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Two Twenty One

Stenciled File Cabinet

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I’ve been working on my home office makeover for, oh, over a year now. To say that it’s slowly coming together is an understatement. But high five me because I finished one more project on my to-do list the other day– stenciling my file cabinet.

 

Psst, my home office makeover is finished! See the big reveal here!


I started with a dull, greenish/tan file cabinet, which I scored for free.


Then I painted it white… and it sat for a year, waiting for more to happen to it. But recently, the great people at Royal Design Studio got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to review one of their stencils. The file cabinet was the first thing that popped into my head. I had been eyeing their Rockin’ Roses Damask Stencil for some time, and I knew it would look great on the file cabinet. So Rockin’ Roses it was.

The stencil was pretty easy to use. It probably helped that I was able to roll the file cabinet over so whatever side I was working on was face upward. I started by taping the stencil in the middle of the the long sides. Adhesive spray wasn’t necessary with this project. In addition to the stencil, I used a paper plate covered in foil (super classy and professional), foam roller, and a sample of latex paint (Valspar’s Gravity)– all things I already had on hand.

I used the smaller stencil to finish one end and the large stencil to finish the other end of the tall sides. The stencil registration system made it easy to match up the pattern. The large stencil was all I needed for the top of the file cabinet.


I wanted the handles to stand out a little, so I covered them with painters tape before stenciling.


The stenciling itself didn’t take very long. I found that the key was using just enough paint. It’s better to go with too little paint and do a second coat than go with too much paint on the first go. The most time consuming aspect, for me, was cleaning the stencil. It may have had something to do with the intricate pattern of the stencil I chose. Ultimately, I found it best to soak the stencil in hot water with some dish soap and scrub the stencil with the green side of a Scotch Brite sponge.
Altogether, this project probably took about 3-4 hours (that includes prep, stenciling, cleaning the stencil, clean-up).

 

 

I love how the file cabinet turned out. Now having to file paperwork won’t be as boring because I’ll be looking at this pretty little thing.

 

Tadah! A stenciled file cabinet.

 

Check out more about my home office, including the makeover and a bunch of DIYs, below!

home office area in bedroomHome Office Area
Home office / craft room update. How to store and neatly organize ribbon. Tip for storing gift wrap paper, and where to buy quality wrapping paper.Home Office – Gift Wrap & Ribbon Storage
DIY State Cork Board
Quick And Easy Office Organization
Home Office Update
Dry Erase Board and Desktop Tray
Everyday I’m Hustlin’ Desktop Wallpaper
Home Office Details
Home Office Makeover Reveal
Home Office: Before
Home Office Gallery Wall {Decorating Ideas}
Glitter State Art {DIY}
Greeting Card Organizer
Stenciled File Cabinet
Faux Nail Head Trimmed Cork Board {Cork Board Makeover}
Sewing Cabinet Makeover {How to Paint Laminate Furniture}
Drab to fab!  File cabinet makeover!
Have you used a wall stencil? What did you stencil?
Do you have a less-than-pretty piece of furniture you’d like to stencil?

I received my wall stencil for free. I was not compensated to review this product.
As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Filed Under: DIY, furniture, home decor, home office, paint

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Comments

  1. While You Were Out says

    October 24, 2012 at 12:11 PM

    Wow! That turned out beautifully! I love it combined with the pink accents.

    Reply
    • Rita says

      June 2, 2014 at 12:08 AM

      What kind of paint did you use when you painted it white?

      Reply
  2. Swede Dreams says

    October 24, 2012 at 12:40 PM

    Now that’s a file cabinet you wouldn’t want to hide! Beautiful job, Chelsea!

    Reply
  3. DecorandtheDog says

    October 24, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    Oooooooooo, me like!!

    Reply
  4. Tonya Diehl says

    October 24, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    LOVE!!!!

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:08 PM

    Looks great!

    Reply
  6. Erin says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:11 PM

    Looks great! I have a black file cabinet, and I never even thought about stenciling it, let alone painting it! What kind of paint did you use??

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    October 24, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    High five! That looks AWESOME. I love it. I want you to come to my house and infuse it with some Chelsea style. So so pretty.

    Reply
  8. How to Nest for Less says

    October 24, 2012 at 2:41 PM

    Ooh, I have a black file cabinet in my closet now that really needs a makeover! Thanks for the inspiration, girl!

