DIY Bar Cart Makeover

Say hello to the prettiest bar cart I’ve ever seen.

Let me tell ya, she wasn’t always this pretty.

We found her at the Country Living Fair in Atlanta last fall.

My hub thought I was crazy when I stopped at the booth and pointed at it and said “this is going home with us.”

And after some quick negotiations, we snagged it for fifteen bucks.

Sure enough, this big strong hunk of a man had to lug it all the way back to the truck.

And load it up. And drive three hours home. And unload it.

But I promised him it would be worth it.

So here she was in all of her glory.

Rust galore.

Damaged wheels.

Bent leg.

Did I mention rust?

But not for long!

With a couple of cans of spray paint, some tools, and an unexpected material, this old cart was about to have it’s ugly little life changed.

I started by taking it apart.

Easier said than done, since not only were the shelves and legs rusty, but the screws were too.

Those would definitely need to be replaced with some newbies.

When I finally got it apart, I sanded it down with a medium grit sanding sponge all over.

Then I wiped it down with a damp rag and dried it well.

After some minor repairs, I coated the legs with gold [rust-preventing] spray paint, and the shelves with three coats of white.

I also spray painted the tips of new screws gold so they would blend in with the legs.

When the paint dried,  I broke out my secret weapon.

Marble Contact Paper.

(Cue the choir in the background making heavenly sounds)

I cut the paper to size, then covered each shelf carefully to make sure there were no air bubbles.

(Shopping link for this paper, and other supplies, at the bottom of the post)

Huge difference, right?

Then I put the cart back together, which was not as easy as I expected.

I kind of forgot what order it was supposed to be assembled.

Don’t forget the assembly steps like I did…

And Ta-Da!

Here we are back at where we started in the beginning.

No one will ever know she was an ugly duckling.

No one will ever know she was headed to the trash if she didn’t get purchased at the Fair.

And no one will know that underneath that gorgeous marble was years of icky rust.

And honestly, not many will know that it isn’t real marble.

This paper really is that realistic.

After all that carrying and moving and carrying some more, I think my hubby has earned himself a drink.

Take your pick, sir. 🙂

Love this bar cart and want to make your own?

Check out this post to find out the necessities for stocking your mini rolling bar.

And as promised, here are the exact products I used during this makeover (aff. links)

Sanding Sponge

Gold Spray Paint

White Spray Paint

Marble Contact Paper

If you loved this project, please share it for your friends and followers!