• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Blog
    • All
    • DIY
    • ENTERTAINING AND EVENTS
    • REG’S RAMBLINGS
  • About
  • Dixie Belle Paints
  • Advertising
  • Contact
Saved from Salvage

Saved from Salvage

Home Decor, DIY Projects and Renovations

Home » From the Blog » Thrifted Bookcase Makeover

Thrifted Bookcase Makeover

by Regina 43 Comments

If you are like me – you love a good thrift store find. Seriously not much gets me more excited than scoring something from a thrift store.

Something I can makeover and give a forever home. Bonus if it has a little backstory. Actually Carmine would say “bonus” if I sold it.

Meet my thrifted bookcase makeover.

THE THRIFTED BOOKCASE

The color was a creamy yellowish one and I didn’t love it. I really cannot believe how heavy duty and well made this piece was.

thriftedbookcase
My Thrifted Bookcase

The back was white, very different from the sides and front. I know above it all looks the same.

When you look at this piece it doesn’t scream “history” does it?

After discovering a tag and doing a little research I found it interesting.

tag on bookcase
FAITH POPCORN TAG – PRE CLEANING

Contents

  • 1 BUT FIRST – THE HUNT
  • 2 NEXT – THE MESS
  • 3 NOW – THE HISTORY
  • 4 WHO IS FAITH POPCORN?
  • 5 STEP ONE:
  • 6 THE CLEANING AND PREP
  • 7 STEP TWO:
  • 8 THE PAINTING
  • 9 STAGED AND COMPLETED
  • 10 LET’S GO SHOPPING!

BUT FIRST – THE HUNT

We were on our way home from our favorite reuse warehouse. We had just dropped off a toilet from our guest bath and an old saw that wasn’t being used. I know someone was very happy we left with an empty car.

But we were passing a store I hadn’t been in for years. I am fast, I promised just a quick glance for furniture. The thrift store was incredibly organized and spacious. There was an old hutch and china cabinet on sale for $75, it had a waterfall type top and was a little hunky even for storage. I wasn’t feeling it.

Carmine spotted this bookshelf, it was sturdy and real wood. The price was $59.99 but that seemed like too much to me. A worker pleaded with us to take the hutch and cabinet so he could have more space. I said I’d prefer the bookshelf because it would work better for me. How about $39.99? “Sold.”

NEXT – THE MESS

Around New Years I began organizing my office/craft room since it was a hot mess. It was the space where everything from downstairs got dumped.

It consisted of a desk and cart and too many boxes and bags to count. Yep, time to take inventory and clean it up.

I purchased a large bookcase cabinet combo from Ikea last year on clearance and it sat in the boxes in my office since last February. I’m not going for a “showroom” office, just a functional one where I can find my supplies.

I have problems with out of sight out of mind, this is why I don’t use dressers for my clothes. My clothes are hung so I can see them. I don’t use file cabinets at work, I use racks with file folders on and around my desk.

Basically, I need a space to create instead of taking over the dining area and kitchen, and I want a spot for everything from my glue sticks to floral foam. Are you lucky enough to have a space that organized?

My Ikea cabinets are grey so I wanted to do something in the grey family. I used Dixie Belle Silk Mineral Paint in Wharf. This is the second time using this color, it’s beautiful. See here where I used it before.

NOW – THE HISTORY

So you see that tag? On our way home I looked up Hooker Furniture, I’d not heard of it and I found bookcases and things at Wayfair for ridiculous prices. Hmmph, not a bad piece I guess.

The next day I looked at the tag again and looked up the entire description. Wow. Faith Popcorn, what a name, have you heard of her? A futuristic marketer? Talk about interesting. Here is a link to an article from Furniture World Magazine in 2004. https://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20World%20Archives/350

WHO IS FAITH POPCORN?

Below is an excerpt:

Celebrated author and consumer trend forecaster Faith Popcorn has entered into licensing agreements with the Hooker Furniture Corporation and The Barcalounger Company to create furniture tailored to the unique needs of the female consumer. Popcorn and Hooker have joined forces to create a home office collection for the at-home businesswomen. “Women in America own eight million businesses, and many of them work out of their homes like I do,” Popcorn said. “We do things differently and need different tools. My furniture collection will give the at-home businesswoman what she needs – be it 2 desks that expands into a conference table or a side table that doubles as a diaper changer.”

Popcorn, the author of best-selling- books “The Popcorn Report” and “Clicking,” is credited with first identifying and naming the stay-at-home trend Cocooning. “Faith Popcorn’s Home Office Cocoon Collection” will be unveiled in October at the 1999 International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C., the largest such exhibit in the world J. Clyde Hooker, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Hooker Furniture, said, “We have admired Faith Popcorn’s ability to forecast trends, particularly the Cocooning trend – which has benefited our industry. We took forward to working with Faith to develop a collection of home office furniture that meets the needs of today’s businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.” The collection will be eclectic in scope, mixing traditional and transitional styling, with the possibility of incorporating stone and metal to mix with wood tones, State-of-the-art functional applications for the home office will be included in this collection. Shipment of the product to retail stores should begin in early 2000.

