Repurposed Industrial Tool Cabinet

I picked up this metal 27 drawer cabinet at an estate sale this Spring.

I'm using it for my Etsy business papers and some supplies.

It looks a bit different from when I bought

it. 

The cabinet had been used to store tools in a garage. It was really dirty, oily and rusted.

I first took the cabinet outside and thoroughly washed, rinsed and left it in the sun to dry.

After it dried, I sanded as much of the rust off as I could. 

The top and sides were pretty rusted and required a lot of sanding.

Once it was dusted off I used a metal paint, in a similar color, to paint it.

It took two coats to cover.

I knew I'd be putting a lot of papers and things I didn't want messed up with rust.

I ended up painting the inside of all 27 drawers.

I also painted the front of the cabinet.

Last year I picked up this metal frame with the idea of making a coffee table. 

I decided to use it as a stand for the cabinet to lift it off the floor.

I sanded it and spray painted it a flat black.

I purchased this board at Lowes...

...and used a gel stain to finish it.

I used sheets of manila paper cut into rectangles to fit the slots on the drawers.

Each of the pieces was stamped with the numbers one through twenty seven.

It's time to fill up the drawers and get organized!