Suitcase-bottom shelf unit

Hands-on time: Approximately an hour.
Total time: Add drying time of three hours for the stain, one hour for the crackle medium, two hours for the acrylic paint, and two hours for the varnish.
Skill: Moderate.
Cost estimate: Roughly $22.00 (not including the cost of the wooden compartment tray).

Materials & Tools

• A wooden compartment tray from an old trunk (available at flea markets, antique dealers)
• Newspapers
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Gel Stain by Jo Sonja's (I used Maple)
• A lint-free cloth
• Foam paintbrush 3 to 4 centimeters
• Weathered-wood crackle medium by DecoArt
• A soft paintbrush 3 to 4 centimeters
• Acrylic paint by Delta Ceramcoat (I used Burgundy rose)
• Varnish

Decorating can be a lot of fun with flea market finds! I just love the hunt of finding items at flea markets and transforming them into other uses. Take compartment trays of old trunks for example; once cleaned and refinished, they make distinctive shelf units. This piece was perfect to add as a functional and decorative unit in the boys' bathroom, which has a sailboat and lighthouse theme. To give this old tray a fresh look, I revived the wood by staining it. For an authentic touch, I gave the centre panel a weathered-wood crackle finish, which I then painted in a burgundy-rose acrylic colour. The same process can be used to revamp regular or plain shelves as well as an array of other wooden finds.

This project is recommended for unpainted wooden items. Aged furniture with chipped paint and peeling varnish must be stripped first.

Cover your work area with newspapers. Sand the compartment tray to get rid of any dirt. Once cleaned, remove the sanding dust with a tack cloth.

Apply the gel stain liberally to the tray's surface, sides and back using a cloth or a foam brush. Allow the gel stain to permeate the surface for 2-5 minutes. Wipe off the excess stain with a clean cloth using even pressure, going with the grain of the wood. Let dry 3 to 4 hours before starting the next step.

To keep the beauty of the stained wood exposed while enhancing it with a touch of colour, apply a coat of weathered-wood crackling medium only to the center panel, using a foam or soft paintbrush. (Leave the stained wood of the shelf part, the sides, top and bottom of the tray as they are). Try to avoid drippings. Let the medium dry until it is no longer tacky to the touch, which is approximately 60 minutes or as per product directions.

Apply a coat of acrylic paint in your choice of colour over the weathered-wood crackling medium with a paintbrush following the grain of the wood. Acrylics will dry in 20 minutes, but let the tray dry for at least 2 hours before applying the varnish.

To add an extra-weathered effect, lightly sand the exterior edges of the tray with sandpaper. Wipe with a tack cloth, then protect the entire tray with a coat of varnish and let dry. Add eye hooks and framing wire at the back of the tray in order to mount it on a wall.

Compartment trays can be personalized with colour to suit any room or theme: ocean themes for bathrooms, sport themes for teen bedrooms, or golfer themes for dad's office.

Variations

• Trunk compartment trays make great serving trays, especially for breakfast-in-bed. The smaller section is perfect for placing magazines.
• Old trunks make great coffee tables as they are or with caster wheels added. They provide extra storage space for books, magazines, and blankets. When placed on its side and left opened halfway and extra shelves added, it becomes a mini cabinet unit.
• Stacking several old suitcases makes a style statement perfect for a nook. Smaller trunks and stacked suitcases can make lovely end tables.
• The finish of many antiques can be left natural. Often a good cleaning is enough to freshen it up. Adding a simple coat of Tung oil mixed with mineral spirits can do wonders to revive wooden treasures.
• Trunks are best when kept in their authentic state. Clean a trunk by first removing any rust and dirt, and then sanding the wood. Any leather parts can be cleaned with Tung oil.
• Do some research on the Internet to find out what style of trunk yours is, and try to refinish it in the same manner.
• To get rid of pesky odours in old trunks and suitcases, especially musty smells, place cat litter in the trunk and close the lid for about a week. Fresh air and sunshine is still the best remedy for getting rid of odours; let it air out on sunny days as much as possible.