MY FAITH POPCORN FINISHED

STEP ONE:

THE CLEANING AND PREP

To prepare the bookcase, I used White Lightning by Dixie Belle. It is definitely my go to. Mixed with water in a spray bottle, it’s the perfect product to thoroughly clean any piece. A staple in my furniture painting arsenal.

Taking time to clean and prep your piece thoroughly helps to ensure your paint will adhere.

My steps are to dust and wipe down, then go over it with the White Lightning and then wipe it down again.

READY TO PREP

STEP TWO:

THE PAINTING

Since I decided to keep the back of the bookcase white, I needed only one more product to get this look. I used Wharf, a beautiful grey color which is part of the Silk Mineral Paint line with Dixie Belle.

  • LOVE THIS BRUSH
  • WHARF SILK MINERAL PAINT

Currently there are 21 beautiful colors of Silk Mineral Paint. It’s a great paint that contains a primer, color and finish all in one jar. The paint is self leveling which means you won’t have annoying brush strokes.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE
TAPED OFF TO PAINT THE SIDES AND SHELVES

To keep from getting anything on the back I used FROG TAPE. I find this works better than the traditional blue painters tape. They also have a more delicate tape for certain surfaces. This green version worked great for me. I began painting one coat all over.

It dried pretty quickly. There was no sanding or anything necessary, it went on so nicely.

Next I put on a second coat, then I removed the tape and the final product was super smooth.

It’s traditional I know, I was thinking about doing stripes on the shelves but I decided not to for now.

When I decide what the remainder of my office will look like, it may be something I add later.

STAGED AND COMPLETED

I will be sharing my office when it’s complete. Wallpaper will be coming later. The only place I will be putting wallpaper is in my office because Carmine hasn’t been able to forget all the wallpaper he has had to remove in past jobs. He doesn’t seem to believe me when I say wallpaper is making a comeback. Ha Ha.

I am so happy with how this turned out. I don’t have anything like it and it’s going to be a perfect addition to my office. The way I staged it in the pictures is how I would decorate if it was in my living room. Probably wouldn’t look as exciting with stacks of paper, containers clay or jars of paintbrushes!

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my Thrifted Bookcase Makeover. It never ceases to amaze me how easily you can transform a piece with a few coats of paint.

Do you remember these pieces I recently painted? I love them.

Wine & Coffee Bar Makeover

Vintage Washstand Restyle

Thank you Dixie Belle!

If you’d like to see how the office turns out, subscribe to my blog and get my updates delivered directly to you inbox.

XO, Regina

LET’S GO SHOPPING!

PAINT BRUSH

WHARF PAINT

WHITE LIGHTNING CLEANER

FROG TAPE

HOOKER FURNITURE LATERAL FILE

HOW COOL IS THIS FILE CABINET?

This post may contain affiliate links. You can order from these links at no extra charge to you and I will receive a small commission. Thanks for helping support my small business.

This post is sponsored by Dixie Belle Paint, but the ideas and opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: DIY, PAINTED FURNITURE, THRIFTING

Previous Post: « NAVY GUEST BATH IDEAS
Next Post: DIY Charcuterie or Cutting Board »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Rachel - Tea and Forget-me-nots says

    January 11, 2022 at 2:25 PM

    Stunning, I love Wharf. Great job!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 11, 2022 at 2:27 PM

      Rachel – thanks so much! I do too 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kenny Bostick says

    January 11, 2022 at 4:23 PM

    Is it for sale? Gorgeous piece

    Reply
  3. Renae Frey says

    January 11, 2022 at 4:31 PM

    oooh! I love this.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 11, 2022 at 4:34 PM

      Thanks Renae!

      Reply
  4. Lori Nichols says

    January 11, 2022 at 5:31 PM

    Just beautiful!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 11, 2022 at 8:14 PM

      Thanks Lor 🙂

      Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    January 11, 2022 at 7:56 PM

    Regina your bookcase was a find. I am a huge fan of Faith Popcorn! I am sure this beautiful bookcase will be prefect in your new space.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 11, 2022 at 8:15 PM

      Elizabeth – With all of your reading I’m not surprised you know of her. I agree it was a find for sure!
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  6. Tammy says

    January 11, 2022 at 9:11 PM

    Regina, love the color choice for the bookcase. It will look great in your office.

    Reply
  7. Kate says

    January 11, 2022 at 10:45 PM

    This is perfection! Love the story, its history and your makeover to give it new life. The color is absolutely perfect for your house, and I bet most other homes too. Great work!

