furniture redo: Top hutch into farmhouse stand

Have yall seem those amazing farmhouse cottage stands with the chicken wire; I am IN LOVE with those styles. So when a friend of mine asked if I could help her add some decor to her office, I was excited for the challenge. I have never really done this before, but I’ve seen some Chip and Joanna shows 🤪

The first part of this redo was to find a diamond in the rough. To that, we turn to Facebook marketplace. I had stumbled upon this top part of a hutch that someone was getting rid of. They either kept or sold the bottom piece which is usually a buffet or even a dresser depending on the layout. We seized the moment and got the piece 50% off the asking (even better deal).

We took it back to the garage and started brainstorming. I knew her space needed something to add a focal point, but also add some height and bulk to the bare room. She wanted a cottage farmhouse look throughout the office areas, so I decided to with a cream white hutch, but adding chicken wire for a rustic vibe.

Here are are the steps I went through to get this piece from looking drab to fab.

Step 1: Preparation

For any project you are tackling, the most important step is to make sure you have ALL your supplies so that you are not scrambling. When you start to scramble, you start to feel frustrated and it kind of sets the tone for the project. Trust me, no one likes to work with a negative Nancy.

So prepare a supply list. I knew the bottom of this hutch had very thin and flimsy wood. It was a flushed surface on the bottom, but the wood was not thick enough. So, therefore, if I try to screw in my anchor plate, It would tear the wood apart. I had to get a thicker wood so that the screws would actually hold up the legs to the hutch.

Supply list:

1. Wooden leg anchor plate kit
2. Wooden legs x 4
3. Wood glue
4. Chalk paint
5. Sealer
6. 1.5 inch screws x 8
7. Roll of chicken wire
8. 3/4 inch plywood

Tool List:

1. Drill
2. Drill bit
3. Phillips drill bit head
4. Electric stapler
5. Tin cutting shears
6. Working gloves
7. Miter saw

Step 2: Measurements

I knew the board under the hutch was flimsy. So, I had to make a “new bottom” for my anchors to hold. I measured lengthwise the size of the bottom hutch and cut a 3/4 inch of plywood into that size. Ill show yall here

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Then of course take your chicken wire and meause how much you’ll need of that too. Remember when cutting the chicken wire, use your TIN cuting shears and wear some working gloves; it WILL CUT YOU (I’ve got some battle scars form this part).

Step 3: Assembly

After you have cut you plywood to size, so ahead and attach it to your hutch. I used wood glue 1st, then secured it down with 1.5 inch screws.

After the wood has been secured to both sides of the bottom of the hutch, proceed with measuring where the legs will go. When you do that, make sure all the measurements are even because you don’t want to have a kadywonkus hutch because the legs were not equidistant. Attach the brackets, secure them with the screws provided and then screw in the legs.

Again, when you start to start to work with the chicken wire wear those work gloves; you’ll thank me later. I actually had to break the glass in the hutch because I could not get it out any other way. JUST BE CAREFUL.

Attach the chicken wire with the staple gun. It is easier if you use an electric one, trust me. It is hard to get into those crevasses AND try to use a manual one at the same time. I don’t have the time or patience for that in this South Mississippi heat🥵

The last step is to paint the hutch. Since I was at Lowes I bought their chalk paint line. I wasn’t impressed with it to say the least, but I made it work. If I had to up-cycle another furniture piece, I will stick to my tried and true chalk paint line: Fairy Chalkmother.

After painting it, it let it dry. Then I used a 100 grit sandpaper to give it a mild distress look. Then I sealed it with Minwax polycrylic. YALL!! I LOVE this product!! It seals your product without the shiny finish of a polyurethane. PLUS, polycrylic is water based so clean up is SOOO much easier!

Finished product

Hope yall enjoyed this tutorial. It was a fun project, definitely learned things along the way. I hope this inspires yall to go out and tackle those trash to treasure finds