Painting any piece of furniture white can be tricky. Painting a gigantic orange knotty pine china hutch is definitely not for the faint of heart. Even so, updating this 1980’s orange pine hutch from country cute to farmhouse fresh was well worth the effort. Here is how it looked when I spotted it at the Goodwill.
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BEFORE
This piece was in great shape structurally, made of solid pine, but had some pretty bad scratches on the top. The knotty orange pine, the wood knobs, and the curved apron on the bottom really dated this piece. It wasn’t terrible, but these elements gave it a country cute look that just isn’t my cup of tea. I immediately had a vision for updating this piece to better suit my style.
MATERIALS
- Elmer’s Wood Filler
- B-I-N Shellac Base Primer & Sealer Stain Killer
- Oak Toe Kick (see below)
General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White - General Finishes Milk Paint in Antique White
General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Flat
STEPS
I filled the major scratches and gouges with wood filler. This being a rustic pine piece, the wood has many natural imperfections including knots and worm holes, etc. I left those alone to retain the natural character. I planned to change the hardware on the doors and drawers, so I removed the old knobs and filled the holes with wood filler. To prep for paint, I gave it a good vacuum, cleaning, sanding, and another wipe down. I also removed the upper glass doors to give this piece an open shelving look.
To simplify the scalloped apron on the base, I used kitchen cabinet toe kick material I found at Home Depot. I had the guy at Home Depot cut the toe kick piece into 4 1/2 inch strips, which is the height I needed to cover the apron on the cabinet.
I cut the strips to fit around the base of my hutch, and then glued and nailed them into place. I added caulk to create a seamless finish.
I primed the entire piece with two coats of BIN shellac based primer to seal the knots. The knots were bleeding through after the first primer coat, so I gave it a second coat of primer and that did the trick. I always lightly sand between coats of primer for a smooth base coat.
I painted the entire piece with 3 coats of General Finishes milk paint using a 50/50 mix of Antique White and Snow White. This custom mix creates a soft creamy white that isn’t too yellow. I sanded lightly between coats with 220 grit sandpaper. I sealed it with two coats of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in flat, sanding with 400 grit sandpaper between coats for a super smooth finish.
I drilled new holes on the top drawers and added new hardware. I used oil rubbed bronze vintage style latches for the bottom doors, crystal knobs for the small middle drawers, and some pulls from my hardware stash for the top drawers. They were originally polished nickel, so I painted them with oil rubbed bronze spray paint to match.
AFTER
I left the doors off the top hutch because I like the idea of open shelves. I didn’t fill the holes on the top where the door hinges were, just in case I decide to add the doors back on at some point.
The little black disks on the underside of the top of the hutch are lights. I haven’t plugged them in yet, but it might add a nice effect at night. The shelves have glass inserts so the light would shine through to the bottom shelf.
The pretty planked back adds a nice detail to the hutch interior.
The open shelves allow me to see all of my pretty vintage collectibles, and it creates easy access for serving.
Thanks so much for stopping by today.
This is beautiful! And it looks so much better without the doors.
Thank you so much! I really love it without the doors. Even though it is a very large piece, it feels less bulky in the room, and I can see all of my thrifted finds!
Beautiful! I love everything about this, and it makes a gorgeous addition to your kitchen!
Wonderful! I wish I had it in my house!
wow! my Goodwill has crap, compared to this, lol! great job!
Haha! I must admit, I do have a fantastic Goodwill near my home. Don’t give up the treasure hunt, though, Joanna!
Ah! how lovely pine is when new, and how awful when it eventually gets to that ginger colour! Just the material for a makeover – and what a lovely job you made of it. Are you going to keep this one? It fits so well in that corner.
Hi Susan! Pine can be gorgeous, but that 80’s orange color just isn’t for me. I have an antique English scrubbed pine sideboard that has aged to the prettiest warm golden tone. The patina is amazing and I would never paint it. Yes, I am planning to keep this piece (for now!). I do tend to switch out my furniture pieces quite a bit! Susan
Absolutely gorgeous! What a difference he white makes, and I love the open shelves. 🙂
Thanks, Claudine! I am really happy with the open shelves. The hutch is substantial in size, and my home isn’t very large. Having the doors off (and the lighter color) makes it feel less intrusive in the room, but still maintaining all the great storage. Susan
Beautiful makeover, Susan, and thanks for the tutorial! I had visions of you taking the bottom apart to get rid of the curves. How smart to use toe kick material! I really like the open shelves, as well, but I think you were smart to keep them. You could even paint them a different color down the road. I don’t see a lot of black in your house, but I sure like the look of black cased windows … Enjoy your new treasure. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks, Cynthia! I do like the open shelves, but if I change my mind, I can easily add the doors back on. Love the idea of a contrasting color! Susan
It looks beautiful. Your make overs are absolutely great.
Thank you, Lynn. That means so much to me. Susan
Susan, What a great makeover. The apron you put around the bottom really updates the piece!
You did a great job, what a transformation! I love how upscale the hutch looks now! Your hard work paid off.
Thanks so much, Laura!
Lovely!
Very pretty!
I love doing hutches like this one.
Lovely work! It’s beautiful 😍
Your work is stunning Susan, I live in Australia, and have a daughter in the US, the detail and finishes are perfect, may have to start again myself after seeing your work!!
Thank you so much, Leone! I am so happy to hear that I have inspired you to start working on furniture again. That means so much to me. I appreciate you stopping by my little blog all the way from lovely Australia. Susan
Dang girl! I need this piece in my kitchen! LOVE what you did with it.
Beautiful job, Susan! What an update to that dated 80s/90s pine that was everywhere back in the day! I love your toe kick idea – so nice you could use it over the existing base material. I definitely need to file that idea away for future use! Happy holidays to you!
That is beautiful! I am inspired! It looks amazing in your home. What brand of paint and colour did you use on your walls?
Hi Lori – I am so happy to hear that I inspired you! That means so much to me. The paint color on my walls is “Balboa Mist” by Benjamin Moore. Susan
Thank you for the paint information. It is beautiful.
Looks great. Question- did you remove the scalloped
Bottom piece or just cover it with your new pieces?I
think I’m going to do that when I start redoing my hutch.
Also your goodwill looks like it has great stuff! Mine…not so much.
Hi Lara! I did not remove the bottom piece. It was pretty much a permanent part of the piece, so I came up with the idea to just add the veneer like panel to simplify the design. And, yes, we have some great Goodwills here in Seattle. I’ve heard from lots of others that their Goodwills are not always the best. Don’t give up the hunt! Finding a diamond in the rough is worth the wait. Susan