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    January 11, 2022 at 11:31 PM

    Love the way you see the possibilities in discarded items.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 12, 2022 at 7:29 AM

      Thank you Laura 🙂

      Reply
  9. Leslie Watkins says

    January 12, 2022 at 12:13 AM

    I love this bookcase and Hooker furniture. I really need to give Dixie Belle paint a try. Beautiful job!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 12, 2022 at 7:28 AM

      Thanks Leslie. Yes you do!

      Reply
  10. [email protected] says

    January 12, 2022 at 10:35 AM

    The end result of this makeover is stunning. Long ago we were in the market for a TV armoire and the one we liked was made by Hooker. My husband decided to do some research on his lunch break and when he typed in hooker.com he didn’t get a furniture company.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 12, 2022 at 9:46 PM

      Paula – thanks for coming by. That is hysterical. Thanks for the laugh!

      Reply
  11. Stacey says

    January 12, 2022 at 12:19 PM

    Love the way this turned out. I really enjoy that gray color with the white backing!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 12, 2022 at 9:46 PM

      Thanks Stacey!

      Reply
  12. Lynne Zemaitis says

    January 12, 2022 at 9:22 PM

    What a beautiful transformation! The color is gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 12, 2022 at 9:47 PM

      Lynne – thanks for stopping by the blog and for the kind words 🙂

      Reply
  13. mireille says

    January 13, 2022 at 11:41 AM

    It looks so good now! It is a amazing what a little vision can do! Love how you staged it too.
    http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 13, 2022 at 1:56 PM

      Mireille, thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind words!

      Reply
  14. Cindy says

    January 13, 2022 at 2:08 PM

    This a great makeover and love the color. It will look great in your office!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 13, 2022 at 2:20 PM

      Thanks Cindy!

      Reply
  15. Marieza says

    January 13, 2022 at 2:45 PM

    It looks amazing, Regina! Gorgeous makeover, well done!

    Reply
  16. Rosemary Palmer says

    January 13, 2022 at 6:13 PM

    Love the color – styled perfectly.

    Reply
  17. Kim Waldorf says

    January 13, 2022 at 9:43 PM

    Very nice transformation. Definitely a great piece for your office.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 14, 2022 at 7:16 AM

      Kim – thanks! Yes it’s needed there but I am so tempted to put it in the living room. Appreciate you coming by.

      Reply
  18. Donna B Reidland says

    January 13, 2022 at 10:23 PM

    It came out so nice!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 14, 2022 at 7:15 AM

      Donna – thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate the kind words!

      Reply
  19. Antionette Blake says

    January 13, 2022 at 11:08 PM

    Great repurpose project – I miss thrifting but since we have downsized I am not looking to add anything as we just got rid of a lot. Thanks for sharing at #trafficjamparty

    Reply
  20. Cindy Rust says

    January 14, 2022 at 8:44 AM

    Thanks for sharing the history of the maker of the bookcase! It’s rather ironic in our current era of working from home! I’m excited to see how your office makeover comes along! You will create amazing blog posts in your new office 😊

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 15, 2022 at 1:40 PM

      Cindy – you are too sweet. Yes the timing of the find and Faith Popcorn is crazy.

      Reply
  21. Linda Johnston says

    January 14, 2022 at 2:18 PM

    I love the back story. What great find! Beautiful updating of it!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 15, 2022 at 1:39 PM

      Linda – thanks so much. I find the story so interesting and timely

      Reply
  22. Michelle, says

    January 15, 2022 at 1:28 PM

    This makeover is so pretty! A great addition to your office. I’m like you, I prefer having things out where I can see them. Most of my clothes and many of my supplies are out, except my beads.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    Reply
  23. Marilyn M says

    January 15, 2022 at 8:57 PM

    Love the makeover with the gray paint! It really took a beautiful piece of furniture and made it stand out, and it makes a perfect storage solution too!

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 15, 2022 at 9:39 PM

      Marilyn, thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind words. I do love that grey color!

      Reply
  24. Donna @ Modern on Monticello says

    January 19, 2022 at 2:23 PM

    This makeover looks fantastic! In color and style. Thanks for sharing the history of the piece too. Makes it extra special. I have yet to try Dixie Belle paints but I love learning about the products before I do. Thanks for sharing. #HomeMattersParty

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 19, 2022 at 8:32 PM

      Donna – thanks so much. Glad you liked it. I’m enjoying working my way through their products!

      Reply
  25. Michelle says

    January 20, 2022 at 5:37 PM

    This is such a beautiful bookcase! I love the color. And I loved reading the story behind it, too.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      January 20, 2022 at 6:25 PM

      Michelle – thanks so much for stopping by. I do love the story too~

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi there!

I’m Regina, I have a passion for DIY, Home Decor, Entertaining and Party Planning! One project at a time I am transforming my home into one that makes my heart happy.

Search by Category

Copyright © 2023 · Farmhouse Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in