    Reply
  9. Karen says

    October 24, 2012 at 2:56 PM

    Who knew you could make a filing cabinet look so fantastic! Love this!

    Reply
  10. Andrea Peterson says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:16 PM

    Oh, it’s SO pretty!!

    Reply
  11. Lori says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:26 PM

    What an awesome job you did! I love the pink accessories too.

    Lori
    Thrifty Decor Mom

    Reply
  12. Samantha says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:26 PM

    I love love love it!

    Reply
  13. Mary says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:32 PM

    That looks awesome! What a great idea!

    Reply
  14. iheartorganizing says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    I have one just like it that I have waiting for a makeover and now I am more inspired than ever to get creative with it! Yours turned out amazing, it looks so chic and fun!

    xo!
    Jen

    Reply
  15. [email protected] says

    October 24, 2012 at 8:10 PM

    Woah! That looks awesome! It doesn’t even look like a filing cabinet anymore!

    Reply
  16. [email protected]'s Mansion says

    October 24, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    Oh that is so very pretty

    Reply
  17. Megan says

    October 25, 2012 at 12:21 AM

    I love it, I’ve got plans to do that to our filing cabinet just have to change it from a laminated cabinet to a metal one and then try to get a stencil. I’ll have to just order one from America and hope the postage to Australia is good lol.

    Reply
  18. House on the Way says

    October 25, 2012 at 1:32 AM

    Absolutely LOVE it! I have an old tan filing cabinet too that I’ve been wanting to spruce up. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Leslie
    [email protected]

    Reply
  19. Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says

    October 25, 2012 at 1:51 AM

    What a great idea! I love the stencil you chose and that gray is perfect!

    Reply
  20. K Coake says

    October 25, 2012 at 2:16 AM

    I love how it turned out! So pretty and fun to look at and use.

    Reply
  21. The Alchemist says

    October 25, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    That is so gorgeous! Great job, high five!

    Melissa @ The Alchemist

    Reply
  22. Serena {Pretty Fluffy} says

    October 25, 2012 at 7:07 AM

    Gorgeous makeover Chelsea – love how it brought out the soft grey. Beautiful!

    Reply
  23. Kelly says

    October 25, 2012 at 2:46 PM

    File cabinets are not supposed to be this pretty.

    Kelly @ View Along the Way
    http://www.viewalongtheway.com

    Reply
  24. itsallaboute says

    October 25, 2012 at 4:25 PM

    Awe I love this! Definitely storing this away for when I have a home office

    Reply
  25. Less Is More says

    October 26, 2012 at 3:00 AM

    I have been dying to redo my filing cabinet somehow. This gives me HOPE. Ours is so ugly.

    I just asked someone yesterday at work if they had ever painted with stencils before because a friend of mine is painting a nursery tomorrow using stencils. I think I was meant to find your site. : )

    Reply
  26. Heather SettingforFour says

    October 26, 2012 at 12:34 PM

    Love this makeover Chelsea! You picked a beautiful stencil and the Valspar color is perfect with the other colors in your space! I have a similar filing cabinet that has been waiting forever for a makeover like this one! You’ve inspired me to get my game on and just do it!! I would love it if you would share this at “It’s Party Time” Linky party at my blog here: http://www.settingforfour.com/2012/10/ive-got-big-announcement-today.html

    Hope to see you there! Have a fab weekend 🙂 Heather

    Reply
  27. Ginger Walls says

    October 26, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    I looooove it! What a simple transformation with high impact. So pretty!!

    Reply
  28. Dewdrop Gardens says

    October 26, 2012 at 6:42 PM

    What a difference! Yes! I have 2 ugly filing cabinets in our office that are crying out for attention! Thanks for the inspiration.
    Saw you linking at Serenity Now.
    Debbie 🙂

    Reply
  29. LWLH says

    October 26, 2012 at 10:40 PM

    What a difference! It looks great girl!

    Reply
  30. Kim @ NewlyWoodwards says

    October 27, 2012 at 1:16 PM

    This looks so amazing. What a great idea to stencil the file cabinet.

    Reply
  31. Jeannine says

    October 28, 2012 at 1:12 AM

    I love how this turned out! You turned an extremely boring item into something gorgeous. I have to say… you ROCK!!

    Jeannine @ The Concrete Cottage

    Reply
  32. Erika says

    October 28, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Looks fabulous! I want to try this out…

    Reply
  33. Laura says

    October 28, 2012 at 2:41 PM

    That’s reallllly pretty!

