Skip to Content

How to Bring Life to an Old Trunk

Love this? Share it!

Sometimes I see a piece and I fall in love with it. That’s what happened with my trunk project. I saw this trunk online in this condition:

before photo old trunk

I knew this trunk had to be saved and just needed some hard work and love. First, I took off all the knobs and I cleaned off the entire surface with my go-to cleaner, Murphy Oil Soap.

old trunk Murphy Oil Soap

I had to go over the inside of the trunk about three times with this stuff but it even removed the smoke smell!

I sanded the entire top of the trunk to get rid of the stains.

Then I used a white gloss spray paint that had a paint primer in it. This took about three coats to get a good coverage but it’s spray paint so it went fast! Note: When spraying painting don’t hold the spray paint too close to the piece and don’t go too slow. If you do this can cause drips on the paint.

spray painting old trunk

Once the spray painting was done and the inside was shining again it was time to install some new knobs.

That’s it! This one was pretty simple and had such a dramatic difference. I ended up selling this piece because I didn’t have a spot for it but it is still one of my favorites and I was so happy with the end result!

after photo of an old trunk

old trunk revival - Splendry

Pin this project for later!

old trunk revival - Splendry

Originally published September 5, 2016

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Adrienne

Monday 20th of March 2017

Love this trunk! I have a horrible time looking at a piece and imagining it looking the way I'd like it. You did an amazing job!

Amanda

Monday 20th of March 2017

Thank you!!!! This was one of my favorites! You could totally change your piece too!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.