Refinishing antique furniture: Radio cabinet

Oct 17

I’ve been searching ALL over for the perfect cabinet for one particular wall in my house. I decided to put it out in to the universe (on Instagram) that I was looking for it - and BAM! Literally the next day it popped up on my Facebook Marketplace feed.

Here she is.

Radio Cabinet

Photo from Facebook Marketplace

She was a beauty, that’s for sure. I loved the wood tone of this radio cabinet, but I wanted black accents and to be honest - it smelled a bit and I wanted to get rid of that, too.

How do you get rid of the old/musty smell?

I use a vinegar/water mixture to wipe the entire thing and let it air dry in the sun. I also use charcoal bags - let those sit inside the cabinet for a few days! Sometimes this takes the entire smell away, and sometimes it still lingers. In that case, painting it usually does the trick.

How do you paint an antique piece of furniture?

You can (and probably should) sand the piece a little bit before anything else. I used primer to cover the entire cabinet (inside and out), and then I painted 3 coats of Tricorn Black (Sherwin Williams) of Emerald Urethane Enamel Trim paint. I like to use this paint because it’s really durable and I don’t necessarily need a top coat on it. Be sure you paint OUTSIDE!