magazine rack makeover

Who doesn’t love a good thrift store find? This girl right here loves to find a treasure among the trash of others! On a recent thrift store trip, I spotted this dated and FILTHY magazine rack for only $3.99. It was in desperate need of a makeover, so I took this little guy home with me and went to work!

Here is what I started with for this project:
– Magazine rack
– Scrapbook paper
– Sherwin Williams paint sample – Coral Clay
– Apple Barrel Key West
– Folk Art Metallic – Sahara Gold
– Mod Podge
– Paint brush
– Sponge brush
– Allen wrench
– Sandpaper

The very first thing I did was give it a major bath! I usually do not clean wood with household disinfectant cleaners, but this thing had a special kind of nasty on it. I doused it down with a household cleaner and went to town with a rag.

It cleaned up pretty well!

Next, I grabbed an Allen wrench to ensure all connections were tight and the piece was sturdy.

Before painting, I sanded it down well so the paint would adhere better to the wood.

I loved the floral print and stripes in this paper, and I wanted to bring out the mint green and coral tones. I just so happened to have this paint sample that matched well, so I decided to paint it this coral hue and accent with Key West and maybe gold. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure which direction this project was going to take, so I was kind of just winging it at this point!

I knew I wanted to use the paper on the ends of the magazine rack. My 12”x12” scrapbook paper would not be large enough to cover the end completely, so I decided to cut it to fit about an inch or two from the sides. I grabbed some very thin paper and laid it over the side and marked where the screws were. Then I pressed the paper around the sides to give me an idea of the shape.

Then I sketched where I wanted to cut the template, making sure to cover the screw openings.

I cut out my template, traced it onto my floral paper and cut them out.

Now, I was ready to paint the magazine rack. I decided to paint the entire rack the coral color to start.

Once it was completely dry, I then applied a thin layer of Mod Podge directly on the back of the paper and placed it on the ends.

After gluing both ends with the Mod Podge, I painted a light coat of it over the paper to seal it.

Once it was all dry, I kind of wanted to add something a little extra, but I was hesitant. I really liked how it looked, BUT I kept wondering how it would look if I painted the handle and dowels….SO, I decided to go for it! It’s just paint, and I can always change it!!

I taped off the base of the rods and handle with painter’s tape, and I painted them with the Apple Barrel Key West acrylic paint.

It took a couple of coats of the Key West to cover.

After I gave it plenty of time to dry, I removed the painter’s tape and sanded it just a tad to give a little distressing. I didn’t want to distress it too much, because the wood underneath was very yellow.

I absolutely loved how it was turning out!

I decided to put a few binders and books in it, but the possibilities are endless! It would be perfect to store a couple of towels in the bathroom. I would also be an adorable storage crate for pet toys! Again, sooo many possibilities!

Run, don’t walk, to a thrift store and find you a magazine rack! Doesn’t it look so much better now?!?! And so much FUN TO DO!

Last Updated on March 10, 2023