Mama DIY: Vintage Bar Cart

You all know that I love my vintage bar carts. There is something about the 50s and 60s that I just can't get enough of and these vintage aluminum carts are one of them. Remember this one I updated about a year ago? Well, I was at it again, but this latest one took me a year!

My mom and I found this cart last year while we took a vacation to the river. It was a mess! Rusted out, bolts that had to be cut away from the legs, and completely unusable. It had to be mine! I started working on it last August, scrubbing rust for the rest of the trip, but when we got it home, school started and I just didn't get around to working on it. All of that changed when we had some amazing weather in mid February. I was ready to tackle this potential beauty.

In the beginning, I tried everything to help remove the rust. The brush seen above, CLR which I poured directly on the shelf, steel wool, and lots of elbow grease. Nothing was working. My dad even brought over his circular sander which sat in my garage until February! That's when I got started again. Over a weekend, with amazing weather, I was able to knock off the majority of the rust from the top and bottom of each shelf. I was ready to get this thing painted and back together.

Remember to wear your face mask and gloves! The dust was disgusting and flew all over the place!!

Post sanding! Can you believe how much rust is still visible? However, they were soft and smooth and ready for paint!

My work space for the weekend.

I had picked the color months earlier, a pretty Tuscan gold. Something about the gold made me think late 60s and it was perfect! After three coats of paint per shelf, we were ready to assemble. My mom worked on the legs separately to get rid of as much rust as possible, but I ended up painting those as well. 

I even painted the original casters a shiny black! The only thing not original are the nuts and bolts. There was no way to salvage those. 

And here is the finished product!

It's all dolled up and for sale in our Southern Unique Elegance booth! Want it? It's yours! Just stop by and pick it up! I love it!! If I could find a place for it in my house, I would keep it!! 

I am on the hunt for a new bar cart! I'm obsessed with updating this vintage find and I'm thinking it's my "thing"!! What do you think of her? I think she's gorgeous!

Next DIY project is an over-sized coffee table we found at Savers. It's a Mission Style table that looks horrible! It's going to be gorgeous when it's done. Can't wait to share it with you! I also have some home interior updates to share with you as well. I'm loving home decor and design these days.

XO!

Andrea