Painting a Wooden Cupboard

Like any crafter more storage space always features on my wish list. In my previous post, I had mentioned how the house that we recently moved into, though a lovely place, is short on storage space. I had to find a home for my craft supplies and craft books. And with that in mind, we got this storage unit made. And know what, I painted it myself! I’m absolutely thrilled with the how this turned out. It now sits next to my sewing table giving me easy access to my sewing supplies and books, which has resulted in faster and stress free sewing.

Finding a carpenter to make this was really an ordeal. We had 2 planks of wood which had been kept away in the balcony in our previous house. Though we had talked about making it into some kind of storage unit, it really wasn’t a priority. So there the planks lived in the balcony - through rainy days, and getting bloated on the sides with the water seeping into them. The carpenters we spoke to were not interested in making anything with the planks since they considered the project too small and quoted exorbitant prices. We eventually decided to discard the planks, but as a last ditch attempt got in touch with a Mr. Karim who thankfully turned out to be a very skilled carpenter who agreed to do the job.  He patiently listened to our requirements, put in his suggestions, and over two days, made this cupboard. He also gave me suggestions about how to go about painting it and approximate quantities of supplies required.

And here is the finished cupboard with 6 shelves.

We were delighted with how this turned out. I complimented Mr. Karim on a job well done to which he told me that his family has been into carpentry for generations. He remarked that it was certainly not easy to get regular work. What impressed me most was that though uneducated himself, he is trying his best to get his children educated. Isn't it sad that someone so talented and willing to work hard is finding it difficult to get work. That's when I decided to put in my bit.

So, if you are looking for a (Bangalore based) carpenter who is hard working, sincere, skilled, understands requirements and delivers on it, you must contact Mr. Karim. I would be very happy if, with a little mention on my blog, this man gets an opportunity to find more work.  So, with his permission, I am putting up his number, which is 9663389954.

Now to the painting part. It certainly wasn’t easy but not too difficult either. The process to be followed is thus:

!. Primer – After sanding the surface with Sand Paper 180, I applied the first coat of primer. I used wood primer by Asian Paints.  The primer needs to be diluted using a thinner / turpentine oil.

2. After letting it dry for 6-8 hrs I applied putty to fill in dents. I used Acrylic Wall Putty by Asian Paints.

Here is how this looked before putty was applied.

After application of putty.

And here is how the final surface looks after sanding, a second coat of primer and then paint.

3.(Continuing from point 2) -Once that was done, I went ahead sanding the surface with sandpaper 180 and then applied the second coat of primer and allowed it to dry once more for 6 to 8 hrs.

4. After sanding the surface for the last time with sandpaper 320 , I painted it with white paint. I used Apcolite Gloss by Asian Paints.  I applied 2 coats with drying time inbetween. I had planned to paint the shelves lilac but in the interest of time I went ahead with a total white look.

This shelf reiterated the fact that nothing comes close to the joy and pride of a DIY project :)