Many years ago I inherited my father’s old army trunk. It had been painted at some point in time and covered with wood-grain contact paper. Great idea for the 70’s but it was time for an army trunk rehab!
This old trunk was stored in the attic at my mom’s and then passed to me, where it went from an attic in one home to the basement in another. Every time I would go to our storage area to switch out seasonal clothing or grab tables and chairs for a family event I would look at the trunk and think, someday I am going to give that trunk a make-over.
I finally began the project early this Spring, but after the first day I was so grossed out (I mean does anyone really enjoy stripping paint?) that the project got put on hold again. When school let out I promised myself I would make it a priority. Well, here it is the end of July and school is just around the corner. Time to get crackin!
A messy ordeal indeed, but this time I decided to stick it out SO I wouldn’t have to get the paint scraper out again. What a nightmare! Have you ever tried to get paint from hundreds of rivets? Well, probably not hundreds if I actually counted them, but it sure seemed like it. Three hours later I finally had the majority of the paint removed, then it took another hour to clean up the mess and brush all the little bits off the trunk. Oh my word! What did I get myself into here?
The most exciting part was uncovering the manufacturers label. Oh the stories this trunk could tell. It actually looks pretty cool just as it is, however I want to use it as a coffee table in our living room so it is getting a complete make-over. At least now the fun part begins…
