Revamping old metal filing cabinets

RacyRed

Hi,

I have a couple of very ancient naff gray ex office 4 draw metal filing cabinets which are as ugly as hell but great storage.

The "junk" room they currently live is in being done out and I would like to find a way of making these cabinets visually acceptable.

My initial thought is to give them a good scrub and spray paint them in lighter colours and maybe find some nicer handles for them.

Would scubbing be enough or will I need to do something else to help the spray paint go on properly? Any advice on what sort of spray paint would be best for the task?

Thanks

Joannaclaire

I'd be interested in finding this out too Racyred. I was thinking the other day of buying a second hand one and repainting it a more cheerful, fun colour for my studio.

across

i would nip into b&q and ask them they have always answered my questions!!
good luck cos they are good storage and spray paint will look lovely and smooth! i'd spray them outside though cos it stinks!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl:

dooj

My OH has a single draw filing cabinet which he sprayed with white hammerite paint it looks great. He didnt change the handles as all it needed was a good clean. Wear and tear might eventually chip or scratch at the paint but other than that it has been spot on.

illuminate

Done this myself.

Used wirewool to roughen up the old paint then sprayed them with car aerosol cans from Halfords.

Worked a treat, and the choice of colours is huge.

Sybarite

I seem to remember that there's a specialist interiors company that reconditions 70's filing cabinets by sand blasting down to the bare metal - they look very good like this - in fact I'm surprised the manufacturers haven't cottoned to this themselves - anthing but the beige and brown/grey colourways they tend to do.

If you have a suitably powerful pressure washer you might be able to do this at home - karcher sells a sand blaster kit for some of their machines.

Just a thought

Just found the site

http://www.metroretro.co.uk/viewitems/8

RacyRed

Thanks for the responses, that is really helpful and I'm giving it a go.

Sybarite, that link is great and I am astonished to see that the treated versions sell for so much :eek:.

Sybarite

No problem - me too £250 for a filing cabinet does sort of make me go white and shaky. The guy who runs the business is actually very helpful (I asked him about reconditioning a 1930's electric fan of all things) and will probably give you a few tips if you showed an interest and asked him nicely.

roswell

scrub it down with white spirit and wire wool then leave to dry and spray

MORPH3US

Funnily enough, I have been thinking about something like this over the last week. My work is always throwing them away and i'd like one in my home office but not a rusted scratched one. Now, if I can find one without any dents that just needs bringing into the 21st century then i'll be well happy.

Looking at that website, I might even get a load and start selling them!!!

M

FirstClassMale

I started doing a filing cabinet a few years back but never got further than the handles. The plastic handles just unscrewed from the back and I sprayed the drab plastic with silver paint making them instantly better looking.