To add some extra storage to my cabinet-less kitchen, I stalked Craigslist for weeks, considering everything and anything that might not look totally out of place.  When I saw this Ikea kitchen cart listed for only $30.00, I knew I couldn’t pass it up! Apart from a few stains on the surface, the cart was in great shape and ready for a makeover.

Foolishly I didn’t think to take pictures of my process, but here’s a description of the steps that I took:

1) I disassembled the entire cart: wheels, frame, shelves, drawers, top, etc.

2) I sanded both sides of the top part of the cart. Since it had some food and water stains, I started with a grit of 60 and worked my way up to 220 until all the stains were gone. The shelves and drawers only needed a light sanding so I used 220 grit for those.

3) I stained the top with three coats of a dark walnut stain, waiting 24 hours between each application. I repeated the same process with the underside of the wood.

4) Meanwhile, I primed the cart’s frame, shelves, drawers, and wheels with some leftover primer I had lying around.

5) After the primer dried, I painted over it with a light turqoise paint ( “sweet rhapsody” by Behr paint). I wanted something that was bright and fun and this color reminded me of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

6) I applied a second coat of paint.

7) Once all the parts were completely dry, I reassembled the cart.

8) I painted 2 sets of these hooks turquoise and attached to both sides of the cart.

The photo below shows you the final product. As you can see in the photo, I store my prettier dishes and bowls on the open shelves and hang my sieves off of the hooks. I keep various items (measuring cups, rubber bands, scale) stashed in the drawers.