How To Refinish A Metal Filing Cabinet

Filing cabinets after a period of time can look worse for wear after a while. Most people simply throw the old one away and make way for a brand new filing cabinet. Well for some of us having to fork out extra cash for something that can easily be done yourself and at a much cheaper cost as opposed to buying a brand new cabinet.

This article will teach you how you can bring the spark back into your metal filing cabinet. With a little make over you can restore it back to pretty much how it looked when you first bought it. One advantage to you is that you can customize your cabinet to suit it’s surroundings with a lick of paint you can add any color you wish to match any part of your home or office.

OK if your cabinet has files and documents in it, than remove all paper work in an organized manner so your documents and files can be placed back in their appropriate place once the job is done. Depending on the size of the cabinet you may need a family member or friend to help you move the cabinet to a outside location where the restoration will be done.

Lay down a plastic floor cover o the area you are going to be working on, just a common sense precaution in case any chemical spills should occur. After laying down the plastic place your cabinet on top. pull out each draw one by one, in order for the draws to be released from the cabinet completely you will need to slightly lift the draws from the internal tracking system. When done set each draw on the plastic floor cover beside the cabinet.

Check the surface area of the cabinet for any deep stretches or paint that is flaking and also signs of rust. Sand these areas down with a 110 to 140 grade sand paper until all defects are removed and the remaining surface is smooth to the touch.

Mix a bucket with soapy water and using a clean cloth give the cabinet a good wipe down inside and out then rise down with a garden hose. do not proceed until cabinet is completely dry. Grab a screw driver and remove all the handles. if handles are held by studs then cover them with painters tape. Now you will need to add some primer either in paint or spray form doesn’t matter, once you have primed the cabinet let it dry for at least 2 hours.

Now you can choose a color for you cabinet, ask at your local hardware store for the appropriate chemical spray paint to use. When spray painting your cabinet do it a constant side to side motion the first application should be a lite coat. Spray the filing drawers in the same manner. Wait 30 to 45 minutes and add a second coat to the cabinet and drawers let everything dry over night and simply replace the drawers and move your cabinet back indoors.

Read more.