Bar cart, bar cart, everyone wants a bar cart! Including me! I've looked for over a year at all kinds of fabulous carts - brass, glass, bamboo, wooden, metal, two-tiered, round, square, you name it! Through all those choices, I had my heart set on a vintage bamboo cart. But have you seen those price tags!? Even the informed sellers of Craigslist knew they had a rare gem that could easily be refurbished, and the price tag was proof of that knowledge.  So then, I stumbled upon this lovely cart...which was exactly what I was looking for, except for it only came in black! You've seen my posts before, right? You know black was not going to cut it. 

I actually think this bar cart looks pretty great in black for a tropical or more modern feel, but it just didn't go with my decor. Since I purchased this cart on sale at half off, I knew I could DIY my way to an affordable bar cart heaven. I had already found some great ideas on Pinterest regarding how to paint bamboo or wicker, so I purchased this handy little paint spray gun online and got to work as soon as it arrived at my door! Speaking of Pinterest, you can check out my pinspiration here. ;) I hope you'll follow along! 

First, I taped off the black coated wheels on my bar cart with masking tape and packing paper and then laid the cart on its side to start with the bottom first. I had bigger plans for the wheels, which you'll see later in the post. ;) The paint sprayer has three different spray settings which allow you to adjust to avoid over-spray. It was super easy to get the hang of! The sprayer actually comes with a practice paper and gives you instructions on how to practice your spray and make any adjustments necessary before actually painting your object. 

Painting the cart only took a few hours and I was incredibly grateful to have found this paint sprayer! I could have rented one at Home Depot, but for the price difference, it was worth it to purchase one so that I could use it again and again. I'm certain I'll be finding many more uses for it. :)

Since I was trying to cover black with white paint and wanted to reach every nook and cranny, I ended up using a whole quart of my white paint which took about 2-3 coats over the cart and the removable drawers. This is the perfect creamy white by Benjamin Moore called "Simply White' - the same color that was used on our kitchen cabinets. 

Now let me give you a quick WARNING about using this paint sprayer (and probably any paint sprayer for that matter). You MUST rinse the nozzle and parts in hot water between each coat of paint because it will dry quickly and the nozzle and tube are very tiny. But don't worry! It's not very hard to just unscrew the plastic parts and give them a quick rinse in the sink. The sprayer even has its own wire brush that is specifically made for cleaning the paint or top coat off of these parts.

After a week of curing indoors, the cart was still just a tad tacky. All it needed was a coat of General Finishes Polyacrylic to ensure a nice, durable finish. This is my go-to top coat. I talked about my first experience with it in a previous post.  Just in case, I contacted Wagner and they said it was fine to apply with the sprayer. Before spraying, I thinned with 10% water - I totally just guessed and put a few droplets of water into the container, but it turned out fine. 

After letting the first coat dry for about an hour, I sprayed another generous coat over the entire cart being sure that no drips were forming. The finish was dry enough to carry the cart indoors within an hour, as well. By the next day, my cart had a nice smooth finish and no sanding was required. 

Lastly, I finished off the wheels with a tube of gold Rub n' Buff that I bought at Michael's to give the cart a little pizzazz. I think it was just the right touch.  I went with Antique Gold, which seemed a little too copper looking at first, but once on the cart, it seems to match the rest of the gold accents in my living room. 

You can just use your finger to rub the product in, but I didn't feel like having stained fingers and nails, so I used a paper towel for the harder to reach areas, and then used plastic gloves for the larger portion of the wheels. 

The best part about this product is that it even covered the paint that accidentally crept through a gap in the paper and tape I had wrapped around the wheels. After just one coat, you would never know about this little accident! I did apply a second coat to give the finish a nice polished look. 

Here is my little beauty all finished! I'm quite pleased with the transformation she's made! She fits in our home much better this way, doesn't she? ;) 

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Sending Sunshine,

Jessica