    Reply
  34. Angie Ramirez says

    October 28, 2012 at 5:22 PM

    That is gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing at Create & Inspire!

    Reply
  35. Lacey says

    October 29, 2012 at 1:22 AM

    Love this. How do you think the paint will hold up to wear and tear?

    Reply
  36. Cocalores says

    October 29, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    Very cute! I love the romantic, yet simple look of it. Pink and grey are perfect together! =) Have to check out some more of your blog!

    Reply
  37. House of Clark says

    October 29, 2012 at 6:25 PM

    Oh goodness, this is too cute. I love the stencil you chose and how the file cabinet turned out. Great job.

    Reply
  38. fancythatfancythis.com says

    October 29, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    What a pretty idea…love it! I would have never thought of such a cute idea.

    Reply
  39. megan {homemade ginger} says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:47 AM

    WOW. this is spectacular. Really beautiful!! It really turned out great.

    I would LOVE for you to link this up at my Ginger Jamboree Link Party!!

    Reply
  40. Christy says

    October 30, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    This is beautiful. I have a BRIGHT pink cabinet that I need to do this to, and hopefully tone it down a little. 😉

    Reply
  41. Amy says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    Wonderful- what a transformation! Pinning…

    Reply
  42. Margie says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:33 PM

    I absolutely LOVE this. I think I want to kidnap my husband’s file cabinet and do this now!

    Reply
  43. Benjamin Gaines says

    October 30, 2012 at 2:49 PM

    Awesome DIY project. I can not wait to give it a try myself. When you painted the cabinet white, did you spray it?

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      October 31, 2012 at 8:06 PM

      Hi Benjamin! I primed it and painted it with white latex paint.

      Reply
  44. Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon says

    October 31, 2012 at 2:11 AM

    This turned out so nice! I love the stencil that you chose, too! Thanks for sharing it with us this week!

    Take care,

    Trish

    Reply
  45. Allison @ House of Hepworths says

    October 31, 2012 at 7:13 PM

    Have you had any issues with the latex paint peeling off the metal file cabinet?

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      October 31, 2012 at 8:08 PM

      No ma’am. I primed it and painted it with white latex paint (and let it sit for over a year, so there was more than enough curing time) before I stenciled it. I’m letting it sit untouched for a month so the grey paint can cure.

      Reply
  46. Jelli says

    November 1, 2012 at 2:19 AM

    This looks great! I can’t believe your stencil job looks so perfect. I’ll have to re-read this a few hundred times before I pick up my next paintbrush. Love it! Found you from house of hepworths.

    Reply
  47. Liz Fourez says

    November 1, 2012 at 11:05 AM

    Beautiful! I love the gray and white and the rose stencil is so pretty! My filing cabinet is getting a makeover soon as well : )

    Love Always,
    Liz – Love Grows Wild

    Reply
  48. Courtney says

    November 2, 2012 at 1:28 PM

    Beautiful!! Love the girly touches. You’ve given me some inspiration for my home office.
    I work for a vinyl graphics company so I actually had mine wrapped in a floral/paisley design. I will be showing pictures on my blog soon. Who knew filing cabinets could look so cute!

    Reply
  49. Lori Green says

    November 6, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    I love it!! I have some craft maid cube shelving in my craft room I would like to do this to. Just wondering if you had any experience painting that cheap laminated board? Thanks!

    Reply
    • chelsea says

      November 6, 2012 at 4:40 PM

      Hi Lori! I sure do have experience painting laminate. See this post on how I painted my grandmother’s laminate sewing cabinet: https://www.twotwentyone.net/2012/01/sewing-cabinet-makeover.html

      Reply
  50. jess (creative index) says

    November 7, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    THIS. IS. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

    Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  51. Lauren says

    November 17, 2012 at 7:33 PM

    Gorgeous! Where’s the alarm clock from?!

    Reply
  52. Wendy says

    January 28, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    Your file cabinet is beautiful! I’ve been wanting to install a small under desk cabinet in my home office, but didn’t like the plain dull look of the metal shelves. Now THIS is an idea to solve that design dilemma. Thanks for sharing your idea!

    Reply
  53. Danielle says

    January 31, 2013 at 3:49 PM

    Saw your project featured on Iheartorganizing. So beautiful! Such a fab way to makeover otherwise boring (but essential!) office furniture.

