Vintage Steamer Trunk

This may be my favorite makeover project to date.  I found this trunk last weekend at a yard sale.  There were actually two of them and I feel like a huge ditz for leaving the second one behind.  It did have a hole in the bottom of it which could have been repaired, but I didn't want to bother with it.  It was $2.  How could I have done that?

This trunk is probably from the 80's.  It's not a metal trunk.  The outer skin is thin wood with a paper covering and the straps are plastic, but nonetheless, this is a great decorating piece.

I painted the outer skin of the trunk with Annie Sloan Graphite.  When I took the Annie Sloan workshop a couple of years ago, they assured me that the paint would stick to anything and it's sticking fine to this trunk.  After the initial paint application, I used two different Maison de Stencil stencils and then used a striping stencil to place the stripes.  To visit the Maison de Stencil website click here.

The gold paint I use is by Modern Masters and it works the best of all the gold paints I have found.  I went back in with a wash of burnt umber over the gold to antique the lettering a little bit.

When all the painting was done, I applied a clear wax.  I applied the wax to the plastic straps and the edging.

I stenciled all the sides and the top of the trunk in case someone wants to use it as a coffee table.

Here is the before photo of how this piece looked when I purchased it.  I'd say it underwent a total transformation.

Thanks so much for your visits.
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