Welcome, Dixie Belle enthusiasts! Today, join us as guest blogger Linda from Q is for Quandie unveils her latest project featuring our Smoky Mountains Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint. Get ready to be inspired as she refreshes a tired bookcase into a stunning statement piece! 

A tall gray painted cabinet with glass doors that have gold knobs sitting on a dirt ground with trees and greenery in the background. The finished refreshed bookcase.

(The following is an excerpt from Q is for Quandie. Read the full article here.)   

I picked this up at a garage sale last year and it has been out in the carriage house ever since. 

A tall brown cabinet with glass doors sits on a dirt ground in front of a white and red door with glass windows. A piece of paper that reads before is paperclipped to the top of the photo

I decided it was high time to get ‘er done. 

Step 1:

I removed the damaged fretwork with some help from my handyman Ken.  Even if it had been undamaged, I still think I would have removed it to update the look of the piece. 

Step 2:

I cleaned everything thoroughly, and then very lightly scuff sanded. 

Step 3:

I followed that up with two coats of Dixie Belle’s Smoky Mountains Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint.  This is such a gorgeous smoky blue green color. 

A tall gray painted cabinet with glass doors that have gold knobs sitting on a dirt ground with trees and greenery in the background. Inside the cabinet are books sitting on the shelves. The finished refreshed bookcase.

It’s one of Dixie Belle’s Silk All-In-One Mineral Paints, so it has a built-in primer and top coat.  I was a little bit worried that I may have bleed-thru issues caused by that original reddish stain, but the Silk paint did the trick without needing a separate blocking primer.  I also didn’t have to add a topcoat, so after the two coats of Silk paint, this bookcase was almost done. 

Step 4:

Finally, all I had to do was clean the glass and then add some new knobs. 

A tall gray painted cabinet with glass doors that have gold knobs sitting on a dirt ground with trees and greenery in the background. The finished refreshed bookcase.A tall gray painted cabinet with open glass doors that have gold knobs sitting on a dirt ground with trees and greenery in the background. 5 colored books held together with a green ribbon are standing on the middle shelf of the cabinet. The finished refreshed bookcase.

What do you think, have I sufficiently refreshed this bookcase?  Leave a comment and let me know. 

A big thanks to Linda from Q is for Quandie for sharing her creative journey with us. With Dixie Belle’s Smoky Mountains Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint, she’s shown us how to turn ordinary into extraordinary. To learn more about our Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint, read our blog Discover Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint.

A tall gray painted cabinet with glass doors that have gold knobs sitting on a dirt ground with trees and greenery in the background is above of the words Guest Blog Refreshed Bookcase Q is for Quandie. The background is the Great Smoky Mountains.

Bedroom, Dining Room, Guest Author, Living Room

About the Author

Q is for Quandie

Linda is the creator of Q is for Quandie. She loves finding a beat up old piece of furniture and transforming it into something fabulous. There is just something supremely satisfying about taking a banged up, vintage item and turning it into something that someone out there is going to totally love.

View All Articles