lid.

4. Attach the corner brackets. Screw a top plate, the mounting hardware for table legs, into each corner of the base.

5. Clean. Vacuum the sawdust and cobwebs with a shop vac, wipe the whole piece with a damp cloth, then go over it with tack cloth.

6. Prime. Apply one coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye primer with a foam roller and brush. Ready Patch needs primer to prevent flashing.

7. Finish the legs and applique separately. They get the same coats as the box, in the same order: primer, base coat, metallic paint, then clear coat. Paint the tops of the legs too, since a sliver can show. Push each leg’s screw into a piece of cardboard to hold it upright, and rest the applique across two quart cans to finish it.

8. Base coat. Paint the box with an eggshell base coat. I used Behr Perfect Taupe at 50% lighter. Let it dry.

9. Metallic paint. Mix Modern Masters Extender into Modern Masters Metallic Paint in Smoke and apply it with a foam roller. Check the can for opacity; Smoke took two coats.

10. Clear coat. Apply three coats of Modern Masters Clearcoat with a foam roller, using a brush in the corners. Wait 1 to 2 hours between coats.

11. Let it cure, then attach the legs. Wait several extra days. Lay the toybox on its back on a blanket and screw the legs into the brackets. Turn it upright with a helper, and twist the legs to level it.

12. Attach the applique. Hand nail it with finish nails, or use an electric finish nailer if the applique is wood.

13. Install the handles. The holes are already drilled, so they screw right in.

Shop the look

What I Used

The paint, hardware, and supplies behind this metallic makeover, including the extender that fixed my lap marks.

Paint and Finish

Primer

• Zinsser Bulls Eye primeroptional

Base Coat

• Behr Perfect Taupe, 50% lighter, in Eggshell (Home Depot)

Metallic Paint

• Modern Masters Metallic Paint in Smoke

Extender

• Modern Masters Extender

Clear Coat

• Modern Masters Clearcoat

Repair and Prep

Gouge Filler

• Zinsser MH Ready Patch

Putty Knife

• Putty knife

Orbital Sander

• Electric or battery-operated orbital sander

Mouse Sander

• Black and Decker Mouse Sander (Home Depot)

Sandpaper

• 120 and 220 grit sandpaper

Tack Cloth

• Tack cloth

Shop Vac

• Shop vacoptional

Damp Cloth

• Damp cloth

Painting Supplies

Foam Rollers

• Foam rollers

Paintbrush

• Paintbrush

Hardware and Trim

Turned Legs

• Turned legs (4) (Home Depot)

Corner Brackets

• Corner brackets, the top plates used for table legs (4) (Home Depot)

Applique

• Applique (Home Depot)

Drawer Pulls

• Drawer pulls, silver fan design (4)

Finish Nails

• Finish nails

Screwdriver

• Screwdriver

Save it for later

Save this post to Pinterest (opens in a new tab)