    Reply
  54. carrie says

    February 1, 2013 at 10:07 AM

    Where did you get the pink box beside the file cabinet and is it file storage?

    Reply
  55. Dragonfly Diva says

    March 11, 2013 at 7:28 AM

    Love this! I have a 4 drawer cabinet that is screaming for this sort of thing! It was a $25 purchase from a previous employer of mine who didn’t want to pay shipping to have it brought back from my home office. My Grad School Graduation present to myself is to redo my office and this project is going to be on that list. Love the whole office redo – my creative juices are flowing!

    Reply
  56. Michelle says

    May 9, 2013 at 7:52 AM

    Hi there,

    I love this but i really love your vintage alarm clock, could you please tell me where you got it?

    Michelle

    Reply
  57. Danielle says

    May 31, 2013 at 6:24 PM

    WOW! This is so impressive! Your filing cabinet is absolutely gorgeous!

    Reply
  58. Dakota says

    August 12, 2013 at 2:53 PM

    Thanks for sharing! I’m glad that you posted the website that you got the stencil from! They are great 🙂 You did such a great job on this file cabinet. This DIY is perfect for me. Thanks again! <3

    Reply
  59. Kelly Bonanno (@Savvysuburban_) says

    August 18, 2013 at 8:55 PM

    This looks so elegant! I’m usually not good with stencils but I really want to revamp my pld metal file cabinet to look like this. Pinning!

    Reply
  60. Christina @ I Gotta Create! says

    October 26, 2013 at 7:37 AM

    Looks lovely! Now I have all kinds of ideas for updating my office cabinets. Thank you! Pinned it 🙂

    <3 Christina @ I Gotta Create!
    Wildly Original link party is open.

    Reply
  61. azura says

    November 1, 2013 at 5:58 AM

    Absolutely love the results. Thanks for the idea. I may not have to bin my ugly old filing cabinet after all!

    Reply
  62. Mary Bublitz says

    March 9, 2014 at 8:35 PM

    Now I know how to rescue my filing cabinet in my art room. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks.

    Reply
  63. Marijke says

    May 29, 2014 at 2:27 PM

    I have a file cabinet just like this one which I also got for free…. what a great idea. Love it !!!

    Reply
  64. Marijke says

    May 29, 2014 at 2:27 PM

    I have a file cabinet just like this one which I also got for free…. what a great idea. Love it !!!

    Reply
  65. Theresa Marie says

    June 8, 2014 at 11:33 AM

    Absolutely wonderful! I cannot wait to try this on a cabinet I was about to throw out. Love it!

    Reply
  66. Sarah F says

    August 6, 2014 at 7:17 PM

    SO CUTE!

    Where did you get the stencil from? I am currently working on a project and that pattern is perfect for it

    Reply
  67. Irina says

    October 17, 2014 at 11:48 PM

    I love what you did to the file cabinet, and Ys! I love the stencil. I actually purchased it from RD, it cost me BIG $80. My husband thought I was crazy, but I had so much fun with that design 🙂

    Reply
  68. Rachalle Liedy says

    April 2, 2015 at 11:22 PM

    How did you get the stencil for free?

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      April 4, 2015 at 5:46 PM

      It wasn’t free. Companies send bloggers products in return for reviews and giveaways. So in essence, I was paid in product.

      Reply
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    September 18, 2015 at 12:40 AM

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  70. Julie says

    December 28, 2015 at 7:29 AM

    We have some horrendous looking old filing cabinets at work and I’m threatening to give them a makeover, I’m interested to know what paint worked, and how well it stands up to wear and tear. It looks so pretty, I know my colleagues would appreciate looking at a bank of pretty cabinets instead of the awful mix of grey and beige we have now!

    Reply
  71. Cara says

    December 30, 2015 at 8:02 AM

    I love this! So pretty! Now if only my boss would let me do this in my office 😉

    Reply
  72. Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane says

    December 30, 2015 at 8:11 PM

    Love it! What a darling way to make a rather boring necessity into something absolutely adorable! Thank you so much Chelsea for sharing at SYS and wishing you a very happy and healthy new year!

    Reply
  73. Jennifer Dawn says

    December 31, 2015 at 8:18 AM

    It looks stunning! I love the design you chose! We’d love to have you share this at our weekly link party! Hope to see you there! http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2015/12/8-things-to-make-this-winter-and-little.html

    Reply

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