Kitchen Cupboard Hubbard

Before I fell off the radar in August, I bought this beautiful old German cupboard.  And since I want to get it into our kitchen sooner than later, I've been sanding my heart out in the garage in my spare time.

Despite having scrubbed the be-geezus out of it, now that I'm on the sanding step... I'm still finding patches of caked on grease that makes me suspect the old lady who owned this thing must've fried schnitzel everyday of her life for the last 40-odd years.  The grease removal is becoming so intense, this thing has become a bigger project than organizing the world's biggest cupboard ever was.  It's grossed me out to the point that I've stepped up the cleaning in my own kitchen, as if somehow grunge is contagious.

And look at this wacky paper that lined every shelf and drawer... funk-o-rama!  (Guilty confession: I scrubbed the waxy paper and salvaged all that was not oily or stained.  It's just waaaay too groovy not to make something from it someday).

I'm thinking about a simple "white wash" paint job... a very thinned out coat of white to freshen the whole thing up but light enough to still see through to some of the wood grain and battle scars.  If you have any other suggestions, speak now!

Comments

[Anne]

Do you have TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) in Germany? It is really good to use to wash down something like this to get rid of any grease prior to painting. It helps prep the surface for the paint to adhere. It's a great piece!

[Skytimes]

Holy cow... it's a beauty!! I'd see that potential underneath a kilo of grease... Love the little "schütten" inside.

I got rid of the 300-schnitzel-per-year grease with a ton of scrubbing milk and (I dare to say) cheap vodka. It's a good remedy for nasty smells inside, too.

I would definitely go with the white wash too... because I couldn't bring myself to cover up the lovely wood grain. I bet it'll look awesome. My cupboard was unfortunately already covered in opaque paint (mixed with a million smoked cigarettes). So I remember the sanding my heart out-part (and the resulting sore arms from hell). Are you planning on leaving the insides as they are or paint them as well? (If yes, beware of the paint stinking up your dishes, I'm still fighting it).

Go for it... can't wait to see it done. More in my mail... instead of more rambling here... :)

[Linda]

Awesome find. Good luck with the refinish. Please post more photos as this project progresses.

[Nancy Hill]

Well, well...where is the finished cupboard? Can't wait to see it - it looks like a gorgeous piece and will undoubtedly be spectacular when finished! Lurking and stepping up now...