Upcycling a China Cabinet into a Display Case

China Hutches are a dime a dozen, that lovely, yet dated decor from the 80s can now be recycled into a sideboard display cabinet! Most people that purchase a china cabinet to refurbish will often use the bottom section and turn it into a buffet and the top part is often left unused. However in this Upcycling a China Cabinet into a Display Case blog, we’re going to show you how a creative little addition to it can completely re-purpose it! Add a base to the bottom of the top section, and it can easily be up-cycled into a beautiful display cabinet!

Here’s what you’re going to need for this project:

• China Cabinet
• Fusion TSP Alternative
• Coastal Blue Milk Paint by Fusion
• Fusion Mineral Paint – Casement
• Fusion Ultra Grip
• Fusion Hemp Oil
• Ultra Fine Sanding Pad
• Staalmeester Round Brush
• Paint Kit (optional)

When going for a coastal look, a blue is always a great choice. We’re going to use “Coastal Blue” Fusion Milk Paint. 

Prep

To prep the cabinet we cleaned it with Fusion TSP Alternative. 

Painting the Interior with Mineral Paint

We started with the interior. We wanted a fresh look inside the cabinet, a white coat of paint to contrast with the blue is perfect every time. For the interior, we chose “Casement” Fusion Mineral Paint.

What we love about Fusion Mineral Paint is that you don’t need a primer! Just ensure the surface is cleaned with TSP Alternative and let dry before painting. We applied 3 coats of Casement rolled on to get a solid opaque finish.

Painting on the Milk Paint

Once the interior Casement paint dried, we mixed-up a 330g bag (the larger size)  of “Coastal Blue” Fusion Milk Paint.

Mixing Milk Paint is easier than you think! Check out this mixing guide here.

The surface still had some sheen to it, and we didn’t want to sand it down any further, so we added Fusion Ultra Grip Bonding Agent here to ensure full adhesion as we were going for a sleek look. 

Top Coat Finish

Since this display cabinet is not going to get lots of wear and tear, we opted to use Fusion Hemp Oil as a topcoat. Hemp Oil is liquid gold – we just LOVE it! It’s so simple to use! Use a brush or rag, wipe it on, and be sure to remove the excess oil. 

Once fully oiled, we used a finishing sanding pad to soften and smooth out the finish. Be sure to wipe down after sanding to ensure that any excess dust and pigments are removed.  This will leave a buttery soft satin finish.  If after 24 hours, it still feels very oily, just wipe it down again so it doesn’t go tacky. 

Now that’s a how-to on Upcycling a China Cabinet into a Display Case! 

After we painted two coats of blue on the cabinet, the top looked a little top-heavy, so we built a removable base with legs. This helped balance the piece and made it more sturdy to stand the hutch on.

Let us know what you think in the comments!