🖼️
The project:
We bought this old pine tallboy from Facebook Marketplace for just $10 and gave it a whole new purpose. We transformed it into a rolling tool chest by painting it, adding castor wheels for easy movement, fitting new handles, and covering the drawer fronts with a faux metal-look adhesive wrap to give the appearance of steel. While the drawer fronts aren’t real metal, we’re really happy with the look and the money we saved. It has loads of storage for tools and shows how old furniture can be repurposed into something practical and unique.
- Materials:
- Polyurethane (clear protective finish)
- Peel-and-stick faux metal vinyl wrap
- Metal drawer handles
- Castor wheels
- Screws
- Sandpaper
- Snap-on decals/sticker
- Heavy-duty side pull handles (2)
- Tools:
- Orbital sander (or sanding block)
- Paint brushes
- Paint roller
- Paint tray
- Drill/driver
- Screwdriver
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Utility knife (for trimming the vinyl wrap)
- Scissors
- Spanner/socket set (for fitting the castor wheels)
- Cleaning cloths
- Step 1:
We found an old pine tallboy on Facebook Marketplace for just $10. It was solid timber and perfect for repurposing instead of throwing away.
- Step 2:
Prepare the cabinet
We removed the handles, cleaned the tallboy thoroughly, sanded all the surfaces, and applied primer to help the paint adhere.
- Step 3:
Paint
The cabinet was painted black, with the top painted red. Once dry, we applied a clear polyurethane (poly) finish to protect the painted surfaces.
- Step 4:
Update the drawers
We covered the drawer fronts with a peel-and-stick faux metal vinyl wrap to create the look of a metal tool chest. New metal handles were then installed.
- Step 5:
Add the wheels
Heavy-duty castor wheels were attached to the base so the tool chest could be moved around the workshop with ease.
- Step 6:
Finish the project
We installed the Snap-on drawer handles, fitted heavy-duty side pull handles, applied the Snap-on decals, and gave the tool chest a final coat of polyurethane for extra protection. After a final clean, we loaded it with tools. What started as a $10 Facebook Marketplace tallboy is now a unique rolling tool chest with plenty of storage that’s practical, durable, and easy to move around the workshop.
