Painted Vintage Barrister Style Bookcase

Dark gray paint completely transforms and updates a vintage barrister bookcase.   

I'm always surprised at how much paint can transform furniture, especially when it comes to updating dated pieces like an old oak barrister bookcase.   For months, I had been searching for an affordable barrister bookcase that wasn't $300-$400 and I FINALLY found one.  It wasn't a true vintage barrister bookcase, but the price was right and the seller was nice enough to meet me at a location that knocked 20 minutes off my drive.  So, I hopped in my car and headed out for a little road trip.  

I don't really want to call this oak barrister style bookcase dated, it just wasn't my style.   Don't get me wrong, I love using wood tones in my home, but the color of this particular cabinet was just a little too 1990's for my taste.  It reminded me of the builder grade cabinets in our previous home and that wasn't really something I wanted to replicate in our current home.  Since it wasn't a true vintage barrister bookcase I didn't feel bad about painting it, so I broke out my favorite color (Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore) and got to work. 

SUPPLIES USED TO UPDATE AN OAK BARRISTER BOOKCASE

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- Sherwin-Williams Iron ore (Emerald Line in satin)

- Antique Wax

- Wax brush or lint-free rag

- Purdy 2 1/2 inch brush

- Ryobi Corner Cat sander

- 120 Grit sandpaper

- Simple Green

- Paper Towels 

- 4 knobs

- Razor blade (for scraping paint off the glass)
-Screwdriver

Here's the bookcase just after we unloaded it from my car.  It's made of oak, so it's definitely heavy and a solid piece of furniture.   

STEPS TO PAINTING A BARRISTER BOOKCASE

1.  Sand entire bookcase enough to rough up the finish and give the paint a good surface to adhere too.  This step can be long and tedious, but it's so important to make sure you have enough tooth in your wood for good paint adhesion.  I used my Corner Cat sander and 120 grit sandpaper, which worked well.

2.  Clean bookcase with tac cloths or simple green.   Make sure to remove any sanding dust and residue from the furniture so you have a nice clean surface for paint.

3.  Apply two coats of Sherwin-Willaims Iron Ore.  To achieve a smooth professional look, use a good paintbrush (I always use a 2 1/2 inch Purdy brush) and long even strokes.  I did paint the outside and inside of the cabinet (including behind the doors),  but I didn't paint the bottom of each shelf.

4.  Use a razor blade to scrape off any paint that got onto the glass.   Simply hold a razor blade at a 45-degree angle, slide it along the glass and the paint will come right off.  (You can see how I clean paint off glass here.)

5.  To give the paint a little more dimension, finish off the bookcase with a light coat of antique wax using either a lint-free cloth or wax brush.

6.  Update original dated gold knobs.

I'm not gonna lie.  It was a major pain in the butt painting this bookcase, but I definitely think it paid off.  I actually had all intentions of taking this piece to Sweet Clover, BUT I ended up loving it so much that I'm going to keep it for myself.

It's the perfect place to display a few of my favorite thrifted and vintage finds.  Actually, the only things that are new in the bookcase are the greenery and galvanized bucket.  Everything else was either found at Goodwill, yard sales, on Facebook Marketplace or from local vintage and flea markets.

The oak finish on this barrister bookcase wasn't horrible, but it definitely looks a lot more up to date with a fresh coat of dark gray paint.  

     

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