| |

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover

*This post was sponsored by Dremel. All opinions are my own. I am pretty excited to be sharing this file cabinet project with you because I have been working on it now for months and months.

In my other life, I manage a gym and the owners of my gym gave me this file cabinet to flip after they moved.  It was a very dark (fake wood) cheaper file cabinet. But I knew it had the potential to be something beautiful. I do not typically makeover fake wood furniture, but this felt like a good challenge to see what I could make of it. 

I must start with some advice and steps I take when I arrive to pick up the furniture I want to flip. When I get a new piece of furniture, I inspect it for bugs. Yes… bugs. You never know what you might find sometimes. My Dremel Home Solutions flashlight has come in very handy for these types of inspections. When you pick up furniture, you never know if it has spiders or bed bugs. It’s always smart to inspect before taking furniture into your home or workspace. 

Supplies needed for this project:

When I started this file cabinet project months ago, I forgot to photograph it, but I know you can imagine the dark wood finish I am speaking of. Why does most office furniture come in that darker wood stain? I am not a fan. I decided to light up this piece by removing the hardware and painting it white. 


Step 1 – Add wood putty to the existing hardware holes

You can do this with a putty knife or with your fingers. 

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover

Step 2 – Add paint to touch up areas while putty dries

I used a normal paint brush for touch up painting on the file cabinet.

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Wood Putty

Step 3 – Sand down wood putty to the existing hardware holes

I used a sanding block to sand down the putty. I used a rag to wipe away the dust before painting over dried putty. 

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Sanding Putty
DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Painting

Step 4 – Use spray adhesive and a stencil to apply to the top of the cabinet

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Apply Stencil

Step 5 – Use stencil brush and paint to apply to the stencil using a dabbing motion. 

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Apply Paint

Apply a couple of coats until the coverage is full. 

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Painting

Step 6 – Wait for the paint to dry and slowly peel back the stencil to remove it. 

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Peel back stencil
DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Stencil after

Step 7 – Use a clear polycrylic top coat to protect the paint job. Apply 1-2 coats.  

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - apply polycrylic

Step 8 – Use hardware drawer pulls and a screwdriver to attach to cabinet fronts.

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Add drawer pulls


My Dremel Home Solutions electric screwdriver has 6 precision settings and 7 different drill bits to use for various projects.

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - attach furniture pulls

Once hardware has been secured, put the cabinet where you plan to use it and decorate it with your home decor smalls. 

CHECK OUT THE AFTER!!!

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - The AFTER
DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - The Top

I love my new tools and I plan on continuing to use them for future furniture projects! Thanks Dremel for sponsoring this project!

DIY File Cabinet Farmhouse Makeover - Dremel Flashlight & Electric Furniture

What did you think of this DIY File Cabinet project? Let me know in the comments below. 

If you liked this project, you may also enjoy:

Shop this projects supplies easily below:

Similar Posts